Japanese Gardens and a Walk with Friends

happy friday! i'm so excited for the weekend, we've got lots of fun ahead of us.

today, little man blessed me with sleeping in until 6:40!!! (well technically he woke up at 5:15 but after his bottle, he fell back asleep until 6:40 which hasn't happened in FOREVER, so I was really appreciative). after we woke up i made him breakfast and waited to make mine.

i indulged in nachos last night from fiesta mexicana and my stomach was still full and still upset this morning, so i didn't actually make breakfast until closer to 9. when i was finally ready for breakfast, i made myself half of an egg salad sandwich and some strawberries.

after lincoln woke up from his morning nap, we walked over to our local coffee shop to meet up with my friend morgan and her little one zeke! i'm sure i mentioned it before, but lincoln and zeke are only 6 days apart and morgan and i have known each other since kindergarten (or maybe even earlier) so it's been fun to have a close friend with a little one the same age as lincoln to go through this whole "new mom" stuff with (and that was the longest sentence ever!). we grabbed coffee and headed out on our walk. by the time lincoln and i got back home, we ended up walking for a little over 2 hours! (much needed and much appreciated after those nachos last night ;0p).

our walk took us through the Japanese Gardens at Manito Park! this early spring has been wonderful. not only because of the warm weather, but we get to enjoy all the beautiful trees blooming early too!

after our walk, we came back home and i put lincoln down for his afternoon nap, while i made myself lunch. i had some leftover chips and dip from last night's nachos so i made a mini plate of nachos for lunch and may or may not have had another easter cookie. while not the healthiest lunch in the whole world, my lunch was much more "portion controlled" compared to yesterday's cookie and nacho fest. i got to enjoy my food without making myself ill. win!

around 3 i got hungry so i made another egg salad sandwich to tied me over until dinner time. one of the most difficult things is finding time to make myself food or sit down to eat with the little guy. he is not the most independent little one and does not like to be out of my site (or even out of my arms for very long) so i usually wait to make dinner till after he goes to bed. this means i'm not eating dinner till 8, sometimes 9 at night. so making a sandwich as a mid afternoon snack is one of the few ways to tide me over from noon until 9 pm!

dinner tonight was leftover chicken noodle "soup" pasta. not too exciting, but it made a lot so this will probably be making an appearance over and over again for the next few days.

we've got lots of fun planned this weekend! swim lessons, a playdate, a visit from some out-of-town friends, easter mass and finally easter brunch! i'm sure glad we were able to walk every day this week, because it might be tough to squeeze in this weekend.

have a good night folks!

Dog Park Days

totally random, but do you want to know what the hardest part of writing each post for me is? the beginning! how many times can you say "hi" "hello" "how's it going" "what's up" before it gets old? writing the actual post is easy for me, but those introductions man, they get me every time.

now that that's over....hi! how's your day going?

ours was pretty laid back, but we did take a trip to the dog park!!! this is kind of a big deal, because it's my first time i've taken porter to the dog park, with little man, by myself. the idea of having to trek both the baby and the dog and be responsible for both of them was a little daunting. and then thinking about trying to get porter back on the leash and back in the car after playing at the park was even more daunting! he's pretty good at listening to husband, but i feel like not so much with me.

please ignore my make up free face....eek!!!

all that being said, the dog park was a success! we were there for about an hour and porter got some much needed exercise. (he doesn't get a whole lot when husband's not here...ok if i'm being honest, he doesn't get any if husband's not here). he was also really good and came back right away when it was time to go! i'll definitely be taking him there more often!

 bags under my eyes for days....(note to self: next time wear makeup! hahaha)

the only downside to the dog park is i have to carry little man in the ergo and push him in the stroller. i actually love the ergo and love baby wearing, but not that the little guy is approaching 20 lbs, it's harder for me to carry him on my front. i need to figure out how to get him strapped onto my back, by myself. i know it won't be a problem if i'm with someone, but getting him out of the car and on my back i'm not too sure about. husband's going to try and help me figure it out when he's back NEXT WEEK!!! if any of you seasoned mama's out there have tips on how to get a little guy on your back, i'm all ears!

as far as eats go...let's just not talk about that today...mmm k?! i think because we're headed to NY in a week, i feel like any attempts at really dieting are going to be thrown off in a week, so i feel like, what's the point? i know this is a crappy outlook, and i should focus on just eating healthy and changing my lifestyle, but i'm finding myself falling back into the crash dieting mindset. that's part of why i stopped blogging my eats this past week, until yesterday, and i just really need to fix my thinking. crash dieting = bad. healthy, balanced eating = good. i think i need to repeat this to myself over and over and over and really get it drilled into my head, that way i'm just focusing on being healthy and not the awful number on the scale. anybody out there ever had to lose a pretty significant amount of weight and done so without a crash diet? i've had success with atkins, but it's always started to climb back on when i start to incorporate carbs (healthy or otherwise) back into my diet.

the one positive thing i've got going for me is that lincoln and i have been able to walk every single day this week and we have plans to meet up with a friend and her little one tomorrow for coffee and another walk through the park! we also just registered for blooms day, so i'm looking forward to that. although, i'm secretly hoping lincoln wants to push me up doomsday hill (hahaha!).

have a good night ya'll! i'm off to watch bad television ;0)

Last Minute Easter Fun!

i'm baaaack! last night was a late night so i didn't end up posting anything, but here's a recap of yesterday and some easter fun we had last night!

our day started off with a healthy breakfast! bananas and multi-grain cereal for little man, and two over easy eggs on one slice of quinoa bread and a side of strawberries. honestly probably one of my favorite breakfasts. i love how over easy eggs taste a little buttery and a little salty and it's kind of the best combination ever. strawberries are my absolutely favorite fruit (pineapple comes in a close second) so the eggs plus strawberries. winner winner!

next up we met up with Hike It Baby for a Manito Park stroll. it was our first time joining the Hike It Baby group and I really enjoyed it. We walked around the park for about 2 hours and chatted with all the lovely ladies. I'll definitely continue to meet up for walks/hikes with this group. it was wonderful.

for lunch i had some leftover chicken "soup." i made a quick chicken noodle soup the other night with carrots, celery, onions, grilled chicken and pasta and a combination of low sodium vegetable broth and low sodium chicken broth, but i didn't realize the pasta i used would soak up so much of the broth....so it turned into more of a chicken noodle pasta. i'm not complaining, it has all the flavor of a yummy comforting chicken noodle soup, but it just doesn't have the broth. little man also enjoyed the soup with me as well! he also had a side of pureed butternut squash. i think he's ready to move onto big people food (cut up into tiny bites of course) so once we're out of my stock of baby food i have in the freezer, i'm graduating him to big kid food (meaning, i'll just share with him whatever i'm having). this will be great for me too, because i really want him to eat only healthy, organic good for him food, so it will force me to really focus on eating those foods as well. (no cookies for breakfast!)

after lunch, we played around for a bit before heading out to the grocery store and to pick up a couple of pizzas from papa murphy's. i invited the fam over for some last minute easter cookie decorating and egg decorating. i'll admit, i'm a sucker for holidays and love to entertain, so anything like this is right up my alley!

i set the table by placing easter grass on top of our dinner plates, and i picked up chocolate bunnies for everyone and placed them in the center. i also picked up some cute easter cookie cutters, m&m's and sprinkles to decorate. my sister, amy, has awesome color mixing skills and she created a ton of different pastel buttercream frosting colors.

i made the sugar cookies from scratch using this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. The cookies tasted great and held their shapes perfectly! although my favorite sugar cookies will always be my mama's, these are great when you want to create fun holiday shapes!

dinner was papa murphy's pizza and their mediterranean salad. it went un-pictured (i think i just made up that word) but i had some of the thin crust chicken garlic pizza and a small slice of plain cheese and a small slice of pepperoni as well as some salad. i also ate one delicious frosted easter cookie! i made sure to send the extra m&m's home with my dad (they're one of his favorites) and half of the easter cookies home with my sister and niece. i then froze the rest so i won't be tempted to eat too many all at once (although, i may have had two for breakfast this morning).

lincoln and i don't have much on our plates today, so i'm guess a walk is in our future as long as the weather holds out. it's threatening to rain!

Lincoln James: 8 Months

how has 8 months gone by? i feel like yesterday we were just bringing our little man home. i mean, if i'm being honest, my body still looks the same as the day we brought him home (unfortunately). i haven't changed, and yet so much has changed. he is weighing in at 19 lbs and is 28.25 inches long. beware this is a picture heavy post ;0)

lincoln has grown so much this past month. he is wiggling and moving and wants to crawl so bad or just be mobile and it's incredible to watch. he loves going on walks to the park and playing on the swings. he still adores bouncing away in the jumper we have for him, and he's intrigued by the incredible sensory board my husband made for him.

he's eating pretty much everything and anything (within reason of course) and has finally started to put on weight! (the past few months he wasn't gaining anything because of all the sickies that were plaguing him). he has pretty much loved everything we've given him to eat, from spinach and broccoli to blueberry pancakes ;0) this kid will eat anything, especially if it's something mama is eating.

he's sleeping so much better too! (thank goodness!) he's slept through the night (7:30p - 5 am) on several occasions...although he's woken up around 2 the past 3 nights again and he's slowly but surely becoming nap trained as well! i am so grateful for this.

he is such a curious little boy. he wants whatever i have in my hands, be it my cell phone, computer, a magazine, my water bottle. if mama has it, he's gotta have it to. i'm slowly starting to learn areas we're definitely going to need to baby proof soon because he grabs for ANYTHING within his reach, and if it's not within his reach, he lunges for it!

serisouly, this kid has NO FEAR. he just believes that we'll always be there to catch him. he lunged off the couch the other day trying to reach for a toy, and it's good thing my reflexes are quick, because he would have dove head first into the floor if i hadn't been right there. he's keeping me on my toes for sure!

every month i am so amazed by his growth and development and at the same time can't believe how fast it has all gone by. before i know it he'll be going off to kindergarten (sniff sniff) and he won't be my baby anymore (who am i kidding, he'll always be my baby ;0p) he is still a mama's boy through and through and i absolutely love that (although it can be exhausting 24/7 that's for sure!)

here are a few quick facts!

height: 28.25 inches


weight: 19 lbs ( up 2.1 from last month!)


hates: little man is developing a temper that's for sure. he still doesn't love being away from his mama, but now he is much more clear on his likes and dislikes when it comes to playtime too. he has the cutest little growl/grunt that he does when he's not a happy camper ;)


loves: his exersaucer/bouncer, being outside, the swings, mama and dada


head: little man has full head control and is sitting up all by himself!


eats: new eats this month include pretty much everything...pasta, chicken, pancakes, green smoothies, lentils, i've also started to add more seasonings into his food too!

sleeps: he's starting to sleep through the night semi-consistently!!!! he's also almost sleep trained at nap time as well!

Getting Over the Blahs

so it's pretty obvious that i didn't post anything yesterday about my eats and i'm not planning on doing so today either. I've been feeling down in the dumps and stressed out and my eating has definitely reflected that. i'm not giving up, i'm just taking a few days to get my groove back, push the stresses away and get back to my chipper self. i don't want this blog to be a negative space, so while i'm being a poop, i'm stepping away for a few days. everyone has their blah days, and right now i'm stuck in the middle of some.

i'll be back tomorrow with a little man lincoln update! he's 8 months old tomorrow! how the heck did that happen?!?!

until then here's an adorable photo of my adorable little man.

happy monday folks!

Saturday Swim Lessons

today was a pretty standard saturday. little man and i woke up and hung around the house this morning till we headed out for his swim lessons.

breakfast was simple. instant oatmeal with coffee and fat free half and half. much better than this peanut butter fiasco i had the other day. ewwww!

at 11 we headed down to our sports club for the little guys swim lessons. it's so cute to watch the little ones in the water. i don't think he quite knows what to think about it, but he doesn't cry so i'll take that as him liking it ;0)

after lessons, we came home and the lincoln fell asleep. i made lunch....a chicken and cheese sandwich on quinoa bread with half a cup of grapefruit.

my afternoon snack consisted of triscuits and two laughing cow cheese wedges. if you haven't tried the rosemary and olive oil triscuits.....do it! they are the best thing i've ever tasted. so good!

this afternoon we headed up to target to pick up a few essentials and i also finished lincoln's easter basket! this is probably the only year i can get away with shopping for gifts for the little guy while he's with me haha!

after our normal bedtime routine, i sat down to dinner. it was the second curry fail for me. the first one was last week when husband and i ordered thai food and it was awful! well, i think i still wanted good curry because i picked up a frozen meal from costco when i was there earlier this week, and while it wasn't bad, it was an indian curry and not a thai curry. i wasn't expecting it, so it didn't really cure the craving.

not to exciting of a saturday, i'm off to catch up on the blogs i love, and watch bad television before bed.

good night!

72 and Sunny!!!!!

you guys it was 72 degrees today. 72 degrees in MARCH. that's insane. and awesome. totally awesome. needless to say, the little guy and i took full advantage.

we headed downtown around 10 am and got breakfast at Method Juice Bar. I tried my first Acai bowl and fell in love. so good. lincoln really enjoyed the bananas on top ;0p

after breakfast, we headed into Riverfront Park to enjoy the sunshine. we walked along the river, over the bridge that shows off the falls, and then made our way over to the swings! lincoln is really falling in love with the swings and his little face lights up every time he gets to go on them. after the swings, we walked over to the mall, where he ended up getting his photo taken with the easter bunny! i'm not gonna lie, i kind of wanted that photo of the kid screaming on the easter bunny's lap. i think those are hysterical! but the face i got instead was even better. PURE JOY!!!!

after the easter bunny, we headed home and made lunch for both of us! the little guy got super green mashies (spinach, broccoli, and pears mixed in with a little cereal) and i got a turkey and cheese sandwich on quinoa bread with a side of veggies.

my afternoon snack (treat) included leftover milk chocolate easter eggs that i had bought for our little girl's night last night. (too bad they didn't all get eaten by my friends, right!)

this afternoon, we ran out to pick up my niece and my sister and after dropping them off, headed home to watch the ZAGS KICK UCLA's BOOTY!!!! #eliteeight!

dinner tonight was leftover blue apron baked fontina pasta with brussel sprouts and a single glass of vino. tasty! (sorry forgot to snap a photo so here's the one from lunch yesterday)

not too bad of a day, but i really need to kick my sugar addiction's butt. sweets everyday is definitely hindering my progress.

Calories came in at 1,665.