Pictured above: an evening jumping contest at my in-laws pool. In June, we went on a 2-week long road trip from Denver to Georgia, visiting 13 states - and we lived to tell the tale!in awe of the sharks at the Chattanooga Aquariumjust an average trip to Target😂. I'm not really sure what happened here, but they got ready by themselves and for some reason face paint was part of the equation!running through sprinklers is still one of the best things about summer! We live in a urban neighborhood, so finding a huge field with working sprinklers is a hard come by for my kids, so when you find sprinklers on, you have to take advantage, even when you don't have towels or a change of clothes. I guess walking home soaking wet is just part of the adventure. WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MY WORLD Oh boy, it's full on summer over here! For us that means lots of pool time, outdoor movies, adventuring in the mountains, road trips and tons of homemade popsicles! Guys, this might surprise you ...
Round-Up
March Happened – Coffee (or Wine) Chat
Pictured above: just Parker stealing my phone for her daily photoshoot when they start dressing themselves in head-to-toe pink 😍 and you wish you could do the same with your wardrobe during the blizzard I tossed some balloons into their bath and their minds.where.blown 🎈we went to a kid-friendly opera and Elliette got her picture in the paper. I don't actually get the physical paper, but my mom does and she gave it to me. Proud momma over here! WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY WORLD March seemed like the looooooongest month to me. We got hit with a blizzard that pretty much shut down the city for two days which meant the girls had 2 days off of school right before Elliette’s spring break started. And because life can never be easy when kids are involved - Parker and Elliette’s spring breaks were on different weeks! So I have had a total of like 6 days of work this month. I’m not entirely complaining because I love being able to work on this blog and stay home with the girls, but I ...
12 Budget-Friendly Homemade Baby Food Recipes (75% savings on store-bought brands)
These 12 Budget-Friendly Homemade Baby Food Recipes will save you an average of 75% off of store-bought brands! Delicious food for your baby at a fraction of the price! Budget-Friendly Baby Food Recipes Who wants to save several hundred dollars on baby food? I better see everyone raising their hands 🙋🙋🙋 The estimate is that the average baby goes through roughly 2500oz of purees in six months, which can cost upwards of $900 with store-bought purees. I don’t know about you, but spending almost a thousand dollars on store-bought baby food is not really on my agenda. There are so many pairs of amazing shoes I can get with that money instead 😉👠 Especially when I can make a better quality of puree for baby at a fraction of the price! Below you will see 12 Budget-Friendly Homemade Baby Food Recipes that I compared with store bought brands. The recipes don’t always match up perfectly, but I got as close as possible with a variety of ...
40+ Kid-Friendly Weekly Food Prep Ideas (perfect for school lunches + quick snacks)
These 40+ Kid-Friendly Weekly Food Prep Ideas will give you a ton of ideas on what healthy foods you can prep for your kids on the weekend to prepare for the busy week ahead. Great for breakfasts, school lunches or quick after-school snacks! I wasn’t that big into meal prepping a couple of months ago in the summer when it felt like I had all the time in the world to make a delicious breakfast for my kids. But when my kids started back to school this fall at two different schools that both have very early bell times, I quickly realized that eating a leisurely breakfast or making school lunches in them morning was no longer an option for me if I wanted to keep my sanity. I was struggling with being able to make my kids healthy breakfasts and lunches, and to be honest I was just struggling with life in general. It’s the classic mom problem - too many people in too many places with not enough time in the day. Then I started meal prepping. Well, not really meal prepping as I wasn’t ...
What My Toddler Eats – January (2 Weeks Worth of Meals!)
Here is a look at What My Toddler Eats in a the first couple of weeks of January. Over 40 meal ideas for your toddler and family for the colder months (with recipe links)! I wasn't intending to do a follow up to my original What My Toddler Eats post, but since it was such a big hit and readers kept emailing me asking me to do another addition, I decided to do another post showcasing what my toddler eats in the colder months. I was planning on doing this post in October. Then life took over. Then the kid's colds took over. Then the craziness of the holidays took over. When I finally got back to work it was just after the holidays and instead of coming up with resolutions I know I would never stick with, I decided to just take photos of what my little one is eating these days. I knew it was one thing that my toddler and I could both stick with;) And instead of just giving you one week, I really blew my 'resolution' out of the water and kept documenting what I was making and what ...
20 Healthy Toddler Meals (what my toddler eats in a week)
20 Healthy Toddler Meals is a true look at What My Toddler Eats in a Week including breakfasts, snacks, lunches and dinners! 20 healthy and fun toddler meals ideas for your own little one. Also included are links to recipes, advice on how to deal with picky eaters and my tried-and-true methods on how to make healthy meals without losing your mind! Healthy Toddler Meals One question I get asked all the time from my readers is what the heck do I feed my toddler? Toddlers are a tricky bunch. They like a certain food one day and then the very next day they throw it at your face like it is the grossest thing they have ever seen. They devour some meals and don't touch anything at the next meal. Sound familiar? It's crazy. They're crazy! This post should really be called 'What I Feed My Toddler in a Week' because what I feed my toddler and what she actually eats, can be two different things. Some days she crushes her meals and asks for seconds and sometimes even ...
15 Healthy Finger Foods for Toddlers (that they will love!)
These 15 Healthy Finger Foods for Toddlers will make feeding your active toddler a snap! Delicious and easy to make, these recipes will help you feed your toddler nutritious meals and snacks all day long. Feeding toddlers can be pretty tricky! Typically at this age, toddlers only want to feed themselves, 'mmeeeee do it' is still a very popular phrase in our house:). So while their gumption is there, they still might not be ready to eat full sizes of kids and grown up foods yet. That can make it hard for you to come up with foods that are small enough for them to eat yet are still packed with all the essential vitamins and minerals that their growing bodies need. In fact, one of the questions I always get from my readers is, 'what the heck do I feed my 1-2 year old'? While I want to tell you to just feed your toddler the exact same meals that you are eating, because that is the motto that I live by now that my girls are bigger, depending on how old your toddler is that isn't ...
18 Stage 2 Baby Food Purees (That Baby Will Actually Eat)
18 Amazing Stage 2 Baby Food Recipes that will rock your baby's taste buds! These colorful homemade combination purees are full of flavor, nutrients and are a fun way for baby to experience the wonderful world of food, one which they will never forget. It's going to be a foodie trip of a lifetime, so pack baby's spoon and away we go! Great 6+ month baby food, or stage 2 baby food. Now that your baby has made their way through some or all of these delicious stage one purees, they can now move on to the more exciting world of combination purees (or stage two purees)! This is the stage where you really get to have some fun! Stage 2 Baby Food Recipes for #thewin Because starting now almost all foods are on the table! They might end up on the floor, but we can at least start them on the table;). With the exception of honey, processed foods and sugar, baby can now eat any whole foods and spices that is out there. Don't let confusing charts like these scare ...
15 Healthier Holiday Cookies + Treats for Toddlers + Kids
The holidays wouldn't be complete without the biggest platter of delicious cookies and treats sitting on your counter for the next couple of weeks. It's the same platter that I will find Ellie trying to reach by stretching up on her tip-toes while reaching with all her might to be able to sneakily grab two cookies (one and half for her, half for her sister) when she thinks I am not looking. And not to mention, it's the same platter of treats that will be beckoning me to grab one every hour-on-the-hour. That platter of yummy goodness gets us all. But just because you want/need a ton of cookies and treats to celebrate the season, that doesn't mean that they have to be bad for you. These 15 cookie and treat recipes are here for you! I put together some great recipes that bring together not only a healthier versions of the classic holiday cookies (gingersnaps, sugar cookies and thumb print cookies) but also some recipes that put a fun twist on the holiday cookie (matcha lime ...
15 Fast + Easy Baby Food Recipes (made in under 15 minutes!)
These 15 Fast + Easy Baby Food Recipes can each be made in under 15 minutes! These purees are easy, healthy, nutritious, and most of all delicious! Great baby food for 6 months and up (stage 2 baby food). Fast + Easy Baby Food Recipes Want to make your own baby food, but are short on time? Or short on energy? Or just think it will take too long to make your own baby food? Then these 15 purees are going to save your ass. Both delicious and nutritious, these purees are not only good for your baby but also super easy to make and each one takes less then 15 minutes! Score for you!Score for baby! These 3-ingredient purees are made with whole ingredients and are full of nutrients, essential vitamins and minerals that are vital for your baby's growth. Also, don't forget to check out my guide on what kitchen tools you really need to make baby purees. Hint, I'm sure you have everything already in your kitchen. Score two for you! Ready, set, ...