Influenster: Lifeway Kefir Review

As part of the Influenster Lifeway Kefir campaign I am testing these products for free, yummy! I was so excited to get invited to review this product line. As you know, I am in the process of slowly getting back in shape so these products are right on time. For this campaign I am sampling the Strawberry Frozen Kefir and the Vanilla and Raspberry flavored Lowfat Kefir Probiotic drinks.

If you're interested in trying Lifeway Kefir products go to their website and sign up for a coupon here. The frozen kefir is to die for!! It is delicious. Savannah loved it so we'll be trying out all the flavors.

Video Diary 7172013

Here is another entry for my video diary. Please be gentle with your comments. I attempted to cook and do this video at the same time. I almost didn't post this video for very ridiculous and shallow reasons but then I reminded myself that I just had a baby and I got over myself.

Oh. And if you've ever wondered what a kitchen looks like in military housing here it is. Florescent overhead lighting, gotta love that! Other than that this is probably the "best" kitchen we've had on a military installation. It's actually pretty spacious compared to what we've had at other duty stations.

Video Diary Entry 7152013

Hope you enjoyed this video!! More to come!!!

Baby Update: Four Weeks Old

Time is flying. I have always said if you want to pass time quickly have a baby. I can not believe my son will be four weeks old tomorrow. Whoa. I thought it would be nice to share how we're doing. I think I am adjusting like any other woman with a newborn. I'm tired and still riding on what little adrenaline I have left. Things have been going pretty smooth for the most part and I am very thankful for that.

Our sleep pattern has been pretty normal. He wakes up about every three hours to eat and be changed. He normally goes right back to sleep after being nursed. We have been doing a mix of co-sleeping and putting him in his crib. It just depends on how tired I am. Please spare me any lectures on co-sleeping. I am not interested in them. Baby M will eventually sleep in his crib every night. When he starts having longer stretches of sleep he'll make a permanent move to his room. He sleeps in his bed during the day for naps so I'm not too concerned about the move. I didn't co-sleep with Savannah but then again I wasn't as tired then as I am now.

Breastfeeding is still going well. Between nursing and pumping I'm a little milk machine. Love that. We've been able to go on a couple play dates and are slowly getting back into the swing of things. I am hoping to get better about taking both of them out by myself. I never knew how much goes in to taking two small children out for errands or an activity. It's been a learning experience. And I am still learning.

I'm going to start working exercise back in to my routine this weekend. I'll keep you posted on how that  goes. I don't own a scale so I'm not sure where I am in terms of weight since giving birth. I'm looking forward to getting in incredible shape. My plan was to be in amazing shape before my thirtieth birthday in February and I plan to accomplish that goal. Watch me work. We'll be talking a lot about fitness in the coming months. 

What was your first month like after baby? Is it all a big blur?

Summer Vacation Tips for the Family

5 Tips for a Summer Vacation Every Family Can Enjoy

Between the planning, packing, and getting everyone else ready, family vacations can get a little stressful before the trip even begins. However, with the right preparations, every family trip can be smooth sailing and stress free. The key, as in all matters of motherhood, is to plan ahead, but not over-plan so much that you have to hand out a daily newsletter.  

• Tip 1: A family travels on its belly.  The key to avoiding cranky kids (and parents) is to make sure everyone is eating frequently and eating the right things.  Plan ahead by packing portable snacks like pretzels and fruit.  This will help avoid some impulse buys and too many sugary snacks along the way. Even if you have to take stops and grab something on-the-go you should still make healthy fast food decisions to avoid the repercussions later!

• Tip 2: The next key to a successful family vacation in making sure everyone gets enough rest.  This may mean paying a little bit more, but it is more than worth it in the end.  Typical family destinations, such as many Orlando hotels, are rife with family-friendly packages (including quiet hours policies!)  However, if you are traveling more off the beaten path, be sure to pick lodging that is not too low-budget.  While the cost may seem too good to resist while you are planning, it is all for naught if your room faces the pool bar someplace with no quiet hours.

• Tip 3: Don’t forget the hand sanitizer.  What mom worth her weight would travel without it?  You bought it and packed it, now don’t forget to use it.  Did you know airplanes don’t get a real thorough cleaning until their last stop of the day?  If your flight leaves at 4:00pm, then that plane has been a sort of germ incubator all day.  Don’t be paranoid, but be prepared.

• Tip 4: All the good done for our spirits while we are on vacation can be undone so easily with a bad “reentry” into real life.  Consider coming home a day earlier.  Let the whole family rest, sleep well and eat a couple normal meals before having to get back to school and work.

• Tip 5: Finally, remember to take some grown-up time.  Take turns with the kids to give each other some alone time or get a bottle of wine and some plastic glasses to enjoy on the hotel balcony after the kids pass out.  

So, after all the prep work is done, remember the most important rule of family vacations: slow down and enjoy the time together!  (That and use lots of sunscreen.  That’s one of the most important rules too, of course.)  

*This post was written by Kendra, former Orbitz Director of Communications and promoted into full time position in the care of Motherhood.

Coming Soon on the Blog...

Alright. I am not going to pretend like I have TONS of time but I wanted to mention some of the fun things that I'll be doing around here. Once I completely get my life back together and find a regular routine I'll be back to posting several times a week. 

I also will be adding a radio talk show via blog talk radio to the site. The show will be live on Sunday evenings. Right now I only plan to do fifteen minute shows. I want to get a feel for how it goes and see what the interest level is before I try to grow the show. As you might remember I went to school for broadcast journalism and I worked for a radio station while in college so I'm pretty excited about this new endeavor. I'd like to thank my girl over at Baby Teems for giving me the idea to expand my blog in this way. Hopefully I can talk her into being a guest on the show!

Of course I'll continue to write about my experience as a mother and stay at home Mom of two. Going from one to two has been a huge adjustment. I'll be writing about that soon. Is there anything else you want to see here on the blog? I've been asked to talk more about my marriage and relationship with my husband. I may do that but I'll have to do it in a way that feels natural for me. 

As always thank you for the support of my blog! Oh. And if you're a blogger I'll be getting back to reading and commenting this week too!

Baby Boy's Birth Story Part III

I feel like it's been forever since I've done a new post. It's been a very busy couple weeks. If you've had a baby you know what I'm talking about. Between the not sleeping, breastfeeding, pumping and trying to find a new rhythm it's been crazy. Luckily, my Mom was able to come spend a couple weeks with us and my husband was on paternity leave so it wasn't too bad. I'm hoping to get back to posting regularly in the coming week. 

Our first couple weeks have been pretty great. Baby M is such a good baby. Like most newborns all he does is eat and sleep. We've been able to go on several family outings which has kept Savannah's life very normal. Baby M's newborn and two week check up both went very well. He's gained weight and is growing so fast. He looks so different now. It's amazing how fast they change and grow.

I know I mentioned on the blog before that I was a little nervous about breastfeeding this time around. My milk supply with Sav was never enough to feed and pump to build a stash for the freezer. This time around I have more than enough milk. I could probably feed my baby and a few others. My husband jokes that we should stop buying milk and the whole family should switch to breast milk to save a few bucks. He's funny. I don't know if I'd actually do that but at least Baby M has plenty of milk ready when he needs it. I'm just so happy that I'm having a better experience with my supply this time around. Praise God from whom all breast milk flows!

Sleeping has been a little tough. Due to all the cuddling he got while everyone was here I believe he's already figured out that he doesn't want to sleep in his own bed. Y'all already know how I feel about the sleeping situation. I will start sleep training as soon as my husband permanently goes back to work. I'm not too concerned about training him since he's still so new to the world. 

I haven't done an outing by myself with both kids yet but I'll be sure to let you all know how that works out for me. I'm sure it will be entertaining if nothing else. I haven't started doing any serious exercising yet. I'm waiting until I've been officially cleared by the doctor. My appointment is in August. Until then I plan to go for walks when I can and stay as active as possible. It's so important to keep moving after a C-Section. I hope everyone is enjoying their Independence Day!