Monday Musings.

outfit from H&M

I don't know WHY on Earth I was so scared to have a boy? He's is such a sweet baby {except when he's hungry, he doesn't cry, he SCREAMS. haha} and I can for sure see him being my best bud :) I think because I just identify with Madison so much { she's a first born, an Aires, and JUST like me!} that I wouldn't bond with him. Nope. He's just plain awesome already. 

I can't believe this one is turning 5 on Friday. It's going to be the hardest birthday yet for me and definitely for Oliver. We are signing her up for Kinder in a few weeks and also getting her speech evaluated through the school.  She's having some lingering issues, like stuttering before she begins a sentence and the kids are starting to comment on it. Breaks my heart. This is all Oliver's fault, he had the same issue as a kid. 

Baby Aiden went to visit his home away from home, the gym. I'm really really missing my 5am girls, I think this week I will rejoin them, but only for walking on the treadmill. Walking outside has been really inconsistent as it's been crazy windy and chilly {in the mornings}. Plus I can do the 4am feeding and just leave after that and be home before everyone gets up. It will help me figure out how this will all work once I go back to work at the end of May. I won't be lifting weights or anything crazy just yet, my body isn't ready. 

I hung my new jewelry organizer, my stash is large and in charge and needs lots of room to shine. This is from Hobby Lobby and I'm using it mainly for all my arm candy. 

The weather has been stinkin' gorgeous! Like open up all the windows and take a nice nap gorgeous. I decided to just sand and stain the top of my table and recover the chairs. I think I'll leave the rest white so it will go with any rug. Obviously you have to have a new rug for a new table :) Plus y'all know I'm obsessed with RugsUsa! 

I've done SO good on my diet over the weekend, can't wait to see if I've made any progress tomorrow. Be sure to stop by and link up! 

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Random and Awesome Friday.

Random Friday post just because I'm up at 5am. Again. I'm telling you it's ingrained in me after a year of the #5amclub 

This year for Madison's birthday we are heading a different route. No bounce house, no awesome favors made by my Mom, no Pinterest projects.  My Mom and Dad just moved in down the road from us {well 'just' as in right after Christmas}, but my Mom's craft room is still in boxes while she paints and decides on new floors. It's quite annoying for me because I count on her for all the cool stuff :)  Also with a newborn I'm not up for cleaning my house and putting together a party. Soooo we are doing it at a super cute Princess Party Place in Dallas and just so she wouldn't be sad about no bounce house we got her one amazing princess dress off Etsy. Her life will be made.
I mean, it IS her 5th birthday and everyone knows that's a big deal. 5, 16, 21, and 30. Then you just wait to die :)

I'm pretty excited that we finally have her eating salad every night before dinner AND asking for seconds. Slowly she is branching out and trying new foods, still working on those brussel sprouts though :) I even bought the 'baby' ones!

It finally hit 80 and was perfect weather for an evening 'walk' where she insisted on riding her 4-wheeler. It's pretty apparent that it's been outgrown, Oliver's nervous about buying her a gas powered one for some reason. Honestly he's been having a SUPER tough time adjusting to her growing up, with a new baby in the family she just lost all baby qualities.  He is not happy about it!

I'm really enjoying my FitBit! I'm still not sure how accurate I feel it is calorie wise so I'm not adjusting for it {it's higher than my calculated 1900/day}, but I like seeing how far I'm walking each day.

I think my favorite feature is the sleep tracker. As we can see it's futile to try to sleep in, I'm awake for most of that time! I'm Skinnymeg32 if you want to find me.

I love him, but if he asks for ONE. MORE. NIGHT. OFF. I will stab him with a spoon. We each take one night feeding, deal with it. 

love THAT photobomb :)

I've been feeling more and more like myself everyday thanks to cleaning up my diet. I have a crazy hectic weekend ahead so I holding on to that feeling to motivate me through!

NO CHEATING!

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While you are here browse these lovely blogs for some motivation to rock your weekend.

Fit and Free with Emily. She has SO much good stuff on her blog, my favorite post this week was about plus sized workout gear. Yes, I always feel more confident at the gym when I look decent!

Fitness Blondie has some AMAZING looking clean recipes, I highly recommend you hop over and pin some to try!


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Fab Fit Fun Box

Y'all left me so much encouragement yesterday that I immediately felt better knowing I'm not alone.  I rocked my diet and didn't let it get me down, moving right along.

I am a big lover of subscription boxes with my favorite being Ipsy Glam Bag for 10 bucks a month. I think they send the most useful products, their website is well organized, and I love how they have videos showing how to use what's in your bag.
I've tried Kiwi Crate for Madison for a few months. The crafts were cute, but for 30/month I didn't keep it going.
I prefer beauty products to try out, feeds my inner diva :)

Fab Fit Fun only comes 4x a year, has full size products, and runs 50/quarterly.

I didn't love the last box, but gave it another shot and I'm glad I did! Lots of useful products that I'm dying to use.

Level shower bombs - I can't take a bath for 6 weeks due to my CS and this is a lifesaver for helping me feel like I'm at a spa in my own shower!

Cover FX SPF 30 - I love the silky feel of this SPF, it's not white, so I won't have that embarrassing white film if I wear this and start sweating. Happens every single summer. 

Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo - I love this on days when my hair is too soft to style, it gives it light grit and volume. Winnnnnning.

Kai Perfume Oil - This smells heavenly and light! The size is perfect to throw in one of my Ipsy bags with my lipsticks for my small purse, plus it's not too strong to wear while holding a new baby.

The Demasuri - This exfoliating glove is a hero product for me. Y'all know I love to spray tan and this really rolls all that dead yucky skin off. You just stand in the shower or 5-10 minutes to soften the skin and then rub vigorously with the mitt - NO PRODUCT - just your skin and the mitt.  LOVE.

The Kale Chips and the Stability Ball were the 2 I loved the least, but I'm sure Madison is going to all about that ball and DVD when I blow it up :)

Last, but not least, was this fun and funky head wrap from Cult Gaia.  It's a silky fabric with a light bendable wire inside to help you style it many different ways. I love this idea, so many cute ideas for it!

That's it.

Have a fantastic day! 

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Weighing In {Week 1}

Well it's been a while since I've gone through active weight loss and I've forgotten how stressful it can be. The cravings. The dread of stepping on the scale. 

I had a pretty decent week last week, some good some bad. 

Good:

Cous Cous // Turkey Sausage // bell peppers // grape tomatos

I would say I've eaten 85% clean and stayed within my calorie range {2100/daily}.

It's been hard though, something about breastfeeding is making me crave sweets like crazy. I'm also starving for most of the day. I try to eat every two hours so I don't get too hungry and make bad decisions.

A friend gave me a wonderful recipe for a Snickerdoodle Protein Shake. It's amazing and really curbed my sweet tooth - winning. Lots of people gave some other great ideas for shake on my Instagram - @skinnymeg31 

Bad:

The weekend.

Saturday happened, I was overly tired and after Madison's soccer game we came home and made the most delish Blueberry muffins. Bad bad idea. I ate like 8 of them for lunch and then took a nap with Baby Aiden.  If you are better at resisting carbs you must try this mix - Organic Blueberry Mix. Totally ruined my entire day, but I just got back on track, what else can you do?

Exercise:

I'm doing all that I'm allowed to do: Walk. Mentally I have a hard time only walking, I feel it's hard to challenge yourself so you don't get bored. I started out doing 2 -3 miles at about a 19 minute/mile pace. That's like Target Aisle Browsing pace. 

Yesterday I stepped it up a notch and worked up a tiny bit of sweat. Hopefully I can keep myself motivated to walk at least 4 times a week so I don't die of boredom.

Final result of last week:

This is actually 3 week difference, starting to un-swell a bit.

194. Yep, I freaking gained half a pound. 

This totally pisses me off, blah blah blah I just had a baby, I know. 

But seriously, not even a pound? 

I'm not going to let it get me down, I will just keep on going and trying and hoping for better results. 

I started the 10 Day Cleanse and hopefully cutting back on dairy and sugar will yield someeeeething. 

I'm not giving up.

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I'm good for another 40 weeks.

***I'm changing my weigh in day tomorrow to accommodate a link up I forgot to tell y'all I was doing! So stop by tomorrow and share how you are doing.***

My birthday weekend was fantastic despite the fact that my Dad put 34 on my cake and I'm 33. I would be really upset, but he did buy me a great gift - a Fit Bit! I can't wait to figure out how to use it! 

My Mom cooked me a delicious home-cooked Gumbo, I need to try my hand at making this, healthy and soooo good! She also made the California Fresh Orange Cake above which was also fantastic, a new favorite for Oliver.

Saturday we just went out for a small dinner with a few friends, I really just wanted some margaritas. I haven't had a drink in 42 weeks.

I brought the baby because he's too sweet to leave just yet, he really slept the entire time anyways :)

I had 3 margaritas and didn't even feel it, wasted calories. Eh, I'm good for another 9 months I think. I still woke up at 4:30am the next morning and Oliver slept in until 8, humph. Once he was up though he was on super diaper duty and gave me a 'Yes Honey' day. I love when he's just agreeable about everything and doesn't argue, he drove us 45 minutes away to pick up a table off Craigslist to work on. I need a project!

Necklace is from Sprinklings Girls // Outfit is Lolly Wolly Doodle

Twilight Sparkle had her first consequence this weekend after I went into her room and found almost every piece of clothing she owns strewn about. Usually we do 'timeout' with her and it works really well, but this time we tried something different. When she got home she had to clean up her room and then Oliver took her trunk full of dress up clothing away. I find it hard to 'take things away' from her, she's not that attached to things, except her dress up clothes. I'm not sure it feels like punishment though? Guess I'll find out if she keeps her room clean :)

Etsy - Zoey's Attic

I mean - how freaking CA-UTE is this??

My shirt and cardi from SugarLove Boutique // His from HaddonCo

What can I say? Matching with your new baby is half the fun!

I also want to say a BIG congratulations to all my friends who ran this weekend. So many sweaty happy smiling faces filled my Facebook and IG feed yesterday. THAT is why I love running, that accomplished happy feeling you get when you are done. Well done ladies, well done.

@abklecken with her sister @mneatherlin //  @jpricegirl // @fatchicktofitchick // @talbertamy


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Random Post Friday.

Random Photo Drop Friday. You're welcome.

This Flower Tub is blue therefore it's totally OK for a boy. K Holly :)
Now, for real, can boys wear polka dots?? Yay or Nay?

We both are loving a crossbody purse right now. I just prefer mine non animal shaped and no sequins please. I'm pretty sure she has like 50 bucks and some of my jewelry in there, somehow she always ends up with cash after leaving my parents house? Maybe they are paying her off for something?

Move over Carters, H&M has the BEST BABY CLOTHES. They are super adorable and fit like a dream, plus they are dirt cheap! Right now get 20% off kids and free shipping over $50. Seriously, the best.

This one changes her 'outfits' at least 6x a day. I don't even want to see what her room looks like right now. 

Grocery shopping is getting difficult.

Me!

My 33rd birthday is this Sunday, the 23rd. I have the most popular birthday in the world, I know SOOOOOOO many people born on the same day, it's seriously a little freaky. 

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Advocare Food Ideas, Diet Bet Weigh In, and a Cute Baby.

Just my new #5amclub crew searching some good food ideas for the cleanse.

My Diet Bet starts today! You still have a few days to join and weigh in, click here to play along.

193.2 I need to lose 7.8 pounds in the next 4 weeks!
Breastfeeding is not my weight loss friend so I'm really really REALLY hoping to keep my food in check and win this thing. I haven't lost a single pound this last week despite eating cleaner. We shall see!

On to the foods. I've come up with 5 dinners I plan to make twice each {it's just easier than coming up with 10 different meals}. I've also found some great breakfast and lunch ideas.

I'm logging my foods into My Fitness Pal {skinnymeg32} to be sure I'm getting enough calories. Right now I am trying to eat 2300, but I think I may lower that to 2100 for a while and see how that affects me. I'm not all that concerned about my booby milk, if I notice a decline in my supply I will take it back up, I'm not losing weight at the expense of nursing, I'll have a hard enough time when I go back to work.

Here is a good calculator for figuring out a good calorie range to start in, remember to subtract 500 for weight loss.

**Remember No sugar, No dairy, limited (good:rice hummus, oatmeal, stoneground wheat) carbs.**

Breakfast:

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs. Protein is your friend! 
Egg Scrabbles: any and all veggies mixed with eggs.
Grab and Go Egg White Bites

Oat Frittata with honey and bananas (taken from Runs for Cookies!)

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked

1 egg white, lightly beaten (I bought a carton of the pure egg whites, and I use 1.5 tablespoons of that)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. honey

1 small banana, sliced

Combine the oats, cinnamon, and egg white in a small bowl (sprayed with cooking spray!)  Using a spoon, press the mixture to the bottom of the bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a crack to vent.  Microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes.  The whole thing should come out of the bowl in one piece, in a perfect circle. Top with 2 tsp. honey and sliced banana. Eat with your fingers! :)

Lunch:

I plan to make a ton of these type of mixed bowls of awesomeness.

You can mix up different flavors of quinoa {or brown rice}, different veggies, different meat {chicken, turkey, shrimp, fish}. I was stuffed after eating this! 

I prefer the flavored quinoa, not plain.

Tuna Salad {Dairy Free}

Ingredients

1 - 5 oz. can of light tuna (I prefer Wild Skipjack, from Wild Planet)

2 to 3T red onion, diced

1/2 avocado, sliced

5 small green olives, diced

1/2 cucumber, sliced (or diced, if you're putting over salad greens)

2T extra virgin olive oil

1T apple cider vinegar, unfiltered

Dash salt and pepper

Mixed salad greens (optional)

Roasted red pepper (optional)

Instructions

Drain oil from tuna (see note below).

Place it in bowl and break up into tiny chunks, using a fork.

Combine oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and add to tuna.

Cut up red onion, olives, and cucumber.

Arrange sliced cucumber in a separate bowl (or save to put over salad)

Add red onion, olives, and any other veggies to tuna, and mix thoroughly.

Put tuna salad over cucumber slices, or salad greens, whichever you prefer.

Enjoy!

Dinners:

Random Fajita Mix with what I had in the house. So good.

Brown rice, black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, Chicken Chorizo, avocado, Cheese {not for cleanse mode}

Taco Soup

Tilapia and Veggies

Sausage with Veggies in Foil Packets 

Slow Cooker Quiona Chicken Chili

Chipotle Glazed Chicken and Sweet Potato

Don't be like this guy, mouth always open for food :)

Snacks:

Fruits, nuts, hummus, protein shake

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How I started Cloth Diapers

I will admit that with Madison I didn't go above and beyond to try anything new. I didn't cloth diaper, I didn't make my own baby food, in fact I barely survived that child! I'm a little wiser now that I've already done this and I feel more open to trying new things.  A good friend of mine kept posting about cloth diapering on FB so I decided to at least look into it for Aiden. 

It's VERY overwhelming if you are just doing research online, I think this is because there are so many different types and brands of cloth. What should you pick? Which one is best? How many should I buy? I attended a class at a local shop, Nappy Shoppe, which broke down the cost and what's all involved. If you don't have a store close by find a friend to help you, there are also a TON of Facebook groups that are very very helpful! 

When we came home from the hospital Aiden started to develop a diaper rash, we tried 3 different creams that did not help. We were using disposables because the cloth I had didn't fit under his belly button. It was heartbreaking to change his diaper and hear him scream because his little hiney hurt :( Finally I told Oliver no more creams, disposables, or wipes. We stuck him in cloth and within 12 hours his booty was all healed up. It was amazing and made a believer out of me!

Bought from Haddon Co on Etsy.

What I bought and how much I spent:

Like I said I'm new and this is just what I've done, there are LOTS of different ways to go about this.

I spent about 175 on a 'newborn set' of these Bum Genius Newborn size. These are the 'easy' ones that are all one piece and just go on like a regular diaper. I really bought these for Oliver who wanted super simple. There are 12 in a set and we really only use these at night because when it's 4am easy is the best route!

I spent about 150 on prefolds {the cloth on the right, these fold up and fit inside the covers on the left} and covers. I have two different brands of prefolds, but so far the OsoCozy Better Fit are my favorites because they are slightly bigger and more absorbent.  I have 6 covers and around 40 inserts.

I have all Rumarooz covers {they are so cute!} some are snaps and some are velcro. I prefer snaps, but it's all personal preference. I like prefolds and covers for a few reasons: 

1. they hold more pee than the bum genius, when I change him I only have to change the insert and not the entire diaper unless he leaks. 

2. Depending on your baby there are different ways to 'fit' the insert. This video shows how to do it.

Oliver practicing his jelly roll, our chosen prefold method, it holds in the poop really well. 

This is a Snappi, it 'pins' the cloth diaper together without using pins.

Both of these brands have fit him pretty well, I know different kinds fit differently so if you have a chunky monkey you might as around for what works best :)

Laundry: this is what people are freaking out about. Poop in your washing machine. The chevron bag hanging there is a Wet Bag, we put all dirty diapers in there until we do a load. No it doesn't smell because he is breastfed right now. Breast poop dissolves in water so no need to rinse before washing just throw it in a wash them up. Later when he switches to solids it will need to be rinsed, I have a diaper sprayer attached to our toilet to rinse it off and I also have diaper liners to put in the diaper for easy clean up.

I use this detergent, but there are lots of brands, and I do an extra load every 2 or 3 days. You are not supposed to put the covers and bum genius in the dryer, but I do. I'm such a rebel and I have no where to 'hang' them to dry. 

Overall I predict will will save over 2 grand using this method, that is if I can not buy a huge amount of 'cute' ones :) Everything I have is for newborn, so when he moves up to One Sizes I'd like to branch out and try a few different kinds. If you have a favorite could you leave a comment with the type and WHY you love it? TIA!

Like these, I NEED these!

Tips:

• Find a FB Group, they are a great resource!
• You can buy used! Try Ebay, CraigsList, or Facebook! I bought new, but used it a great route and I may do that in the future although there tends to be a lot more girl items than boys.
• Don't buy all one kind, try a few to see what you like.

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