Loving Lately

Mid-week post! Hello! I'm here to share some fun finds I've come across lately, as well as some family adventures. Here's what's making me happy lately...

Online shopping! I’ve had way too much fun finding things we need (and “need”) lately, and I’ve been randomly scoring some great deals! Following companies on Facebook really helps, and stocking up when there’s a good sale has been a huge time and money saver. The other day, for example, Jet posted 25% off Honest Company products, and I walked away with tons of bubble bath for about half off (thanks to a first-time-user discount)! I also checked out thredUP (an online consignment store where you can buy and sell clothes) for the first time, because I’ve heard great things about their deals for kids’ clothes. Before I checked out, I asked (via the little “Chat with us!” feature) if there is a first-time-user discount, and sure enough I got an additional 40% off (I bought two maternity dresses for a fancy night we have coming up, but neither one worked out unfortunately, and I also bought Marshall a pair of overalls!).

Amazon Prime Day wasn’t as huge a hit for me, but I did buy a new diaper bag, and I’m so excited to start using it. It’s a big upgrade from my last one and will transition easily to a weekender bag when we no longer need diapers.

New recipes

Terry and I have really stepped outside our comfort zone lately with some awesome new recipes. I love browsing Cup of Jo, 100 Days of Real Food, and Smitten Kitchen <--I love the “Surprise Me!” button!) for inspiration, and sometimes I’ll put my own spin on dishes. Here are some we’ve tried lately:

Orange Creamsicles--perfect for hot nights!

Strawberry-coconut water popsicles (I just threw a bunch of strawberries and some coconut water in a blender and then poured the resulting mixture into our popsicle molds--they were so sweet and delicious! And perfect for me to get some healthy coconut water in, because I’m not a huge fan of drinking it straight)

Mango Chia Pudding--again, I’m not a huge fan of chia seeds and so far haven’t found a good way to incorporate them into my diet, but this recipe is DELICIOUS. So easy and quick, too! Marshall kept asking for more, also, which is a great bonus lately, as he’s hitting the infamous two-year picky phase!

Cheesy Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers - I made this recipe once with a few minor tweaks and loved it, so we tried it again with an enchilada flair. I just added some cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder, and used pepper jack and cheddar instead of the other cheeses. It was delicious, and a perfect side dish or main entree.

Sloppy Joe’s! I can’t remember the last time I had sloppy Joe’s, but I thought it would be a fun recipe to try. SUPER easy, totally delicious, and we all gobbled it down. Terry even convinced me to try making homemade hamburger buns, which are tasty but not quite fluffy enough for me, so I’ll keep working on it.

Egg (white) pizza bake--like a frittata, but bigger, and cooked entirely in the oven. I used kale and collard greens for some variety, and we portioned them out to bring as snacks at work all week. Honestly, chopping all the greens and sauteeing all the vegetables was a LOT of work (luckily I had some cooked sausage and ground turkey in the freezer, so I just threw those in, but that would have added even more work), so I’m not sure we’ll make this one super often, but the idea of it--lots of veggies + cheese + eggs--is definitely one to repeat. Next time I’ll just double the batch and freeze half so I get even more out of it. Delicious, though, and a great way to eat tons of greens, which has been a real struggle this entire pregnancy. (By the way, I used 12 whole eggs instead of the recommended egg whites.)

(Making bread with Daddy)

(Recent haul from the farmer's market)

Sticky Toffee Pudding! For our five-year anniversary, Terry and I celebrated a few times to spread out the magic. First, we spent a night in San Francisco while my parents watched Marshall. Then for our actual anniversary, we gave a nod to our honeymoon (Italy and London) with a dinner out (with Marshall!) at an Italian restaurant

and homemade sticky toffee pudding. It was such a fun night!

Movie nights at home the last two weekends have been a perfect way to unwind after a long week. We watched Spy, which was hilarious, and The Big Short, which was fantastic (but definitely required a few pauses on my part to make sure I understood everything). Watching new movies and shows together has always been a favorite pastime of ours, but it is easy to get into a routine of watching our old standbys instead of diving into something new. Silly, because the new stuff is so fun!

And speaking of which, another new favorite: Catastrophe on Amazon Prime! We started watching a few weeks ago on recommendation of our friend Amanda, and we savored every episode. Hilarious, extremely vulgar, British humor...what could be better? I highly recommend it for anyone, but especially if you have kids, because it gets REAL about life with babies.

Watching Marshall and Scout interact has become a real joy around here. Scout is still terrified of the kid, but Marshall is really interested in the cat. He'll grab a toy for Scout and then walk around the house chanting, "Scooooout! Where are you? Come play, Scout!" Meanwhile the cat finds ways to hide.

Finding a healthy (and sustainable) balance during this pregnancy. A few weeks ago, our former birth teacher came over for an exercise consultation, where she took me through a full pregnancy-safe workout and showed me tons of exercises that are perfectly healthy for me to do up through my delivery date. We also talked a lot about nutrition, changes I can make in my diet to optimize baby's health, and ideas for reducing my stress. While the consultation was extremely helpful, it also gave me some anxiety about "doing everything right" and ended up making me feel like I was actually doing everything wrong.

So over the last two weeks or so, I've been working on finding a healthy balance between what our teacher suggested and what is realistic and sustainable for me. I certainly agree with eating healthy, for example, and adding nutritious foods and reducing sugar. But I also think there's something to be said for enjoying the act of eating, indulging in occasional treats, and fully embracing the experiences of eating out or taking Marshall out for a treat!

(After going out for ice cream recently!)

I have added lots of greens and vegetables to my diet and reduced my sugar intake, but I am still having tea on occasion and enjoying dessert when I want (a few times a week). It's a happy medium for me that keeps the experience of eating fun.

Similarly, the exercises I learned have been awesome for making adjustments to my strength workouts. But our teacher wanted me to follow a very specific type of power walking for cardio workouts, and I just wasn't feeling it. We like going for longer walks, and we like letting Marshall out of his stroller to explore now and then. So now I'm incorporating all her suggestions for strength exercises (modified push ups, dips, upper body exercises with very light weights, bodyweight squats, stationary lunges, pelvic rocking, planks, calf raises, etc.), but we're enjoying our normal family walks for cardio. I also walk at work (20-30 minutes at lunch) at least three times a week (which might go down as it gets hotter in LA). I'm so much happier just relaxing and enjoying workouts instead of stressing about doing it "right"! I'm a pretty active person, so I'm not worried about each individual workout so much as maintaining a generally active and healthy lifestyle.

Some photos from a recent walk to campus with our baby Bruin...

(We counted the chimes when the clock struck 10.)

Overall, this pregnancy has been far less stressful than my first, and finding this healthy balance for nutrition and exercise feels like a wonderful way to head into the home stretch. (I'll have a pregnancy update soon...true to second kid form, we're way behind on sharing those updates. But I'm 27 weeks today, officially entering the third trimester!)

So that's what's going on around here! I'll be back sooner than later this time, but have a great rest of the week!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! We enjoyed a quick, short week over here complete with a very funny, happy toddler. Terry gets a long weekend, so we're planning some fun outings, including Griffith Park and a wedding. Meanwhile, I thought I'd share a few goings-on as well as some awesome links I found this week.

Currently...

...loving watching Marshall manipulate and explore his toys, figuring out how they work and--more importantly--how heavy they are to lift.

...reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. Well, "reading" is a bit of an exaggeration, since I've read exactly one sentence, but it's my next book so I'm counting it. Mostly I spend my days reading and rereading all of Marshall's books.

...watching so many TV shows! I watch Parks and Rec when I'm on my own in the kitchen doing dishes or cleaning. We watch How I Met Your Mother right before we fall asleep. We watch The Office or Once Upon a Time in the evening, depending on how much time we have. Love them all.

...eating Ina's chocolate peanut butter globs, but without the peanut butter chips because I didn't have any. So I guess they're just chocolate globs. Still delicious.

...wanting another cookie. Story of my life.

...feeling a little sad that tonight may have been my last time nursing Marshall. I've been thinking for a while that he doesn't really need to nurse anymore, and he's showing signs that he's ready to stop. We'll see what happens tomorrow, but I'm mentally preparing myself either way.

...planning a family vacation! Granted, it'll be about 48 hours, but we're hoping to sneak away to the Grand Canyon. I've never been! I just want to take a quick trip, peak at the canyon, maybe go for a hike, and head back. If you have suggestions, please send them my way!

...drinking tons of water. It's HOT here, so I'm trying to stay ahead of the game with lots of hydration.

...wondering how well we'll sleep in this weather, but I know it's only going to get hotter, so here's hoping for the best.


And now for some fun links:

A Cup of Jo guide to burgers...appropriate because I love A Cup of Jo and I love burgers. I can't wait to try some of the suggestions!

In case you're looking to binge-watch something, here's what's coming to Netflix this month.

A full-body workout for you to try this weekend.

My friend Amanda posted this on my wall for my birthday, and I can't describe how much I love it.

(Source)

Okay, that's all for now! Off to bed. Enjoy your Friday! 

A to Z Survey

Yesterday was a rough day all around (I opened the freezer during Marshall's nap and a huge block of ice fell out and woke him up, and then he didn't go back to sleep the rest of the day), and by the time 8 pm rolled around I was in no state to blog. Sometimes writing is cathartic for me; other times I know I'll just end up writing a super grumpy post that will make me cringe when I reread it. So I opted for some So You Think You Can Dance and a few chores and got into bed by 10.

I am feeling good about exercise lately. We took some long walks this weekend; I did yoga yesterday; and today we enjoyed a short family walk. Tomorrow will be some upper body strength. Consistency for the win.

We're getting some signs that Marshall might be ready to transition to one nap per day, so it's sort of tricky reading his tired signals versus helping him move to a later nap in the morning. Wish us luck!

So instead of dwelling on sleep woes or stressing about baby schedules, I thought I'd keep it light today with a survey I read on Julie's blog (funny enough, Gina did it on her blog today, too). I changed a few categories if they didn't apply or would have been really boring answers. :-)

Age: 29--the big 3-0 is next month!

Biggest Fear: My husband would say spiders, but actually I think it's losing my loved ones. (So much to keeping it light, huh?)

Childhood Obsession: Babysitters Club books! I must have 150 of them stored somewhere. 

Drink You Had Last: Water! I'm trying to drink more water during the day and cut back on caffeine because I've felt a little anxiety lately.

Everyday Must-Do: Say "I love you; drive safely" to Terry when he leaves for work. And now Marshall gives Daddy a hug and waves and we're teaching him to blow kisses.

Favorite Song: Probably "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright or "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.

Grossest Memory: Marshall spitting up INTO MY MOUTH and hair. So gross.

Hometown: Fremont, California, where my parents lived from the time I was eight months old until 2013. Now my "hometown" is LA, and I'm learning to embrace it.

In Love With: I suppose I should say Terry, Marshall, and Scout? :-)  I'm very much in love with those three. Also chocolate.

Jealous Of: Anyone who is in Europe right now, for business, pleasure, or life. (Likely inspired by Joanna's post yesterday. I love those Motherhood Around the World posts! How does she know such worldly people?)

Keepsake You Won't Part With: Marshall's baby books, all our photos, and the ornaments we've collected wherever we've traveled. 

Longest Relationship: Nine years with Terry as of this month!

Middle Name: Lanier (my maiden name), but it was Michelle before I was married. I decided it would be easier logistically to take my husband's name, so my children, husband, and I would all have the same name, plus I like the idea of taking Terry's name. But I loved my maiden name too and feel a strong connection with the Lanier name/history/family, so I wanted to keep it, too. I think Michelle is beautiful, but it was never a huge part of my identity. Still, it's on my birth certificate and diplomas, so it's still a part of me.

Number of Siblings: One, my big brother Chris. Fun fact: Almost everyone I meet thinks I'm an older sibling (usually these people haven't met Chris, they somehow just assume I'm older). Is that weird?

One Wish: To have a second child someday. Marshall has been so fun, and I hope we can have a sibling for him (after he starts sleeping better).

Person You Spoke to On the Phone Last: My mom! Which is unusual, because neither of us likes talking on the phone. I usually only talk to Terry, my dad, and my brother in a given week.

Question You're Always Asked: Hmm...I guess I don't get repeat questions a lot because I can't think of any good ones. But I have heard recently: How old is Marshall? Do you want to go back to work? And: When do you plan to have another kid? (Answers: 13 months; Yes, if the right job comes along and they want me; Eventually, once we get some sleep.)

Reason to Smile: We love our new apartment!

Song You Last Sang: "Stay Awake," the lullaby from Mary Poppins, as I nursed Marshall before his bedtime.

Time You Woke Up: 7:06! But if you count the rest of the night, we were also up at 12:30 and 3:30...

Useful Items You Love: My washer and dryer. It's true love, folks.

Vacation Destination: For some reason, an Alaskan cruise sounds great right now. Maybe because it sounds somewhat doable with a toddler? But we think our next family trip will be to the Grand Canyon, because we've talked about it for years and I've never been. Perhaps in the fall.

Worst Habit: Biting my nails or starting a project and not finishing it.

X-Rays You've Had: Teeth (that double root canal...), foot from my surgery, and I'm sure others.

Your Favorite Food: I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I realized that the food I could eat every day without getting sick of it AND that has tons of possibilities for preparation and consumption is...EGGS! Kinda random. But think of how many ways you can eat eggs and how delicious they are! (Unless you're Jenn, because she doesn't like eggs, but that's her loss and more eggs for me.)

Zodiac Sign: Leo! 

The Most Productive Day of the Week

(sung to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year")

Happy Monday to you! I hope the week is off to a great start. I usually find Monday to be the most productive day of the week at home for me. Over the weekend I tend to make a mental list of stuff I need to get done, and on Monday I start plowing through. Today flew by as I tidied up around the house, cleaned out the car, worked on some Christmas present ideas, ran a few errands, and of course played with my little sidekick. Great start to the week.

I took a rest day today, because I'm finally taking a Stroller Strides class tomorrow with a few other local moms. Instead, we had more of this hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows.

I put up the lights on our tree today! We're really taking this whole decorating thing nice and slow this year. Marshall seriously sat watching me (and the lights) intently for about 45 minutes! 

Speaking of that little guy, we had a really great day today. He took two looooong naps and had a blast playing on his own while I took care of a few things around the house. It's pretty awesome to see him become increasingly independent!

I started making Marshall's baby purees tonight! We like the idea of baby-led weaning, but Marshall definitely does not seem ready for it. Instead, we're going to let him check out the tastes of some purees for a few weeks and then try finger foods again. We started with broccoli tonight. I steamed some broccoli florets, then threw 'em in the blender with some water and olive oil. I made sure it was all pureed pretty well before placing a spoonful on Marshall's tray (cooled down quite a bit, too). He played with it and I also fed him a little on a spoon. I'm guessing he actually ingested a teaspoon or less, but it's all fun (and messy) for now.

Once Terry got home tonight--and after our messy dinner--we started decorating the tree with our ornaments! It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I love reminiscing about when we got each ornament, especially all the ornaments we've gathered while traveling. Plus it's fun to remember all the ornaments we've received as gifts from friends and family. Usually we get stumped once or twice a night and can't remember where something came from, but that adds to the fun. 

I love this Buzzfeed article about Prince George.

I always find it fascinating to check out the most popular baby names each year. (Marshall hasn't cracked the top 100 in a while, if ever!)

Gina over at Fitnessista has arranged for a 15-day free trial of Barre3 online classes. I signed up and have tried out a few short classes. I'm not sure I would be up for paying for Barre3 classes, but I always love trying new things!

Have you seen that the Holderness family is back with another parody? It's a Thanksgiving one (um, I guess I'm out of the loop): All About that Baste. You're welcome.

Time for bed! In addition to the Stroller Strides class tomorrow, I'm also meeting Terry for lunch and attempting to run more Christmas errands. 

What traditions get you into the spirit this time of year?

Catching Up on a Sick Week

Ahh, this week really took a turn. I'm still sick with some sort of a cold that has progressed through a sore throat, head/neck ache, congestion, and runny nose. Today I entered the sneezing stage, which is fun. Thankfully I never got a fever, but trying to care for an infant while also having to blow my nose (and then wash/sanitize my hands) every two minutes or so is proving rather challenging.

But at least I get to cuddle with this guy even more.

Comfort food helped out a little this week. On Tuesday we made this soup, which tastes exactly like potato cheese soup. Because that's what it is, essentially. Definitely a rich food, but I liked it. I would make it again on a cold winter night. Leftovers last night were great, and Terry took another serving to lunch today!

A little elf who sometimes goes by PopPop is making our Christmas dreams come true! My dad generously stopped by our storage unit up in Northern California to grab several boxes of our Christmas decorations so that we can decorate for Marshall's first Christmas. Thanks, Dad!

On Tuesday we met up with Terry for lunch and even snagged a family photo.

All in stripes! 

I'm making more of an effort to get photos of us as a group of three whenever we can. It's crazy how quickly Marshall is growing, and I feel like I could never have enough photos.

Scout is adjusting to Marshall in the high chair.

Today Marshall grabbed an orange slice out of my hand and starting sucking on it. So there's that little development. I just started reading this book to see if baby-led weaning is something we want to try with Marshall. Seems fun and easy and right up our alley.

Speaking of food, can you believe Thanksgiving is only two weeks away? Terry is super excited for this stuffing recipe, which I have to agree is pretty amazing. I am excited for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is celebrating Marshall's first holiday season!

Some other items of catch-up, since this week turned out to be something of a bust:

I'm really excited to attend a La Leche League meeting tomorrow! Our local MOMS Club invited all the infant moms to attend, so I'm going to check it out. Even though breastfeeding is going well, I'm excited to learn more about what to expect as Marshall starts solid foods and continues growing.

Tomorrow our power will be shut down for most of the day for some sort of maintenance. Luckily, Terry is off work tomorrow (woo hoo!), so we're going to spend most of the day out and about. After the LLL meeting we'll go out to lunch and then probably run some errands, all with the little guy in tow. I'm actually looking forward to a little family day.

It's National Adoption month, and I loved this post from Brittany about how adoption wasn't a fall back plan for her family. Also, these photos of families coming home together are truly beautiful.

Terry is starting to listen to Serial. I heard about it on A Cup of Jo, and it sounds fascinating, but I'm not sure a crime investigation is the best idea for my already-overactive mind.

I made these blondies yesterday, but I melted the butter instead of bringing it to room temperature, and it was magical.

Do you listen to any podcasts? It sounds like something cool people do, but I have never gotten into any. I love books on tape (CD), though!

Happy Friday to you! Hope it's a wonderful weekend.

San Diego and Eight Random Things

Oops! Sorry about that radio silence. Some weeks just get a little hectic. Last week, Terry and I took a short trip to San Diego. He had to work down there for three days, so I decided Marshall and I should tag along. We didn't spend much time with Terry, but it was a nice change of scenery for me and actually cooler than our apartment, so there you go. A quick little recap of our trip:

I discovered that Ross (and likely Marshalls and TJ Maxx) sells Dr. Seuss books. We're adding to our collection! I also loved Go, Dog. Go! when I was a kid, so we grabbed one of those. 

They also sell Carter's clothes, which seem to fit Marshall the best. We stocked up on a few 12 month outfits (which will fit him any day now).

So true.

I also did a little shopping for myself. Once I packed away all my maternity clothes several weeks ago, I realized my closet was looking pretty sad. Problem solved. (The slippers are to walk around the house, since I'm not supposed to walk around barefoot and it's too hot to wear my other slippers.)

I found a three-level Target. This was a new experience.

Marshall and I took a few walks. One morning, after we dropped Terry at work, we looped the area around our hotel and stumbled across this lovely view. San Diego really is nice!

On that same walk, I stopped in at a cafe for my first-ever sit-down meal with just me and Marshall. I had a not-especially-delicious Belgian waffle with one piece of bacon and one egg. 

Another day I trekked about a half hour south of our hotel to try Tiki Port, which came highly recommended by Gina, one of my favorite bloggers. Gina recently moved to SD, and we tried to meet up, but it didn't work out. The acai bowl at Tiki Port, however, was awesome! Obviously I got the only one that had chocolate chips. 

The trip was pretty decent, considering Terry had to work so much, but we were also glad to be back home for this weekend. We spent almost the entire day cleaning house and running errands yesterday, and then Jenn and Justin came over to watch the UCLA game. We played Texas, and it wasn't pretty, but we won. And Jerry Neuheisel got to be the hero of the game!

And now, here are a few random things that I'm squeezing into this post because I was such a loser about blogging last week:

1. Today Terry and I decided to wake up and actually get up when Marshall woke us at 7. Sometimes on weekends one of us will get up with the baby and the other will grab another hour or two of sleep, but today we opted for exercise. We chowed down on toast with almond butter and honey and shared an apple before heading to the Strand. We parked in the middle, walked to one end, ran the whole damn thing (okay, I stopped for a walking break about halfway, but Terry ran the whole damn thing!), then walked back to the car. It was difficult and refreshing and fun to be out with all the early birds on a gorgeous morning. Plus, we logged four and a half miles, and it's nice to know I can survive that far.

2. Right now I'm home alone. This is my first time alone in our apartment for longer than 30 minutes since Marshall was born. Terry needed some quality time with the baby and I needed some time to myself, so here we are. I can't wait for them to get back. :-)

3. I'm finding more and more ways to process my C-section. I joined the ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) Facebook group and am hoping to connect with a local chapter. The Facebook group alone has been tremendously helpful. It's comforting to know other people have gone through something similar to what we did. I've talked to a lot of friends and friends of friends who have experienced a C-section, and that helps too. I'll be sure to provide an update as I make more progress.

4. Last weekend we attended our last wedding of the summer--and Marshall got to come along! It was a day wedding (starting at 3 pm), so it worked out well. Marshall seemed to get a little overwhelmed by all the people, but he did great. And he got to wear a bow tie like his daddy.

The wedding took place in Cayucos at a private home. The ceremony took place overlooking the ocean--absolutely perfect!

5. Terry and I are participating in a couples' Fantasy Football league. I have no business being part of anything related to any professional sports, but I took my brother's advice and created a pretty decent team. I will let you know if I dominate, but I already forgot to swap out players last week, so things don't look great.

6. We've been slacking big time around here as far as healthy meals and planning ahead for groceries. Today we created our meal plan for the week to get things going on a healthier note:

• Sunday: bruschetta and salad 
• Monday: our favorite stir-fry pasta dish (so easy and quick!)
• Tuesday: kielbasa and potatoes on the grill
• Wednesday: grilled veggie kababs with goat cheese and pita
• Thursday: pizza with goat cheese, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, etc.
• Friday: something with shrimp 

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches, and breakfasts will be oatmeal or eggs (or toast with almond butter and honey, because that was amazing this morning). 

7. A while ago, we went to UCLA as a family, and I never bothered to upload the photos. 

8. Can you believe it's already the middle of September? This year is really zooming along, huh? The holidays are right around the corner. I can't imagine how different things will be this year with an infant! But the great news about September is TV shows are coming back! I'm most excited for The Mindy Project, New Girl, and Parks & Rec, but I'm sure there are a few more I've completely forgotten. 

What TV shows are you most excited to watch?

What's your favorite Facebook page to follow? I love George Takei's posts! 

Do you prefer almond butter or peanut butter? I'm a peanut butter girl all the way, but almond butter always tastes better than I think it will. You'd think I'd learn.

Have a great week! I promise I'll be back before next week this time. :-) 

My Favorite Mom Blogs

It's funny to realize that a majority of the blogs I've come to love (most of which focus on health or general lifestyle) are also written by moms. I thought I'd share some of my favorites, and hopefully I'll get some new recommendations, too, because these blogs keep me company during those late night feedings, and I can't get enough. (Listed in no particular order.)

N Her Shoes
I met Bobbi a few years ago when I attended a blogging retreat, and she is awesome. I love her positive attitude, inspiring workouts, strong faith, and fun adventures. She's one of my favorite people to follow on Instagram! Bobbi and her husband struggled with infertility for a few years and decided to adopt an adorable baby girl, Riley Joy. I love reading about Bobbi's transition into parenthood and admire how she balances being a mom with maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.

A Cup of Jo
My friend Fay recommended this blog to me, and I LOVE it. Joanna is so chic and stylish; plus she lives in New York, so of course she's super cool. Her posts are generally short and thought-provoking, nonjudgmental and written as though she is your best friend, asking your opinion on something that interests her. Joanna has two little boys, but she also has a series called Motherhood Mondays, where she discusses various parenting topics. I especially love the series-within-a-series she did on Motherhood Around the World, where ex-pat mothers share differences in parenting as compared to the U.S. I love virtually everything about A Cup of Jo. Check it out.

The Fitnessista
I've been following Gina since she was about nine months pregnant with her daughter, and now I look forward to her daily posts. Gina is a fitness instructor and military wife with a two-year-old. I find her to be honest, funny, and open. She shares details about her life and provides a sweet look at being a mom to a little girl. I also love her fitness tips and workout ideas!

Daily Garnish
I don't even remember how I came upon Emily's blog, but I love it. She is a trained chef and posts excellent recipes, but she also now stays at home with her two little boys. She's an awesome runner, and I am amazed to see how she keeps up her running despite her husband's frequent travel schedule.

Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life
You've heard me mention Courtney before, but she's so sweet and writes about her cute little one-year-old Lucas. She keeps it real and shares honestly about the joys and difficulties of motherhood.

Hungry Runner Girl
This one's new to me in the last few weeks, but Janae seems super down to earth and incredibly inspiring. She's a single mom to a two-year-old and talks honestly about healing from her divorce and continuing her passion for running.

Delights and Delectables
Brittany's blog is new to me, too, but she seems so positive and fun. Brittany and her husband adopted an adorable baby boy, and their story is incredible!

Itz Linz
Lindsay has a baby boy a few weeks older than Marshall, and he is adorable! Lindsay shares a ton of details about pregnancy and parenting, and I feel like she takes a really honest approach. I know when I was pregnant I wanted to know exactly what to expect and what other people had gone through, so this kind of blog is right up my alley.

Any other suggestions for great mom blogs out there? Other blogs? Recommendations appreciated!

EMOM Upper Body Workouts

Well, I guess this week slipped away from me a bit! We celebrated Jenn's birthday on Wednesday night and attended the school play last night, so it's been a bit busy around here! This weekend we have some fun plans, though.

Tonight we're tidying up the house and then cooking a simple meal at home, something that seriously got away from me this week. I failed to menu plan and never made time to go to the grocery store, so we ended up eating out for several meals. I'm eager to get back to our usual homemade routine.

Tomorrow Terry and I are driving down to San Diego for a two-birds-with-one-stone kind of trip. First, we're picking up baby's crib from Buy Buy Baby (the crib was extremely difficult to find and only available down in San Diego!), and then we're hitting up a few breweries as part of a very belated birthday celebration for Terry. It's also our last trip to one of our favorite places before baby arrives, so we're excited to spend a little quality time together!

Sunday is Mother's Day, of course, but we celebrated with our moms while they were both in town--a first! Though we don't actually have the baby yet, Terry has insisted that we celebrate this year, and I won't argue with that. :-) But when he asked me what I wanted to do, I really only had one request: finish the nursery and other baby prep stuff. By "finish", I mean set up the crib and start making the room livable. We're getting down to the wire here, and I think I'm a little anxious, so I hope this weekend's work will make me feel a lot more relaxed and prepared for this kid to arrive.

And now...

I have a workout for you today! Whaaaat?? I know, they've become rare in recent months as I've become less and less capable of my normal routines. That's not to say I haven't been active; today I proctored AP tests at the high school and earned 6,000 steps by noon! Not bad for just walking around a library.

Anyway, on Tuesday evening Terry and I agreed to tackle a strength workout together, and it just so happened that Tina posted a workout that inspired me that morning. Hers is Crossfit-style (she's pregnant and due the same week I am but still doing Crossfit!), and I definitely don't do the Crossfit thing, but I liked the idea of "every minute on the minute" and modeled this upper body strength workout after hers.

This workout only requires a stability ball, so it's great at home!

Here's what Terry did (focus on core with lots of other muscles incorporated):

The exercises:

• Push ups: Ideally on your toes, but keep your form. If you need to drop to your knees, do it.
• Ball crunches
• Plank: Try a variety of planks (something different for each round), like side planks, elbow planks, feet on a stability ball, elbows or hands on a stability ball, reverse plank, etc.
• Ball lowers: Hold the ball between your ankles and lie on your back. With straight legs, lower the ball slooooowly almost to the ground, then lift the ball and repeat.
• If the reps listed above are too many or too few for you, increase or decrease to fit your fitness level. At the end of each set of reps, you should feel lightly fatigued but not at exhaustion (perhaps toward the end you'll feel more exhausted!).

And here's what I did (completely different because I am omitting core exercises from my routine):

The exercises:

• Push ups on my knees (my belly hits the floor!) for the first few sets, then on my knees plus my hands elevated onto the couch for the last few sets. Also good for pregnancy: push ups with hands on a wall.
• Dips: Bench dips using a chair.
• Biceps curls
• Upright rows
• Overhead press
• Lateral raises
• Bent rows 

I felt delightfully fatigued by the end and even called it before time was up because I didn't want to overdo it. 

Instructions:

The idea is to set a timer for 10 minutes for each set. Then, beginning at 0, complete the exercises indicated for the even minutes (0, 2, 4, etc.) and the exercises indicated for the odd minutes (1, 3, 5, etc.). If you finish the required reps early, you get to rest!

At the end of 10 minutes, you can jump right into the next set or take a short break before beginning the timer again.

The best part of this workout is that it's done in about 20 minutes (maybe 22 if you take a break between sets). But it'll also leave you nice and sore for a few days!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!