Is it Spring Yet?

I have finally decided that I am not a cold weather person. In hope that Spring will come a little bit sooner, I have decided to start thinking about Easter and what the Easter bunny will be bringing Delilah ;)

We have always had baskets for Easter, thanks Mom! They were always the best and probably have a lot to do with why Easter is one of my favorite holidays. My husband's family always made "nests" outside for the Easter bunny to drop off the toys and candy, so this year I think we will be incorporating both traditions and hopefully Delilah will one day love Easter as much as I do. With that being said, this is what I have put together for her basket/nest this year!

native shoes:: I have been wanting to get these for Delilah for a very long time, they will be perfect for the Springs and Summers in Texas, now just to decide on a color.

swim suit:: I saw this bathing suit last year and am pretty excited about seeing Delilah wear it this year!

book:: This book. It is so cute! And I will never pass up a chance to buy a book ;)

chalk:: Delilah has never used sidewalk chalk before, and I think she is going to love it! I am really happy to find this brand, which is safe for the itty bittys.

puzzle:: She is really getting into puzzles and stacking, so I thought this alphabet puzzle would be perfect! 

There will of course be some candy, chocolate, and eggs to polish everything off. 

:)

I hope everyone has a great week! 

xoxo

Essential Oil of the Week: Thieves

Out of all of my 17 oils, I have used Thieves the most. It is that yucky time of the year, where everyone is coughing, sniffling, blowing their nose, spraying germs in my line of fire. I have battled either a cold, allergies, or a little bug at least 3 times since I have started using oils, and let me tell you, my little "sicknesses" have only lasted 3 days, at the max. I am going to go ahead and thank my little Thieves bottle for that ;)

This is a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary. It has a 99.96% kill rate against airborne microorganisms, whoa! It is a germ fighting machine and I just love it. 

As soon as I feel as though I am coming down with something, I put just one drop in a glass of water and swallow it down. If I already am feeling sick, I make a little Thieves Tea. (1 drop Thieves, 3 drops Lemon, honey, and a mug of hot water). 

Is it only to be ingested, you ask? Nope! I am disinfecting Delilah's bath toys right as we speak ;) I put her toys in a bowl, fill it with water and add 4 drops of Thieves. I don't have to worry about any bleach leftover on her toys and I know they are clear of any unwanted germs.

Love It!

I apply a blend of oils to the bottom of Delilah's feet right now, as well. Like I mentioned before, it is that time of year and being in day care, it would be great to catch a break.  Just another reminder, make sure you dilute the oils in a carrier oil and always take precaution when using oils with the itty bittys. (1 Tablespoon coconut oil, 2 drops Lavender, 1 drop Lemon, 1 drop Frankincense, and 1 drop Thieves.)

My next adventure will be to make my own hand sanitizer with Thieves, don't worry, I will let you know how it goes!

xoxo

Any suggestions made on this blog are very specific to Young Living essential oils and should not be used with oils from another source. Statements made on this website about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician. Always test with carrier oil before applying directly to skin, not intended for children under 2 years old. Always consult a doctor or pediatrician  If you are currently on medication, please DO NOT STOP.

First Time Day Care Checklist

As you all know, Delilah starting day care was by far the most stressful part of me starting work. I wanted to put together a checklist for you mommas who are about to put your little one in day care and who need somewhere to start with the essentials you may need to ease the transition. 

I hope this helps!

Name Labels :::  I bought these as soon as I starting looking for a job. You have to label everything and I love these because they are dishwasher safe and super cute! I slap one of these puppies on just about everything I buy for Delilah.

Nap Mat ::: Oh the nap mat! I was not going to be ok, unless Delilah had a flippin nap mat! I found a few I liked, then stumbled upon this one which I loved! The owner of this shop is so wonderful to work with. She responded to my questions, was willing to make what I wanted, and shipped the mat within 2 weeks, just in time for Delilah's first nap ;)

Backpack ::: I had my eye on this backpack for.ev.er. As soon as my gracious husband gave me the green light, I bought this thing faster than you can say "ca-ute"! We use it everyday and has turned into her diaper bag, it goes everywhere with us.

Lunchbox ::: I love this company, I love what they make, and I already have a backpack and lunchbox picked out for my future children. End of story.

Bento Boxes ::: This isn't a necessity, but I knew I didn't want to put all of Delilah's food in ziplocs (for money and waste reasons)  and this was just what I was wanting. I ended up buying two, and in all honestly, I wouldn't buy the outer box again. The little sets are perfect and fit in her lunchbox perfectly. 

Sippy Cups ::: At Delilah's day care, they ask us to bring one milk cup and one water cup. The water cup stays in the class all week, and we bring it home on Fridays. I love these sippy cups and these straw cups.

Probiotics ::: The thing that everyone told us about day care was how sick Delilah was going to get, and holy shit were they right. We have developed quite the relationship with our pediatrician over the last 2 months, she even gave me a hug after we brought Delilah in for mysterious rash/virus #3. I have always taken probiotics and bought some for Delilah but didn't keep up with giving them to her. Until now. She is on day 8 of antibiotics for an ear infection, and I decided now was a great time to start giving them to her. There have been recent studies showing children who take mixed strain probiotics not only get sick less, but when they do get sick, it is much shorter. Also, antibiotics wipe out all bacteria in your body, good and bad, and I wanted to try and keep Delilah's system as regulated as possible. We use this kind, but any will do. Just make sure there is more than one different strain. I give her 1/2 teaspoon in her milk everyday. 

Comfort Objects ::: Delilah's "fuzz" goes everywhere with us, including day care. I wash it at least once a week. 

Extra Blanket ::: I have one particular bad memory from a day care being freezing, so I tote along an extra blanket for Delilah's nap time.

Wipes, Diapers, Sunscreen ::: I also bring vaseline and and other skin ointment I feel she needs. 

Extra clothes ::: Including pants, shirt, jacket, socks, and a hat.

Pictures ::: Hopefully your day care has family pictures eye-level with the kiddos. We will be walking out of her classroom, and she will point over to her poster and say "Dada!". 

Deep Breaths ::: Dropping off your baby, no matter how young or old, is difficult. I cried in the car on my way to work for a good week. It took Delilah 2 weeks to stop crying when I left. But now? I literally have to pick her up and sometimes bribe her to go, she loves it. I will say, that if she wasn't as happy as she is there, I would have changed schools or quit my job, but I feel very good about where she it at. So, trust your instincts! I know there have been times where she has cried and wanted me, but those times are shadowed by the fun she is having and everything that she is learning. So take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy a silent drive to work, or where ever it is you are going ;)

Snack ::: We are still struggling with Delilah eating well at school. Not sure if it is all the distractions, or maybe I am picking everything she doesn't  like for her lunchbox. Regardless, she is starving when I pick her up, so I always have a snack waiting for her in the car. 

Our daycare doesn't provide breakfast or lunch, so I am on my own, failing at picking, and misjudging, what my child wants to eat. I think about what I am going to feed her a lot, and have gotten a few tricks up my sleeves. I will post breakfast and lunch ideas at a later time. In the meantime, I would love to hear about what you pack for your little one's day.

(Side note: I will never look at another picture of a baby/toddler the same way again, now that I am a mom. You and I both know, there is someone on the other end of that camera acting a fool trying to get that baby to smile.)

feelings shirt

xoxo

Delilah's 18 Month Update

Well, today Delilah is 18 months old. That means in 6 months, I will officially have toddler and I will no longer have to count the months, she will just be 2, all year long. Sounds good to me!

 Delilah is nearly obsessed with Elmo. It is crazy how much Sesame Street she watches. We really try and limit her TV/iPad time, but you better bet, when we turn on the TV, its "Melmo? Melmo!" Abby Cadabby is another favorite, she smiles anytime Abby shows up. Delilah is starting to sing, and it could not be any cuter! No matter what kind of day I am having, the moment she starts humming, I smile and feel so much happiness!

Our nightly routine is pretty much the same everyday: dinner, play, bath, books, then bed. After I read her about 8 books, she says goodnight to whoever is around, gives kisses, and we go to the rocker in her room. I sing the same songs almost every night, All About that Bass, All of Me, then either Silent Night or Royals, whichever I am feeling. Well, last night she started singing with me, it was awesome! I was doing good not smiling, until we got to a part in All of Me, where she knew the song! I could not help but to smile and laugh, and once we both gained our composure back, she snuggled in and finally shut her eyes. I cannot wait to her her talk more and hear more of this singing!

She is like a little parrot, repeats everything! Looks like we will have to start replacing the bad words, I may or not say, about 27 times a day. Should be interesting.

Delilah's Vocabulary: Melmo (Elmo), Bapple (Apple), Sus (Shoes), Bye, Hi, Dog, Cold, Hot, Lilah, Dad, Mom, Lereal (Cereal), Duce (Juice), Milk, Eat, Bread, Ouch, All done, No, and the list keeps on growing! She is also extremely expressive and uses her hands to communicate, she even signs many of these words!

She is a pretty chill lady, for the most part. She does not like to fall, ask for help, when other kids cut in front of her.

She loves to sit in laps, help in the kitchen, draw, dance and is really starting to play well by herself. We got her a Belle's Cottage and Little People Disney Princesses and she talks to them, kisses them, tells them "No No!", its pretty funny to watch.

Sleep is still touch and go, she overall sleeps all night, but has the occasional middle of the night wake up, something I am sure will continue. Luckily, putting her to bed has made a huge change for the better and isn't the most stressful part of the day anymore, which is nice!

I am sure we are entering the tantrum and freak out stage pretty soon, it is sort of starting to happen, but we are taking each day at a time. I can't believe how much this girl has grown and developed. It is the best thing to get slobbery kisses from her and see her facial expressions when she doesn't like something. I loved her being an itty bitty baby, but I am absolutely loving this age, most of the time ;)

Have a great day!

xoxo

Food for Your Itty Bitty: Super Simple Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

This could quite possibly be the easiest, quickest recipe known to man. Especially when you use a rotisserie chicken!

Delilah has a thing with pesto, she loves it! I decided to use rigatoni, a little bit of a fatter, tubed pasta. At first, I didn't think that pasta was going to work, but we cut it up in little tubes, and she started sticking her fingers into the hole, waving around her pasta covered finger, then eating it. It. Was. Hilarious. So needless to say, I will be looking for small, short tube pasta and if I cant find that type, rigatoni cut up it will be. 

Byron also ate about 8 pounds of this dinner. It is a hit around here and like I said, super easy!

Put some olive oil in the pan, and start sautéing up your mushrooms. Mushrooms are completely optional. While those are browning, cut up your chicken, I used the breasts for this meal.

Once they are brown, add a small jar of pesto. Once again, if you are feeling up to it, make your own. Ive got a season of Walking Dead to finish, so I used Progresso ;)

Once that is warmed up, add a spoonful of cream cheese. I no longer buy regular cream cheese, it is all about the whipped cream cheese. Try it. Do it!

Mix that in, then add some milk. At this point, let your sauce boil for about 5 minutes, you want it to thicken a bit. You could always add butter, and you could always use cream. Let your heart guide this one ;)

While you are making your pesto sauce, you should be boiling water and cooking your pasta. I make sure my pasta is extra done, since the little babe will be eating it. Once your pasta is done and sauce is thick enough (add pasta water to help it along), add your pasta and chicken to the party. Wowza!

At this point you can add some parmesan cheese, I didn't have any so we just did without, a crying shame, I know. Once you stir everything together, that is it, you are done! Literally, like 15 minutes! Done!

 I do not recommend watching Walking Dead while eating this meal. That show is out of control. Some nice classical, soothing music in the background would be great. Lowering your blood pressure as much as possible before the show starts. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

2 Breasts from Rotisserie Chicken

1 jar pesto

I container Baby Bella mushrooms

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/2-1 cup milk

1/2 pound pasta

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

salt and pepper

Boil water for pasta, cook until tender.

Dice up chicken.

Brown mushrooms, add 1 t garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper.

Add jar of pesto and warm it up, stir in cream cheese, and add milk. Bring to a boil, and let it go for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Add pasta water if necessary.

Add chicken and cooked pasta, stir, and serve. Bam!

No fork needed, I've got fingers!

Radio Silence is over.

Hello!! 

What a crazy couple of months we have had, which included Delilah weaning from breastfeeding at 15 months (yay!), I started a new job (yay!), Delilah started a new school (yay-ish), becoming obsessed with Essential Oils, and most importantly becoming happy, content, and relaxed as a working mom. 

It has been quite the adjustment, going back to work, but we did it! I was super overwhelmed with daily household chores, cooking, getting ready in the morning, and stressed out about Delilah being in day care. But, after 2 full months of figuring out a routine, everything is finally back in place. I was having trouble being at home all day with Delilah. I think she was bored, I was bored, and it was really starting to become negative for me. I was so lucky I was able to stay at home with her for as long as I did, and honestly, if we have another baby, I am sure I will want to stay with them a year, as well. But, it had definitely ran its course and we were ready for a change. I started applying for jobs around my area, and right when I was about to get completely discouraged, I got a phone call from a school, literally one minute down the road. I went in for my interview and that day was hired! It has been so amazing and so positive for me, and not to mention the 3 weeks I have already had off, have been nice ;) I think transitioning to work after being at home for so long is difficult for anyone, and I feel so lucky I was hired on in my position and am able to have those breaks off to spend with Delilah.

Day care. This one was tough. And still is tough. I found a great school for Delilah, it is part of a church and they keep them busy, all day long! They don't stay in one room all day, they have chapel time with music, there is a huge gym, and of course, the all time favorite: the playground. It took Delilah a good two weeks to get adjusted to being dropped off every morning. It. Was. Hard. I started wondering if it was worth me going back to work, but we stuck with it, and I am glad we did. Now, every morning I sit her down with breakfast, and she waves and says "byyyyyye!". In the afternoons when I pick her up, I actually have to bribe her with something so we can leave. I think we found a good place, for sure! However, we have literally been to the doctor about 7 times. I have had to stay home a total of 3 days, because of fever. She got her second ear infection, ever, a couple of days ago. And at one point, had about 3 different viruses going on, and rashes from head to toe. It has been a shit show, that is for sure. Hopefully, it will start winding down and we can all go about our lives, we can only hope! This is around the time I started learning about essential oils, and let me tell you, I am kind of obsessed, but more on that later.

Here are a few pictures of moments we have had the last few months:

She's getting hair!

Halloween 2014

Obsessed with her iPad

Hello // Moccs

Her first day at day care ;)

Hello Blue Eyes

Granny at her Christmas program

Christmas Party at school

Little People Nativity Set

Merry Christmas! (Don't mind the distorted picture not sure what happened there)

Delilah's twirl dress, she twirled more than she has every twirled before in this dress ;)

Being Santa is pretty f*ing cool.

Her new Abby Doll. L.O.V.E

Leggings

Sweetest thing I ever did see

Because everyone needs a cupcake beanie ;)

Yoga Pretzles!

Sassy in Slippers

Could bath time be any cuter?

And finally, my small but effective oil collection! Can't wait to share this with you ;)

There have been a lot of ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we are so lucky and I am one happy lady. As the great Macklemore once said, "This is fucking awesome."

xoxo