Ugh I suck.

I haven't kept up with blogging!!

There are so many things I should blog about. I've made some really yummy food, had some great times with my family, my baby has changed so much, I've been so excited about makeup.

For me, I need a plan or a schedule. And some encouragement.

Things I've been up to:

• Making a Halloween costume: I decided owls. Rhett's birthday will be owls so I thought I could kill two birds with one stone. I have 2 back up costumes in case I have an epic fail. 
• Planning a wedding: My BFF is getting married next July!!! I am excited to have been asked to be the matron of honor. I seriously love this planning stuff. I wish I could do this full time. 
• Watching my little guy grow: I have a 10 month old. Holy cow! This boy is the apple of my eye, key to my heart, whatever other mushy lovey thing you want to call it. I expressed to my co-worker that I don't even remember life before my little boy-and that's a good thing!
• Educating myself in makeup: my friend Jana told me about Mary-Kay's liquid eyeliner. I have hooded eyes-so eye liner travels up my eye lids. This stuff stays put! I totally recommend it. 

I hope this is a good update. Maybe you all can help me decide on a blogging goal? 

Love ya'll! 

I Can't Believe I Didn't Know That!!

When E was born, the hospital sent us home with a bunch of these mini bottles filled with formula that was already made. See Below


The directions on these say throw away after an hour. I was fortunately able to breastfeed E until he was 5 months old and after that started using powdered formula.

Here's where the wasteful mistake began. I assumed that you couldn't use the powdered formula if it sat around for an hour, throwing away probably about 2 large cans of formula.  Finally, I read the package directions for the powdered formula. A bottle can sit at room temperature for 2 HOURS and then put in the fridge for up to 24 HOURS! Something you may not know about me, I am frugal. Becoming a mom has made me uber-frugal. In essence, in the last 3 months I have basically thrown away $80 or more

Learn for my silly mistake!

Enjoy this random post :)

What's On My Face-4th of July Edition

I recently had someone ask me what I wore for my makeup on the 4th of July. Some day maybe I'll do a video-because I actually do this look a lot, especially if I'm wearing all black and/or white clothes and I really want my face to pop.

OK so please ignore the really awkward selfie. This is just for reference!

Brows: NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette. I have patchy eye brows that don't grow in full. I like this product because there is a waxy base, two different colors, an angled brush and a spool wand to blend everything. 

Liner: I use any gel liner. Gel is really nice and smooth. The problem I have is that I have hooded eye lids so any liner tends to travel up the lid. So I top it with a black shadow using an angled brush. Here I used Creep from the Urban Decay Naked Palette (thanks Sephora gift card!), and also took it under my bottom lash line, making sure to blend it very well. To set it, I go over with any finishing powder. 

Mascara: One of my all time favorites is L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes in black (top and bottom lashes). This really doesn't clump or flake. 

Face: Currently I am using Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 120 mixed with a little face lotion and applied with a flat buffing brush. This product feels a little greasy, so I don't know that I will purchase it again. But it lasts a long time and I like the look after finishing with powder. 

Because I have very dark under eye circles, I use NYX High Def Photo Concealer in Yellow because it counteracts the purple color. For redness or pimples, Maybelline Lumi Touch Highlighting concealer does the trick. This product is also on my T-zone, my cupids bow (the dip above the lip) and on the tip of my chin, all blended out. To set everything, I used Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Light.

Cheeks: Before I set everything, I use a bronzer. Usually I use Neautrogena Natural Radiance Bronzer but because this was a special occasion, I whipped out Lorac TANtalizer Baked Bronzer which I bought with birthday money. To finish I added a light layer of pink cream blush (NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Glow)

Lips: Red is a scary color for me to wear. But Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple has made it easier for me to be a little adventurous. These are a little mix between a tint and a lipstick, they feel amazing. 

I don't always wear this much makeup-this is more special things, and a modified lighter version for work. I have fun doing makeup. I hope this isn't too long and I hope you have fun reading this! 

Big Batch Baby Food

I have been making baby food for Everett since he was about 4 months old, but it has always been in small batches. This week I spent my 4th of July making big batches of food. Here is my experience. 

Grocery Shopping: I stuck mostly to things that were in season. My bill came to $19.33.

Prep Work: First I washed and cut my first batch. I cut, steamed, cut more, put my items in the blender, steamed more, blended, and then repeated. I found this was the fasted way to get things done. My steamer is part of the Baby Chef blender/steamer. This causes some problems as I wanted to do big batches. But instead of using the blender that comes with the Baby Chef, I used my large blender. 

Steaming: Some items need to be cut smaller as they are usually dense, firm, contain less water, etc. The Baby Chef has a steam button so I don't have to keep track of the time. Convenient but sucks because of the small amount that it holds. 

Blending: The firmer fruits/veggies need more of the steamed water in with the blender. By using the water it was steamed in, you get more nutrients. Younger babies need their food very very blended, thinner. Everett likes his foods a little chunkier. Be very careful when blending hot liquids. I put a dish towel over the lid of the blender, just in case it leaks. 

Pouring: Before putting the trays in the freezer, I leave them out to cool. I have many different types of ice cube trays. I just threw away these trays. They were awful, I could barely get the food out of them and they were starting to crack because of all the bending. My favorite trays are these, but they are expensive.  Unfortunately I couldn't find the type of trays that I bought at Albertsons. They were maybe $2 for two trays, nice and firm, and the food came out with a little warm water run on the back. 

Storing: The food stores nicely in freezer storage bags. Some people label them and put dates on the bags. I personally remember what's in every bag. Food can be stored up to two months. This month, I only made about 20 days of food so I don't have to worry about dating the bags. 

The breakdown: Each cube is an ounce. Most babies eat anywhere between 2-5 oz per feeding. On average, Everett eats 10 oz a day. 

For $19.33 I made 199 oz of food, which it turns out to be around 10 cents per cube or 20-50 cents per serving. A 5 oz package of Gerber baby food is about $1.50. For a month worth of food, I spend $30, but if I spent it on Gerber food, I would spend $90 a month. 

You have to decide if it's worth it. It is work. It took me two days because I had used up all my ice cube trays.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to accurately keep track of how much time I spent doing this because I had to stop frequently to tend to baby, but maybe somewhere around 3 hours? 

Next time: I need better ice cube trays and a bigger steamer. Since Everett isn't bothered by the sound of the blender, I'm considering making food after Everett goes to bed. 

Daily Tidbits...

• Something in my house smells like garbage... and I can't figure out where the smell is coming from! I might go crazy. 
• My week is going to be nuts. I am working Monday instead of Thursday and then leaving for my home town on Thursday. I'm trying to coordinate cleaning the house and packing. 

Growing up is Hard to Do

I know, I know. It's been too long. I've been reading lots of blogs and decided I'm probably going to be doing all things I love. That includes makeup, clothes, shoes, my baby, anything really. And I want to thank you for your patience and for reading!

The hardest thing about growing up is the responsibility. Managing finances is probably the worst part. I love being a part time stay at home mom, but less money stinks. Keeping myself on a budget is difficult. Actually browsing blogs is bad for me. It makes me want want want!

Also I wish that I could be back in elementary school doing crafts and going to recess. As much as I act like a kid, at the end of the day I am 25 and have a husband and a baby. Don't get me wrong, I love them both and wouldn't change it even if I could. But I miss when the simple things were amazing.

But there's no use dwelling in the past, so let's look to the future!


Daily tidbits...

• I was actually thankful to be at work today. It was somewhere near 100 degrees and the hospital stays nice and air conditioned. 
• My lips were really chapped from the dryness-my Korres Lip Butter seems to be doing the trick today.
• Today I put in some time off for September and November. Where has the year gone?!

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Packing List for a 6 Month Old

I was planning on taking pictures of my packing adventure but the view screen of my camera is broke and I didn't feel like taking 100 pictures to make sure I got a few good shots. So instead I'm just going to make a list with categories for personal reference. Feel free to use my list as reference for your own summer trips!

We are taking a 5 day trip up north, which we will spend half the time at my parents cabin and half the time in town with Ben's folks. It's also going to be chilly the first few days and then really nice so I'll have a wide variety of things packed.

Clothes

• Cooler weather outfits X5
• Pants X5
• Short sleeve shirts X3
• Long sleeve shirts X2
• Warmer weather outfits X5
• Shorts X5
• Short sleeve shirts X5
• Short sleeve onesie X1
• Long sleeve onesie X1
• Socks X7
• Swim trunks and rash guard
• PJ's X3
• Jackets X2
• Sandals 
• Hat

Feeding

• Bottles X8
• Formula
• Travel bottle warmer
• Paci with clip X2
• Bibs X4
• Baby food X10
• Sippy cup
• Spoons X2
• Distilled water X2 gallons
• Burp rags X3
• Teething ring

Diapering

• Half a large box of diapers. Will buy more when we get there to save space.
• Diaper bag (has rash cream, tylenol, travel formula, extra set of clothes)
• Wipes
• forgot to add: swim diapers

Misc

• 2 small toys
• Blanket 
• Thin X1
• Thick X1
• Sunglasses
• Ergo carrier
• Hiking backpack/carrier
• Pack N' Play
• Umbrella Stroller
• Sunblock
• Shampoo/wash
• Eczema lotion
• Camera
• Batteries
• Video camera

A Typical Day

A typical day in our life

Wake up to E crying or babbling in the crib. Get a bottle ready and eat.  Change him out of pj’s and into his 1^st (and probably not last) set of clothes. While he plays, make coffee and eat cereal (check emails and facebook). Then it’s E’s turn to eat breakfast. At his first nap, get myself ready for the day by showering, do hair and makeup (if motivated).

E wakes up from nap and eats another bottle. On Fridays, if he is awake we go to the library for babies and books and a book for mama. Midmornings, I try and get things done because E is happiest and will play. So I use this time to clean bottles and do any chores I have assigned myself that day. I know I can’t clean the whole house every day, so I have broken it up so I can get the whole house done throughout the week.

The next nap, I water the flowers, eat lunch, and browse the internet. Afternoons I typically do any errands that need to be done outside the house; we practically live at Target. E will take another nap and eat again. Daddy wakes up and they play together. I try and feed E his dinner before I start getting dinner together.  This is where it gets tricky: E usually gets grumpy in the afternoon. And at the same time I’m trying to get dinner ready. It’s helpful if Ben’s awake because he can keep him company, but if grumpy time comes before he wakes up, I cannot get ANYTHING done, he demands one on one attention.

Currently, in the evenings we try and take a walk before it gets too hot and the bugs are out. If we don’t, we play, we hang out, and wind down for the night. E gets a bath every other night because of his sensitive skin. After his last bottle, we don’t do any more play time. This signals his brain that it’s bedtime. When E finally goes to sleep, I check facebook again, read, and go to bed. Then the next day we do it all over again. 

What I hope to improve on for the day: drink more water! Especially before the 1^st cup of coffee or else I don’t want to eat any food until noon. I would also like to get a workout at least 3 times a week. Once things get a little less crazy at work for Ben, I will hopefully have the chance. 

Pet Peeves

10 Pet Peeves

I have a feeling that I might offend someone. BUT let's be real people, will any of this actually make you change your ways? Probably not. And we all know that I am annoying about 70% of the time; that includes the time I spend sleeping. 

1. People who scrape the bottom of their yogurt cups with a spoon. It drives me insane!! All that scraping and noise just to get one last tiny lick of yogurt. 

2. "People" who take the last thing from the box but leave the empty box in the pantry. I only personally know one person who does this. He lives with me... and his name is Ben. I'm contemplating saving all the boxes he leaves and burning something of his using the boxes to start the fire. 

3. Owners letting their dogs poop and leaving it on a trail, in a park, on my lawn, etc.

4. The drivers in this town. OK not every one sucks. But when did it become OK not to participate in a 4 way stop, keep going on a red light, take a left turn when traffic is coming, and pass around a motorcycle that just literally got in an accident right before your eyes... on Christmas day?! 

5. My mom constantly miss pronouncing things, over and over again. 

6. Putting very vague and/or shocking facebook statuses but not responding when people ask "are you ok?"

7. People who ask for advice but refuse to accept it unless they hear the answer they were wanting all along. Hey, I actually do this. Especially when I ask for Ben's opinion on an outfit. But I mean for really important decisions. 

8. Men adjusting themselves in public. I don't need to see that. 

9. Leaving a public restroom dirty and disgusting. Not flushing, leaving toilet paper and paper towels all over. Gross.

10. This one is just recent-that there aren't very cute baby/little boys clothes. The "stylish" clothes I've seen are insanely expensive. But you can always find adorable, inexpensive little girls clothes. 

My Most Embarrassing Moment

OK so this one is WAAAAY easy.

Have you ever seen that movie "It's Pat"? It's based off of a Saturday Night Live character where no one really knows if the character is a guy or a girl. I'm not sure if I ever actually watched the movie or just saw the previews for it but when I did, I was maybe 6 years old? The only thing I remember from the movie was the line "Is that a banana in your pocked, or are you just happy to see me?".

As a 6 year old, I obviously didn't know what this meant. And I never really thought about it much growing up. Fast forward to 7th grade. My best friend's father who happened to be our Social Studies teacher Mr. Roseberry is talking to a group of us before class starts. I was one of those annoying kids who gets caught up in the moment, says stupid stuff, and talks way too loud. In all the excitement of the moment, guess what  I ask my teacher..... just guess.... please don't make me say it again. Yep, I said the above line from the movie "It's Pat".

And it's not until my classmates laugh hilariously at me and Mr. Roseberry says "Geni!!" do I realize what this means.

Here's what I'm thankful for. I am thankful that I've learned to think before I speak (most of the time). And I'm REALLY thankful that I didn't get suspended. Mr. Roseberry luckily knew my personality and I think he knew that I had no idea what I was saying.

So yeah, that's my most embarrassing moment... ever... to date at least.

Influences

People who have influenced me and why.

Let’s just say all of you have influenced me in one way or another. This is just a quick list for Everett to look back on.

Dad-I can’t say enough about this guy. He is what I want to be for Everett as a parent. My dad always had the confidence in me that I could be who I wanted to be. He took to the time to get to know me at every age. And he still does.

Mom-We have had the biggest fights, and I think it’s because we are a lot alike. She has a tough exterior but sensitive and wants her kids to love her. Watching my dad tease her and get under her skin, then her shout back at him is so funny!

Ben-How could this man not be one of the biggest influences on me? He challenges me and is my best friend.

Senior year volleyball team-These are pretty much the girls I grew up with. We were a great team together. We fought a lot, we laughed a lot, and we were very competitive. In junior high, we were undefeated. Our senior year, we won state. And I should mention our coach Doug Hayes really melded us together and cared about each one of us as individuals.

Mark Roseberry-A coach, a mentor, a teacher. He baptized me and challenged me a lot. His family is so close. I can only hope to have a family that loves each other and is that close even as the years go by.

Donna Miller-My high school English teacher. She wasn’t really one of those people who shaped my personality, but the skills she taught me has gotten me college scholarships and I swear helped me get jobs.

Danielle Barton-my BFF. I feel like we have similar spirits. As long as we have each other, we won’t be lonely. Actually if I go too long without her, I get really sad and really miss her.  She is my role model. She can do about a million things at a time and still perform exceptionally! For all of this I guess I forgive her for forgetting that I was in her lifeguarding class.

How I Survived the First Five Months Part 2

Feeding

BabyChef Ultimate Baby Food Maker

 

To be honest, any steamer or blender will do. The reason I like this is that the steamer side also warms bottles and jars of baby food. My only beef is that it doesn’t hold much food, so you have to do a lot of little batches. Which I don’t mind right now because he doesn’t eat very much, so one or two little batches lasts us a week or two. But I am loving making my own baby food. Have you checked out how much baby food costs? And it doesn’t even taste like real food!

 MAM pacifiers

 

Your baby will decide if they like pacifiers, and he or she will decide which type of pacifier they like. Everett started with the soothies but only took them for about a month. I had a two pack of MAM pacifiers and he took to them. They are adorable and come in tons of designs. Another reason I am glad he took to these over the soothies is because they have pacifier clips. Bonus: you can customize these pacifiers on the MAM website!! This is pricey so I will not be opting for it, but it could be a really neat baby shower present.

Bathing 

Babies R Us Turtle Bath SpongeCushion

 

I love this thing! We have transitioned to a different tub but this was amazing for a newborn-after the cord stump falls off. First, we have a small kitchen sink (and I feel like it’s unsanitary to give a baby a bath where I dump raw chicken juice). Baby can’t wriggle off of this thing, and it’s nice and warm in the water soaked sponge. Best part: It’s only $6! One of the best buys for baby!

Playtime 

Fisher-Price Discover 'N GrowKick and Play Piano Gym

 

Grandma bought Everett and he LOVES it right now. He gets such a “kick” from kicking it (get it, kick?!?!). The piano notes play notes and then a song if you don’t kick it again right away. Everett loves looking in the mirror and trying to grab and eat the toys. The toys also come off. Thanks Grandma Lu!!

That's it for my mini series. This was really fun. I might do something like this monthly if I can find the time! I hope you enjoyed!