Sunday Social Week 4

It’s Sunday Social day again with Neely over at A Complete Waste of Makeup.

This week’s topic  is all about fashion.  This was a tricky post for me to write because to be honest, I really don’t care that much about fashion.  I think that fashion is truly an art form, and that it can be a great way to express yourself. Unfortunately, I just lack fashion sense.  I’m all about comfort.  I work as a preschool teacher, and we have uniforms at work.  When I get home, I like to lounge around in comfy clothes.  My weekends usually consist of outdoor activities such as camping or fishing.  So you see, fashion doesn’t play a huge part in my lifestyle.  I do like to look nice if we go out to a nice restaurant or party, but I just have a few outfits that I wear all the time.  Horrible, I know.

What is your favorite store?

Ross, TJ Maxx, or Old Navy.

If you could afford anything and everything, which designer brand would you covet?

Geez.  I have no idea. I am extremely ignorant when it comes to fancy, shmancy fashion.  I don’t pay attention to things I know I can’t afford.

Must have closet staple?

Jeans and a T-shirt.  It’s boring, I know, but comfortable and casual is just the way I roll. I once had a friend joke that my style is like a cartoon character because I wear almost the same thing everyday.  Haha… Sad but true.  Fashionista I am not. 

Favorite kind of shoes? (brand or type)

I absolutely love my Teva flip flops.  They are so comfortable! The bottom of the shoes conform to your feet and the straps don’t hurt or irritate my feet at all. I pretty much live in these all summer.

I don’t own a pair of TOMS, but I really want one.  They are really cute, and I love that they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you buy. 

Best clothing deal you've ever gotten? (sale or amazing find)

When I started student teaching in college, I pretty much needed an entire wardrobe.  Jeans and T-shirts are not professional attire, and all of my previous jobs provided uniforms.  I really lucked out.  I just happened to be shopping at JC Penny during their huge clearance sale,  I got an entire wardrobe of slacks, capris, shirts, skirts, and dresses for about $200.  Seriously… I got brand new clothes for two to three dollars an item.  The great part was that none of them looked too “teachery". Crazy.  I have yet to find a sale that great again.

Style you'd love to try?

I would love to learn how to accessorize without feeling silly or spending a fortune.

Well, that’s my take on fashion.  Thank God for Pinterest and the blog world, or I would really have a hard time when I need to dress up.

Flashback Friday: Glacier Park Day 1

Hey everybody.  It’s Friday, It’s Friday… Woot, Woot.  I am going to be starting a feature on my blog called Flashback Friday.  It’s basically pictures and stories of things that I have done and experiences that I had before I became a blogger.  I know that a lot of bloggers out there have been doing this for years and years, but I am relatively new at this.  Consequently, I have a lot of cool stuff to show you.  Yay Flashback Friday.

Today’s topic: Montana's Glacier National Park in the summer of 2008.  My mom, my stepdad Kirk, my aunt Connie, my uncle Lyle, my sister-in-law, and I decided to go on an amazing hike in Glacier.  

We started our hike at Logan Pass Visitor Center and hiked the Highline trail. 

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t see it from this picture, but there was a grizzly down in the creek.  We watched him for a while with our binoculars.  Trust me, he was close enough.

  

 

The Highline Trail hike was 7.6 miles and it ended at Granite Park Chalet, where we spent the night.  Here’s a little tip for you.  You need reservations if you want to stay here and you have to get your reservations early because it fills up fast.  You also have to bring your own food, but they do have a kitchen you can use and a sweet rustic cafeteria.  In the evening, a ranger came into the cafeteria and told us stories and history about the chalet.  It was an amazing experience.  Come back next Friday to see some pictures of our hike over Swiftcurrent Pass ending at Many Glaciers Campground.

First Stroller Ride

We finally had beautiful weather here in Idaho.  I know that a lot of the country is experiencing crazy hot weather, but all we’ve had around here is rain, rain, and more rain.  I think we’ve had about four days of sunshine. Needless to say, Tanner and I have not been outside very much since he’s been born. 

A friend of mine recently gave me a stroller, so Tanner, Chris and I decided to take it for a spin.  We didn’t go far… just down the street to the local coffee stand, but it was enough time to get outside and enjoy some fleeting Idaho sunshine.

     

 

 

Tanner loved his stroller ride and his time outside in the front lawn.  Next time we’ll go out a little longer.

Is that a toy?

Monday was an exciting day for me because it was the first day that Tanner actually noticed his toys and attempted to play with them.  It’s the little things in life that get me excited I guess. 

He loves that moose!

This bouncy chair is one of his favorite places to be.  Especially now that he pays attention to the toys.

All that playing will just wear a kid out. Nap time.

Essential Baby Items

This may be no surprise to those of you who know me or who follow my blog, but my life lately has mainly consisted of taking care of my newborn baby, Tanner.  I. Love. It.  It has been so nice to chill at home with the little guy.  We have spent a lot of time bonding and getting to know each other.  But he also sleeps.  A lot.  Thankfully, this has given me some time to rejoin the blogging world. 

It has been really great catching up with all of my bloggy friends, and you know what?  The bloggy world has been busy.  Busy making babies it seems.  It’s pretty exciting to see how many new moms are out there and how many pregnant gals are about to become new moms.  This post is all about helping out those soon to be moms.

I was reflecting on what I do all day, and I realized every day has pretty much the same routine.  Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean it’s boring.  It’s amazing how entertaining it is to stare at a little sleeping baby.   Anyway, I have compiled a post full of items that I use every single day as a new mom.  Maybe this post will help a mom to be in preparing for her new baby… or it might spark some memories for those of you whose babies are no longer babies.

First things first.  One of my biggest jobs… diapers. 

I made the decision to go with cloth diapers.  I will write more on this later.  Trust me, I have a whole post written in my head about this.

I use cloth wipes too. It just makes sense to use cloth wipes if I’m going to use cloth diapers.

I have a changing pad on top of Tanner’s dresser.  At first I wasn’t going to get one.  I was like, “What do I need a changing pad for?  I can just change his diaper on the floor or on my bed.”  Man, I’m glad I didn’t listen to myself.  It is so nice not to have to get down on the floor all the time.  Plus, I’m sure you’ve heard the pee stories that come along with changing little boys.  It happens.  A lot. And I’m glad I don’t have to change my bed sheets every day or have to live with a ton of pee stains on my rug.

These are another must have.  Poor little Tanner had horrible gas in the beginning, and babies sometimes have a really hard time knowing how to deal with it.  It was painful for him, and these drops really help.

Ok, on to feeding essentials in my house.

I'm going to be going back to work in a few weeks so one of these have become essential:

It is a portable breast pump, and it works really well.  I started using it early to increase my supply.  Tanner wasn’t gaining enough weight because we were having trouble with the breastfeeding process.  The doctor said he was going to have to supplement formula if he didn’t gain weight.  I really didn’t want to use formula so I decided to rent a breast pump and bottle feed.  It worked so well, I got one of my own.  Tanner gained 7oz. in 2 days.  I know there is some controversy about this.  People say you shouldn’t introduce a bottle before 6 weeks because of nipple confusion, but it works for us. I now have an excellent milk supply, and I feel like going back to work will be that much easier.  Oh, and he never suffered from nipple confusion.  He will nurse or drink from a bottle, but he gets frustrated by nursing sometimes because the milk doesn’t always come fast enough.  Basically, he’s a little pig.

Needless to say, bottles and a bottle warmer are items I use on a daily basis as well.

Another must have essential: a bunch of receiving blankets.  Seriously, you need a lot of them.  I use them for swaddling, but I use them mostly as a burp rag and to wipe up spit up.  Oh the glamor of parenthood. 

The pacifier or binky is another hot commodity around here.  Sometimes he just likes to suck even if he’s not hungry.  I was convinced that I would not need one of these. Then one day he started sucking on his hand.  I know I will have take the binky away when he gets older, but taking away his hand would be considerably harder.  In fact, I think that taking away your child’s hand would be considered child abuse in most states.

   

This bouncy seat is Tanner’s absolute favorite.  He’s not big on the swing, but he loves to hang out in this thing.  He even likes to sleep in it from time to time.  Oh yeah, and he’s starting to notice toys, so that’s a fun bonus.

 

And now, one of my favorite things.  The inspiration of this post really.  The NoseFrida.  Seriously this thing is amazing.  Some people I’ve talked to have been a little grossed out by it, but it works SO GOOD.  Basically you stick it up your kid’s nose and suck on the other end to get the snot out.  Don’t worry, the possibility of sucking anything into your own mouth is nonexistent. One thing I’ve realized about being a mom is that it turns you into a crazy person that becomes obsessed with disgusting bodily fluids. 

  

Last but not least, a comfy chair and some entertainment during long feeding sessions.  I love that chair.  It was my mom’s and she used it when I was a baby.  Netflix comes in handy if you can pry your eyes away from your new little bundle of joy.  Happy Parenting.

What are some of your baby essentials?