Favorite Things: New Mom Edition 2015

So we are now two months into our parenthood adventure.  It's been some of the hardest times, yet the most rewarding times of our lives!  As we've been going through this new adventure, we've discovered some essential things in our household life/routine that we couldn't live without...well, we could...but you know what I mean.  Here they are, not in any particular order:

-  Boon Bottle Drying Rack.  At the beginning we had to pump quite a bit and with the pump parts needing to be washed each time, this was a life saver!  You can get different add-on parts, and it's all washable.  So helpful!

-  Belvita Breakfast Cookies.  As a new mama and daddy, you sometimes need  a little pick me up and these have protein in them as well as they just taste good!  B ate many of them throughout my 23 hour labor to keep his energy up. We like the blueberry and mixed berry flavors. Love them!






-  Prefold Reusable Diapers.  We use these a ton, not as diapers, but as burp cloths.  Little Miss is quite a spit up machine, so we have these all over our house and in our diaper bag.  Priceless!


-  For me, my makeup routine has been streamlined quite a bit.  My favorite foundation is Revlon Colorstay foundation for combination/oily skin.  It is by far my favorite drugstore foundation of all time!  It has good coverage and lasts and when you don't have much time to look in the mirror, this is what you want!








-  Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products are a favorite of mine.  I had heard about them, but never looked too much into them.  Then, on vacation last year on Mackinac Island, I used them at the Grand Hotel and I became obsessed!  Obsessed so much that I ordered an embarrassingly massive amount from their website.  Hand soap refills, dish soap, counter top spray, wipes.  They are a natural cleaning product, smell good AND are great as gifts.  I could go on and on!  The Radish dish soap, Geranium hand soap, and Lemon Verbena counter top spray are among my favorites!

A Paternal Perspective

My how much difference a year makes. This time last year we were anticipating the beginning of summer, M was gearing up for break and I was enjoying the glamorous life of an 8-5 job. Fast forward 365 days and we are sharing our life with a beautiful new baby!

Nothing can quite prepare you for your first child. Despite how much we planned our delivery day or imagined what it would be like, life and God are fantastic at throwing the curve ball. M's water broke at 3:30 in the morning and an hour later we found ourselves at the hospital. 23 hours, three nurses and countless ice chip refills later we welcomed our new daughter into the world.

Now over a month later we are finally settling into some sort of normal routine. M has both the pleasure and daunting task of staying home with Little M while I'm at work and our evenings consist of diaper changes, feedings, walks and squeezing in personal hobbies whenever possible. It's the most time consuming job and most rewarding experience I've ever had. For each dirty diaper and crying fit there is a cute face or reflex smile (we're hoping to see true smiles very soon) that make the hard work worth every last second.

One thing I have learned through all of this is how strong a woman M is. I'm constantly in awe of her patience and calming presence throughout even the most intense of Little M's crying spells. It has become clear to me that being a mother is a literal full time job. I'm in awe of the Super Woman I have the pleasure of calling my wife. :)

Just Because

And just because she is one of the loves of my life...Taffy!

Egg Drop Noodle Soup

Egg Drop Noodle Soup

• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3 package(s) ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded
• 10 1/2 cup(s) (84 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 piece(s) (2 1/2-inch-long) ginger, lightly smashed
• 3 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tablespoon(s) soy sauce
• 6 small scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon(s) sesame oil

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Directions

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring 6 cups salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. Rinse pot.
2. In the same pot over medium-high heat, bring chicken broth, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce to a simmer. Add carrots and all but 2 tablespoons scallions, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove ginger and garlic.
3. In a medium bowl, lightly beat together eggs, sesame oil, and salt. Gently stir broth, then pour seasoned eggs into pot. Let sit undisturbed until eggs are cooked, 40 to 60 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up eggs. Return noodles to pot and cook for 1 minute. Divide soup among 6 bowls and garnish with remaining scallions. Serve immediately

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Since winter is seeming that it is going to last a gazillion years, I thought I would post some of our favorite soup recipes from this past winter! 
First off, from one of my favorite blogs (Sixsisterstuff.com), Coconut Lime Chicken Soup.  I am a huge coconut fanatic, so right off the bat, I was intrigued.  B...well...not so much.  However, he is a true believer after trying it and you will be too!

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 to 2 lbs rotisserie chicken
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup lime juice (2 medium limes)
3 medium carrots, thinly-sliced diagonally (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup of sweetened, shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
3 Tablespoons of fresh cilantro
Lime wedges (optional)

Directions: 
Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken. In large saucepan combine shredded chicken with coconut, broth, lime juice, sliced carrots, soy sauce, the 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, garlic salt, salt, and fresh cilantro.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.
To serve, sprinkle bowls of soup with additional Italian seasoning, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Sneak Peak

Drum roll please...here's a new 2014 sneak peak at our new bathroom....
We tried to stay true to the 1924 feel of our house.  Before pictures to come later.

Before and After: Chair and Door

Remember this post?  Here is what that dusty old chair has turned into.  I cleaned off all the years of dirt and dust and then painted it with the same outdoor paint we painted our front door with.  Much better against our white house!

Also, this summer I got tired of staring at our old white door...and decided it was time to give that smudgy door a nice update. You can see from the picture above, that it has turned out quite nicely!  It took about 3 coats of this very heavy duty paint to finally cover it up!