Teacher Appreciation Week: Food

Today's theme for Sam's teacher gifts is "food." I told y'all about my BBQ rub favors last week.  That was such an easy food item to put together (and cheap), so it was a shoe-in for one of our teacher gifts.  Of course I did a much bigger portion for Sam's teachers and put the rub in mason jars (um, Paige... I owe you two mason jars). 

I love this one... as I said, cheap and easy, yet totally cute and practical.  I had some burlap yardage and cut squares to top the jars and secured those with ribbon and a gift tag I made...

The tag is a little too big for the jars, but whatever.  That drives the libra in me nuts.

AND as if that wasn't enough... I told y'all I was baking! There are a few other helpers in Sam's room at school that work part-time and I didn't want to leave them out.  So I did a batch of chocolate cream cheese cupcakes for the whole gang... 

Wednesday's theme is "fun."  Thankfully, I've already got that one assembled cuz this Momma is BEAT.  Stay tuned!

Teacher Appreciation Week: Favorite Thing

Especially since this is our first go ever at Teacher Appreciation gifts, I thought I'd show you our goodies day by day this week.  I finished up all the shopping at Wally World this past weekend, so now I'm down to just assembling everything.  Monday's theme is a "favorite thing" of the teacher's... and both of Sam's teachers love Starbucks. 

A sweet friend of mine shared an idea of giving Hershey's Hugs and Kisses with a note saying something about Sam's teachers needing lots of hugs and kisses... so I incorporated that with Starbucks.  Sure they need hugs and kisses... but I'm bettin' they need some real caffeine too. 

I'm curious to see what other mommas bring... I just have no idea what the "standard" is, but whatever.  I had fun with it and yeah, probably went a little overboard.  But I love this kind of stuff and I really DO appreciate all the ladies that love on my sweet boy everyday.

So the basics of this one... a clear glass mug ($2.50 at Walmart) filled with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses, with a $5 Starbucks card.  Tied up with cellophane and ribbon and this label...

Mmm... what's not to love?

Tomorrow's theme is "food" and yes... I will be baking.  Look out!

Easy Summer Party Favor: BBQ Rub

Y'all know I like to throw a good party.  Of course, those are harder to squeeze in now with the little man around.  But last weekend we helped my parents host a couples shower for my godmother's son and his bride-to-be.  It was a relaxed, casual affair held outside with catered BBQ and checkered tablecloths.  The weather was perfect - it was such a fun night!  And of course I raised my hand excitedly to handle the favors.  Party favors are never necessary, but I LOVE to do them.  And my absolute thrill is finding something fun that looks amazing and costs mere pennies. 

So my usual rules on favors are these... (1) Never do them merely for the sake of doing them.  People don't need more crap and you don't owe them anything.  (2) Make it something consumable.  Either edible or usable in some other way.  Cheap little trinkets usually wind up in a junk drawer, the trash bin, or up Junior's nose in less than 24 hours.  So why waste your time and money on that?  (3) Keep favors in theme with the party.  And particularly if you're talking wedding favors, make it personal to the couple.

I love all aspects of party planning... I'm already in the throws of planning Sam's first birthday shindig.  Yeah, he'll be 4 mos next week.  But y'all, there is so much to do!  I only have 8 months left!  I've got the theme, color scheme, and his outfit already worked out.  Neurotic - I know.  More on that later... but yes, of all the party planning fun, favors are my absolute FAVORITE part.  So I thought I'd just share this last one I did because it's so stinkin' easy and great for all kinds of summer parties...

Homemade BBQ Rub Party Favors

There are a million good BBQ rub recipes online, but here is the one I found and used.  It has only a few ingredients, all of which are cheap or I already had on hand.  I also love the Allrecipes site because they let you play with the quantities and recalculate the ingredient needs for you.  For this particular rub, you'll need...

- 5 parts white sugar

- 5 parts brown sugar

- 2 parts salt

- 1 part black pepper

- 1 part paprika

For the favors, I did 1/3 cup servings.  The hub and I tested it out on some grilled chicken and it was (a) delicious and (b) more than enough in the packet for us to use on three large chicken breasts.  How you package them is totally up to you.  I got some small clear treat bags from Michael's (4x6 I think) for the outer wrapper, and then mini ziplock bags (3x4 maybe?) to actually hold the rub.  The outer wrappers were merely folded over and secured with ribbon (already had on hand) and sticker labels.  Back in the day I would've designed and printed my own labels.  This time I recruited Tiny Prints.  They were cheap, matched the invites, and also uber cute.  I did, however, print plain white labels for the back of the packets that shared the recipe and instructions for the rub.   I already had a bunch of different size labels on hand, so for me there was very little cost to make these 40 favors.  We had to buy a few ingredients, the main labels, and the bags - totaling about $33.  If I had made my own labels, that amount would be nearly sliced in half. 

So if nothing else, make some of this rub for yourself - it's delish!  I also plan to make another batch this weekend for a couple of teacher appreciation gifts.  Yeah, I was just clued in to the fact that next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we are "encouraged" to bring themed gifts EACH day for Sam's teachers at daycare.  I had no prior knowledge of the world of teacher gifts... I've never been a teacher or had a kid in a class, so this is an entirely new thing for me.  I've been trading ideas with friends and searching blogs and Pinterest... and holy hell at some of the gifts these Martha McCrafty's out there do.  I actually enjoy this kind of stuff... receiving gifts is one of my love languages and I LOVE LOVE LOVE giving.  But I would've appreciated more than one week's notice to gather this shit together.  So yeah I've been in overdrive the last couple of days getting these gifts together.  More on that later... I will take pics of our daily prezzies!

Tomorrow I'm off work but Nana and Gran will be keeping Sam in the morning while I get the house ready for weekend company.  One of the hub's best buds is getting married this weekend, so we've got an exciting few days ahead.  Hope you all have fantastic weekends!  Back soon...

One of "those" days.

I suppose I was bound to have one this week.  Things were just going a little *too* smoothly, you know?  I mean I hadn't shed a tear yet this week, despite starting Sam in school and returning to work.  And then there was yesterday.  We'll just do a bullet point recap here of my day...

 

- Getting out the door went smoothly.  I've been doing as much prep the night before as possible to make the mornings easy.  As I'm heading out to the car, Scott reminds me we need gas.  Drats... it's raining and I'm already a little behind.  Still on time though, so no biggie.  Until I get to the gas pump and can't find my debit card.  Now keep in mind we don't have credit cards and I didn't have any cash on me, so if I don't have my debit card, I'm SOL.  I suppose I could write a check, but do gas stations even take checks?  So I'm racking my brain (which is now WAY harder than it used to be) trying to figure out where it was.  Where was the last place I used it?  I called the hub to see if he had it for some reason.  I couldn't come up with anything but all I could think to do was to return home and search.  It hit me on the way back that I had pulled out my card and license and stuck them in a smaller bag for the Gwinnett Braves game we went to Friday night.  Yeah, so I'd been roaming around for FIVE days with no license or money.

 

- Yesterday at work (once I finally got there) was quiet.  Day after the big deadline, so pretty much the whole tax department was out.  So I brought in some picture frames from home and decided to upload some pics to have printed at Walmart.  Got them uploaded, ordered, and paid for online.  Maybe 15 minutes later I got a text saying they were ready for pick-up.  I waited a good 30 minutes though before leaving.  Now keep in mind that I don't usually take a lunch break - so this was meant to be a very fast in-and-out trip to Wally World.  That turned into an hour.  I get there and no one is at the photo center.  I ring the bell.  Nothing.  Finally pull someone out of the entertainment section to try and help me.  He looks for my order.  Nothing.  Informs me that they tried paging the photo girl earlier but don't know where she is.  Awesome.  She finally shows up after I've been there at least 15 minutes.  No apologies.  Finds my photos and still has to cut them (so no, they weren't really ready).  I grab them and run out the door because this has already taken way longer than I intended.  I decide to hop on the interstate to get back a little faster.  Um, big mistake.  Bumper to bumper traffic, so I bypass the interstate and take another back way to my office.  So it took like 3x as long as it should have to get back.  And at one stop light or another I'm looking at my pictures that took flippin' forever to print, only to realize that two of them have horrible spots on them and are totally unusable.  Good thing Sam was not in the car to overhear my obscenities. 

 

- Then I get home with Sam, expecting to walk in to the glorious smell of dinner in the crockpot.  Only to find that I failed to turn it on properly when I left the house that morning.  And that's when I lost it.  I was feeling SO accomplished, having stayed up chopping vegetables and assembling the stew the night before so that ALL I had to do that morning was dump it in and turn on the damn pot.  But no, that's just too easy.  Instead my crockpot was flashing "No soup for you, DUMBASS."  So I proceeded to set Sam down, trying not to scream at the dogs who were incessantly barking, and dumped the entire contents of the pot down the drain while crying.

 

And that's when your sweet hubby knows you need a burger and fries from Steak 'n Shake.  (Thanks, hun.)

 

Yeah, I'm going to have those days... but my little Sammy Sam makes it all OK.  We bumped his bedtime up to 6:30pm last night.  He did wake up once (at 1:15am) but I figured he might the first time or two.  I know he'll adjust quickly.  He has taken 3-hour naps first thing in the morning the last couple of days at daycare, so I knew he wasn't getting enough sleep at night.  Plus I think that schedule will work really well for us.  I can still get lots done after he goes to bed and also manage to get to bed early myself.  It's a work in progress!  And despite the crappy day yesterday, I say it's going really well overall.  Today's my last day of work this week.  My parents will normally keep Sam on Fridays (he's only at school 4 days a week), but they're out of town.  So it's Mommy and Sam day tomorrow!  Can't wait...

Baby Stuff: Sam and Mom's Favorites (0-3 months)

Oh how those first three months flew by!  And today Sam is in daycare for the first time.  I'm at home today and return to work tomorrow...  lots of emotions, but so far I'm doing well.  I think I got a lot of my crying out last week, but hey - it's only Monday.  So today I've been a mad woman getting things done at the house!  And I was also determined to finish this post today.  I've seriously sat down at least 5 times working on it.  It's so hard to find the time and energy to get a big post like this done these days!

So over these very fast few months, I've conjured up a good list of favorite baby items.  This would be my own personal "must-have" list, hind site being 20/20.  But we all know every baby is different.  And mommas, too.  So I'm sure your list looks nothing like mine.  But it's fun to share these things and see what other babies and mommas are into at different stages.  This is a rather lengthy list of faves, so in case you're just breezing through here, I'll give you my top 5 baby items first...

1.  Bosom Baby Nursing Pillow

I must credit my sweet friend, Pammy, for introducing me to this fabulous pillow.  In my opinion, it puts the widely-loved Boppy to shame.  I do have a Boppy - I registered for one anyway because I heard they're great for propping up baby (their original purpose actually), but I'm SO glad I held out and snagged one of these Bosom Baby pillows, too.  First, they are HUGE - lots of room for baby, your elbows, and whatnot.  Second, super soft and cushy (the Boppy is a lot harder).  Third, V-shaped so they fit any size momma, whereas there is no way the Boppy does (though it claims to).  It also serves more than one purpose - it makes a great pregnancy pillow.  I also have the My Brest Friend pillow (which another friend recommended).  That's a good one too, but totally different.  For breastfeeding purposes, I rate these three as follows: #1 Bosom Baby, #2 Brest Friend, #3 Boppy.  Note that the BB pillow is a little hard to find.  Amazon carries it.  Atlanta ladies, the women's shop at Northside Hospital carries them.  BRU or BuyBuy Baby do not stock these - at least not last time I checked.  I lucked up and caught mine off BabySteals.com for half price.

2. Boppy Changing Pad Liners

Thought I'd share this other Boppy brand product next since I just slammed their nursing pillow... ha!  We actually have the Boppy brand changing pad covers (the tan one pictured above), which come with one of these white waterproof liners that just sit on top.  And then Boppy sells extra liners in packs of three.  Um, we have like 10 liners - we go through them like mad!  I absolutely love them.  I have to change the actual pad cover far less often.  If Sam spits up or pees or poops while on his table, the pad takes the hit and we just swap it out.  Now, sometimes a good pee-attack hits a 6-foot wide radius and you're screwed.  But more often, it's just a quick liner change.  LOVE these.  Great for cribs and bassinets too when they're itty bitty.  Only annoying thing is that the washing instructions say to not run them through the dryer.  Um, yeah I totally do and they're fine.  If they wear out faster, so be it.

3. Fisher Price Cradle Swing

Apparently babies either love or hate the swing.  Well, Sam friggin LOVES it.  And so do I.  If I can't get him to go down in the crib, the swing is nearly fail-proof.  Even if he fusses while I buckle him in, he ultimately succumbs to the rocking.  But I especially love this model because the seat can be turned three ways.  It can go back and forth like a traditional swing (facing either direction), or you can twist the seat to face you and it rocks from side to side like a hammock.   We registered for this swing, but were also fortunate enough to get a hand-me-down swing for upstairs (so we'd have one on both floors).  But if we hadn't, I totally would've put up the cash for a second one after learning how much Sam loved it.  My parents also have one at their house - it's a must in our book!

4. Aden and Anais Swaddling Blankets

These blankets are simply the best... huge (44"x44"), square (best for swaddling), and breathable (made of thin, muslin cotton).  Sam always cuddles up with one in his swing.  I have 13 of these total and I'm constantly going through them.  I never leave the house without at least one.  This brand has other great products too (I love the burpy bibs and the security blankets), but the blankets are my absolute favorite.  I wish they made king size sheets out of this fabric.  Seriously.

5. Baby Bjorn Active

Sam and I have already put some serious mileage on our Baby Bjorn.  He loves it.  The first time I put him in it, he immediately relaxed and passed out.  And he just now is able to face forward in it, which is super fun for him.  I'm a big fan of baby-wearing (I also have the Moby Wrap and he likes that too, but I'm afraid he's going to protest it now that he can face forward in the Baby Bjorn).  I don't like fooling with a car seat by myself... if I'm out shopping anywhere with a buggy, Sam is in the Baby Bjorn.  Keeps my hands free and I don't have to worry about him because he's attached to me.  Plus, convenience aside, "they" say it's better for baby not to be in the car seat ALL the time.  And he's working on his neck muscles and such when I'm wearing him.  So it's a home run no matter how you look at it.  I wear it a good bit around the house too - Sam's a good little helper.  Couldn't live without this thing!  And the "active" style provides more back support than the original Baby Bjorn.  I think that's the main difference.

Other Favorites (0-3  months)...

Carter's Keep Me Dry Pad - I have several "sheet saver" type products for the crib.  This is the cheapest one I got and it beats the other fancy pants ones.  The flannel like fabric kinda clings to the sheet, so it stays put.  Love these.  Just throw it over the crib sheet and you rarely need to change the actual sheet.

Bright Starts Ingenuity Automatic Bouncer - Sam's Mimi got him this!  And boy are we glad because our boy loves it.  It's a great way to read to him now too - when I'm using big picture books.  He's so wiggly that it's often hard to keep hold of him and handle a book at the same time.

Chicco Keyfit Caddy Stroller - I knew I wanted to get a "snap-n-go" type stroller for the infant seat.  We got the Chicco Keyfit 30 seat, so when I heard Chicco came out with its own version of the snap-n-go, I immediately registered for it.  And it is awesome.  I did not want a big travel system and I'm so glad I stuck with my gut here.  The Keyfit Caddy is ridiculously easy.  I can lift it out of the trunk with one hand and pop it open in seconds.  And the storage basket underneath is huge.  Like I-could-stuff-a-dead-body-in-there huge. 

Baby 411 - My favorite go-to reference book.  I have several books and this is by far my favorite!  Plus it's funny and entertaining.  I've already bought two other copies for friends.

"The Merry Goes 'Round" by Jewel - Sam loves him some tunes.  So much so that he's been known to wail in between tracks.  We constantly have music going in the nursery.  This new CD by Jewel is one of our favorites!  I must say, the first track called "Sammy the Spider" sold me.  But the whole thing is awesome and something adults can actually enjoy too.  I love Jewel anyway, so it was a no brainer for me to get her children's CD's (Sam also has the lullaby one).  Another one we love is the Rockabye Baby CD with classic rock tunes made lullabies.  So fun!  Sam's awesome Auntie Jenn hooked him up with that one.

Mirrors - Sam has this particular one for the car, but mirrors in general are a BIG hit right now.  Particularly in his play gym, Sam spends a good 30 minutes or so several times a day just staring into the mirror giggling and cooing at himself.  Highly entertaining, apparently.  I'm constantly moving his gym mirror back and forth from the crib.  I'm sure I'll eventually break down and get one just for the crib!

Sleep Sheep - A sweet friend told me I'd need this and she was right!  We have both the regular size and travel sizes of this item.  It's a stuffed sheep that velcros onto a crib or bassinet or whatever and plays several different white noises on a timer.  Sam's favorite (or Mom's really - because it puts him in a trance!) is the Ocean noise.  We have an ocean noise on his regular white noise maker, but it's not as good.  We have kept the travel sheep on his car seat until he started daycare (today) - so now the mini one is on his crib at school. 

The Jesus Storybook Bible - I cannot fully explain the awesomeness of this book.  Just get it for yourself and you will see! I had no previous knowledge of it - we received it as a gift and I am so grateful now that Sam and I have been digging into it.  It basically walks through the entire Bible, in short-story or chapter form - showing that the Bible is one big story, where every little story along the way whispers Jesus' name.  OMG... like I seriously cried when I read about Adam and Eve.  It is SO well written, so beautifully illustrated (every page is full of color from edge to edge), and honestly - forget kids... if you want a better understanding of the Bible in general, get this book.  Yes, it's written in a very simple way that appeals to children, but it's not watered down.  I adore this book.  I know Sam and I are going to wear it out!

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes - I told you Sam loves his tunes.  This is a great little inexpensive toy that plays several songs at the press of a button.  A lot of the music on baby toys is very grainy and makes you cringe a bit - but the sound quality on this little gadget is actually really great.  And Sam loves it.  It has little lights that blink in sync with the songs. 

Munchkin Portable Nightlight - This was a big help in the very early days when there were several night feedings and Sam was still in the bassinet.  Great little portable nightlight that goes off automatically after 30 minutes.  I think it was also soothing to Sam as he was falling back asleep after a feeding.

Plain white onesies - I love all the fun baby clothes, but really... is there anything cuter than a baby in a plain white onesie?  I make sure I have a set of these in short sleeve and long sleeve at every stage.  Carter's bodysuits are my favorite but Gerber onesies are OK too (just know their sizing runs WAY small).

Tummy Tub - This product has probably brought about the most laughs of anything we have.  Sam looks so friggin hilarious in this thing.  It's simply an upright tub for baby, so they are always in water and don't get cold.  We either bathe him in this or just on a body sponge (also pictured) in the regular tub. 

Tiny Love Take Along Mobile - Another great recommendation from my friend Pammy.  We never did get a full size mobile for Sam.  But once he started getting into his crib toys and play gym, I thought he'd enjoy a mobile.  So I decided to try this mini travel one, and he loves it!  It is awesome because you don't have to wind it like you do a lot of mobiles.  It just has a simple on/off switch and runs for a good 30 or 40 minutes.  But the coolest part is, it attaches to almost anything.  And the top pieces comes off and will strap to a car seat or stroller.  He's become such a big fan, that we sent it off to daycare with him today and I just hopped on Amazon and ordered a second one.  Love it!

Dr. Brown's Bottles - We initially tried several recommended brands of baby bottles to see what Sam preferred.  Honestly, that boy loves to suck anything so I'm pretty confident he'd do fine with any of them.  But Dr. Brown's won out in the end.  The original size (not the wide-neck) have smaller nipples, whereas the other bottles we tried (Avent and Playtex) had honkin' huge nipples.  Sam seemed to have a little bit of an easier time with the Dr. Brown's bottles.  But what swayed me in the end was the fact that Dr. Brown's bottles fit on my breast pump.  None of the others did, so that sold me.  Now that Sam has moved past the 4oz bottles, I can still use them to pump and store breast milk.  Win, win.

Skip Hop Diaper Bags - I have several bags that I rotate and two of them are Skip Hop.  The best feature of their bags?  The stroller attachment straps.  So anytime I know I'm going to be using the stroller, I make sure I carry one of my Skip Hop bags.  Love it!  Very affordable and they come in a huge selection of fun styles and prints.  The green messenger style pictured is my personal fave!


Phew! The funny thing is, now that we've passed the 3-month mark, we can already see Sam's interests and needs changing.  Can't wait to see what our next round of favorites are!  Stay tuned...

3 Months!

Our little man is becoming quite the chunk...

This month's picture session was much more fun.  He was laughing and giggling the whole time.  So much so that he threw up after the final shot.  Glad he held out till we got all the poses done!  Hahaha...

Our Easter weekend was fabulous.  But it turns out it was distracting me from the fact that I'm returning to work next week!  Ugh, I've been a mess the last couple of days.  Officially sporting waterproof mascara for the next two weeks.  I'm dreading leaving my little guy.  I know he will be great.  It's me that I'm worried about!  I know it will all be good - it's just a big adjustment.  Trying to soak up all the morning snuggles and afternoon naps in the rocker while I can.  Oh, this is going to be tough!

Getting ready for Easter!

Easter weekend is of course extra, extra fun this year.  For one thing, we got to go visit the Easter Bunny...

Sam was thrilled, obviously!  And yeah, I ended up getting Sam the little gingham Gap romper.  The Old Navy sandals too, but he kicked those off while trying to figure out the Easter Bunny!

And this week I also got a cute dress to wear from Old Navy.  Great dress sale going on this week!  I think it goes through Easter Sunday, so take a peek if you're on the hunt for a cute and affordable Easter dress.  Tons of styles!  Some as low as $15.  This one was $25...

And I finally put the kibosh on adding more goodies to Sam's Easter basket bucket.  It's way too easy to get carried away.  And it's ridiculous because he won't even thank me for it!!!  Here are most of the items...

His Nana got him the Peter Rabbit doll - it is so sweet!  I also snagged a clearance Peter Rabbit bib and burpee set from Pottery Barn Kids (sold out - can't find a good pic) that I got personalized with Sam's name.  Even his spit-up will be stylin'!  Ugh, and as I was looking for the link to the bib set, I saw that the Peter Rabbit bucket I bought at full price is now on clearance.  Drives me insane!!!  I didn't want to risk it selling out - I've missed out on several seasonal PB things before because I waited.  But they got me this time. Drats... oh well, it's still stinkin' cute!

We plan to do the early service at church that Sunday.  The 11am is nuts anyway, but on Easter - especially nuts.  No thanks!  Then we'll have an Easter lunch at my parents' house... about 12 or so people altogether.  I'm attempting cake pops for the first time ever.  This will be interesting... I'll take pics!  Just remember, I'm not a baker.  Should be fun!  And on another note, did I tell y'all we put Sam in the nursery (Waumba Land) at church last week for the first time?  He did great!

Here is one of the sweet volunteers loving on him...

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  Gosh, only 3 more weekends before I return to work from maternity leave.  I hate thinking about leaving my little man, but at the same time - I can't say I'm dreading going back to work.  So that is good... I'm going back at the best time possible - it will be our slow season.  And I AM looking forward to getting back into a routine.  Plus we really love Sam's daycare/school - I think he will have fun there! 

We have already established a nighttime routine for Sam, as far as having a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine (the 4 B's: Bath / Book / Boob / Bedtime Prayers)... so that has helped me prepare for the inevitable early mornings yet to come!  And the best news... as of a few nights ago, he started sleeping through the night!  It's only been four nights total now, but we're hoping this is our new normal.  He has slept between 7 and 8 hours each night.  So let's pray this continues!  I totally don't mind getting up for that 2 or 3am feeding... but a full night's sleep is awfully good.  Sure is!

Enjoy this weekend and Spring Break if that applies to you... I'm working on getting my baby item favorites post up shortly.  It's a long one, so it takes me several sittings (read: Sam's naps) to get it all finished.  :-)

French Fries & Beethoven

A lot of Sam's toys have classical music that plays as he swings and bounces and whatnot.  Grainy, electronic versions, but recognizable classic pieces nonetheless.  One popular one being Beethoven's "Fur elise," which TO THIS DAY I cannot listen to without thinking of this McDonald's commercial from *cough* 1986...



Tell me I'm not the only one!!!!!!!!!

Maternity Favorites

One of my best friends was asking me about where to look for maternity clothes recently.  And I've been meaning to do a post on my favorites anyway, so that pushed me to get my "must have" list together.  Best to document it now while elastic waistbands are still fresh in my mind.  Seriously, I don't remember how I used to dress before pregnancy.  I stare at my closet of now too-big maternity clothes and not-quite-big-enough regular clothes and don't know where to turn.  I'm in that awful limbo stage where I've still got that pesky last 10 pounds to lose.  (Though I'm pretty sure at least 5 of those pounds are in my boobs.)  So all my normal pants don't quite fit.  But I finally had to ban myself from continuing to wear maternity jeans.  They look so darn frumpy on me now.  Oh and I must add that I never have really appreciated Spanx until recently.  I have quite a collection of Spanx from being a wear tester, but I never really used them.  Until now.  Guess I'm going to have to work out at some point.  Hmmm...

Anyway!  So I was telling my friend that the bulk of my maternity wardrobe came from Old Navy and Gap.  If you've followed me at all over the years, you know that I've had an unnatural obsession with maternity clothes long before ever getting pregnant. I bought a lot of things on clearance over the years, in anticipation of getting pregnant.  And then that didn't happen when we thought it would.  So a lot of those items went to ebay when we needed cash.  Though I kept a select few favorites.  I became very familiar with what all was out there in maternity world. I had my eye on collections like Isabella Oliver and drooled over designer maternity jeans.  But... of course, by the time we finally got pregnant I was all *budget conscious* and frugal.  The idea of spending $150 on jeans now makes my stomach turn.  Some day, sure... but that's just not where our heads are at right now.  So all that to say, I ended up with a stylish, yet very affordable and practical maternity wardrobe.

No matter what your budget is, my advice is to always play up good basics.  Sure, you'll want to find a cute dress or two for showers and parties, and maybe some cute trendy tops for the office... but in general, stick to great basics and build your look from there.  My wardrobe staple was a solid maternity tank or tee.  I could wear regular (non-maternity) cardis that I already had over these for work.  And anything basic like this can be dressed up with jewelry and other accessories you already have on hand.  So yeah, I wore OUT some tanks over those 9 months.  Keep it simple - that's my basic philosophy.  But as far as specific pieces that were personal favorites...

My #1 (surprisingly) favorite maternity item was the Maxi Skirt from Old Navy...

Old Navy Maternity Maxi Skirt

I'm serious when I tell you that I've never put anything more comfortable on.  And that includes pajama pants.  I bought it in both colors available at the time and wore the heck out of them.  Great look with tanks and flip flops for summer.  And so, so easy.  Plus you can totally wear this skirt not pregnant.  There is nothing obviously maternity about it.  The waist band rolls down so it will fit you, belly or not.  I actually just loaned out my two skirts to a sweet friend.  And then later I was like, dammit... I totally could've worn those this summer! Why did I do that?  And I seriously might buy the skirt again so I'll have one this season.  That's how much I love it.  (And Amy, don't you dare try to give those back to me if you're reading this!  I want you to enjoy them.  I just think it's funny!)

Tanks, of course.  I had a whole array of tanks, but these from Old Navy are the BEST. 

Old Navy Maternity Jersey-Stretch Tank

And stupid cheap.  Get every color!!!!!!!!  The length is prime as well.  You really need that extra length when the belly takes over.  A lot of my other maternity tanks were worthless once I got really big, but these kept me covered and looking good all the way through.  And I still totally wear these.  As long as they're not the ones with ruching on the side seam, you cannot tell they are maternity tanks when wearing them.  So that makes them an even better buy.  I have several of the other tanks from ON, but this particular one is by far superior.

Other must-have's from Old Navy are their leggings and yoga pants. 

Old Navy Roll-Panel Yoga Pants

Old Navy Maternity Jersey Leggings

I'm a big fan of their yoga pants to begin with, so it was a no-brainer for me to get the maternity version.  And truthfully, you can really wear the "regular" ones while pregnant (and I did), but I love the fold-down waistline on the maternity version.  Plus, they wash nicely and hang so well that they really can pass for dress pants at work if your office is on the more casual side.  I totally wore these two or three times a week to work with cute flats and a cardi!  The leggings also are a must.  I had several pairs of maternity leggings and the ON ones were most comfy.  Great under a tunic or shorter dress.  I'm totally wearing some right now.  Another item that can go beyond maternity. 

I also had a couple pairs of jeans from Old Navy.  They're super affordable and look good, but you'll definitely notice the fabric being on the cheaper side.  Especially when your next stop is Gap Maternity and you try their jeans on!  Swoon!  I liked my ON jeans.  I LOVED my Gap jeans...

Gap 1969 Demi Panel Long & Lean Jeans

Note the waistline on these (see link above)... I only liked the "demi" type waist.  I couldn't stand any of the full panel types.  I never liked having anything tight over my belly - just my personal preference. 

Also found at Gap... the BEST. WORK. PANTS. EVER.

Gap Demi Panel Perfect Boot Pants

Just as the name suggests, these pants are perfect.  Love the fit, love the waistline, and LOVE that they come in lengths (as do their maternity jeans).  Who else does that?  No one as far as I've seen.  Maternity slacks I've found at other places are awful.  Like horribly huge full panel waistlines, cheap material, and unflattering cuts ...bleh.  Hated those.  Chalk up the extra bucks and get these.  I just got a basic black pair, but they come in other colors and prints. 

So those are the few basics I would buy again and again.  I of course had some dresses and various tops from a mix of places.  I mostly stuck with Old Navy for basics (their tees are also great), but they also have a lot of fun trendy tops and great shorts and pants for casual wear, too.  I wasn't impressed with their selection of dresses for fall/winter pregos, but they do a better job with spring/summer.  I found Gap to be the better bet for dresses for fall/winter.  Both of my nicer shower dresses came from Gap.

The biggest thing to remember about these two stores is that your best bet is to buy online.  Old Navy especially has the bulk of their maternity collection online - many styles, most actually, are not sold in stores.  Very few ON stores carry a maternity selection anyway, but even those that do are very, very limited.  Some Baby Gap stores sell Gap Maternity.  In Atlanta, your best bets are the ON stores at the Mall of Georgia or The Forum (Norcross) - The Forum being the better of those two.  For Gap, the Lenox and Northpoint stores have the best selection that I've found.  But again, I did most of my shopping online.  Not only for more selection, but for better prices.  When I was jean shopping, I tried a bunch of stuff on at the Gap store, but then went home and ordered everything I found online.  The retail stores do not honor the online prices or discounts, so check both!  If you don't already get Gap and ON emails, sign up.  Because literally, they send out discount codes for 25% or 30% off like every other day.  Never pay retail!  And, another bonus - all Gap stores (Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc.) have their sites linked so you can pick items from any of their stores with one single transaction.  Just remember that discount codes usually apply to items from one single store (though you can stack them at checkout).

Other places I snagged some good stuff...  Kohl's (items are often 50% off), Target (found a piece or two, but ON is a better value and more stylish if you ask me), and various other sites I found random off-season clearance pieces, including:

Figure 8 Maternity

Belly Dance Maternity (sells entire collection of NOM)

Due Maternity (has stores in Atlanta)

A Pea in the Pod (Destination Maternity - includes Motherhood, Mimi)

H&M also has a maternity line, but I never looked.  Wanted to, just never got around to it, so I can't really speak for that collection.  But I'm sure it's trendy and affordable!  Worth a look.  A lot of people swear by Motherhood Maternity.  I went in there a couple of times but never found anything worth getting excited about... but that doesn't mean you won't.  So check that one out, too.  They also have outlet stores where you'll find items for all of the Destination Maternity stores (A Pea in the Pod, etc.).  And of course there are the trendy maternity boutiques around town selling designer jeans and $200 tunics.  Yeah, I skipped those. 

So my wardrobe was pretty simple.  And I must add that I also had wonderful friends who loaned me some great pieces, too!  Definitely spread the love and share with friends.  I also snagged several dresses and tops from a clothing swap a while back, so that's a good way to do it too.  And don't forget thrift stores!  Splurge on a few items for showers and parties, but there's no reason to spend ridiculous amounts on a maternity wardrobe.  It's easy to look fabulous on a small budget.

God willing, we'll be blessed to be able to do this all again someday (and no, I don't know when just yet!).  So what are YOUR maternity must-have's?  Please share!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I may not be Irish, but I can drink with the best of 'em!

Ridiculous.

Ridiculously cute, that is!  OMG... Sam needs these.  I love all the Trumpette socks.  (Not only are they stupid cute, but they stay on.)  These boat shoes take the cake though!

Also love these little Vans-like skater shoes... swoon!

And don't get me started on the Trumpette socks for girls.  Shut up.  Shut your mouth!

Someone's getting bigger!

Yesterday was Sam's 2-month birthday! He was a good sport, but was OVER it by the time we got to this photo...

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Like I said, it's birthday season around here.  Today is my mom's!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

We'll be going out to dinner with my parents tonight to celebrate.  Sam is excellent at eating out right now... he just snoozes the whole time.  We'll take it while we can!

Books & Movies

Just started the 3rd Hunger Games book this morning.  I am SO ready for this...




Seeing a book I love made into a movie is always a thrill. Of course, the movie NEVER EVER lives up to the book - no matter how good it is. It's impossible to put all that comes with reading into live action.  It's just not the same and I don't expect it to be.  But, it's still so exciting to see how the filmmakers translate a book for the big screen. I'm a little late getting to The Hunger Games series, but I knew the movie was coming out later this month so I had to get on it or I'd miss the train altogether! And just as I was warned, I haven't been able to put it down. So for many hours over the past week, I've had Sam in one hand and my Kindle in the other.  I was not a big reader as a kid, but I really, really want Sam to be.  I'm already reading to him.  I love it now, but wish I had been more into reading when I was young.

I'm also excited for The Hobbit, which is the prequel to Lord of the Rings. I've read LOTR (amazing books, though not an easy read!) and love all the films. Haven't read the Hobbit yet, so that's definitely on my list this year so I can be fully prepared for this...



I also have The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo on my list (and the other books), but can't seem to get excited about reading them. I'll get to them eventually. Are there any other fun books-to-film coming out this year that you're excited about?