Hello friends! Happy FriYAY!
I actually wrote most of this post last week but never got to post it. Life is obviously chaotic with three kids at home and of a newborn. And this week, baby Genie is 12 weeks old, which means she is exiting the newborn phase and onto my least favorite and most difficult baby phase, the 3-6 month time frame. Historically this time has been difficult for me (read PPD/PPA onset) as the sleep deprivation sets in, the chaos of an unpredictable schedule wears on me, and I try to work more and generally fail, haha. I mean, she is an incredibly mellow baby, and I’m so thankful for that, but she is still a baby, and there are no easy babies. Her wake windows are longer now and naps shorter, which means my previous tactic of taking care of her myself and working or doing anything during naps is out the window. If I wait just for naptime now, I get nothing done, but as you know, it’s hard to get anything done while the baby is awake, too, especially at work. My plan is to have my childcare start watching the baby more once KJ goes back to school in a couple of weeks. That way, she will only have two kids to watch and not three. But until then, I anticipate getting very little work done. I know it’s a phase, and it will pass. And since KJ will be staying all day at school this year (3 days a week), I’m trying to soak up these last couple of weeks with him at home. Even if he and his brother are driving each other and consequently myself nuts ha ha
So that’s where we’re at this week! This weekend we have plans to take the boys with some family to the aquarium, so that should be fun!
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Instagram Favorites
IG friends loved this garlic hack I shared on IG!
Potty Training Update
Two weekends ago, we started the potty training process. I have to admit I wasn’t very committed to the process. I figured we’d give it a try now before things get too crazy with the holidays, but if it didn’t work out, I’d be happy to table the whole thing after the holidays. However, he caught on really fast, so fast that I kind of had to keep going even if I didn’t want to.
Overall, I was much more relaxed this time around. The summary of our potty training with KJ went like this: 3-day potty training method, no accidents for two weeks, then accidents basically every day for a year. The accidents were of varying degrees, from dribbles to full-blown soaking pants, but it happened almost every day. Thankfully, he always used the potty for poop (except for a couple of times.) Right before school last year, I did a consult with a potty training specialist. The plan we developed was to stop prompting (at all, like totally, as this was a source of a battle of wills) and up the reward for going longer and longer between accidents. That worked. This past few weeks, we’ve been focusing on nighttime training with KJ. We’ve been using Chummie, which has been working well. After a couple of nights of Chummie going off, he hasn’t had any nighttime accidents in a week, so we are on the right track.
For KK, we did the 3-day method again. However, I did change my approach this time a little bit. And while I treated the book Oh Crap! Potty Training like a Bible last time. This time I took what worked for us and left the rest. This time, I don’t ever get into potty battles. I nonchalantly say, “There is your potty if you have to go.” I never ask him if he has to go or force him to sit down because I think he has to go. I implemented rewards immediately (mini M & Ms) – something I avoided with KJ and eventually had to implement them anyways. And I don’t prompt unless we are leaving the house. That way, I can avoid previously mentioned power struggles. And I’m using training pants when we leave the house to minimize damage caused by accidents. And lastly, KK has been wearing KJ’s shorts at home because they are easier to pull up and down than his shorts. Overall, KK thinks the whole thing is really fun still, and he’s doing really well. But I know that eventually, the “fun” and novelty will wear off, and that’s when the real potty training starts.
Some of my potty training favorites:
- Baby Bjorn Smart Potty – I have four, three for the house and one for the car.
- These Undies – sized up so they don’t even remotely feel like a diaper.
- Training Pants
- Elmo Book With Press Sounds
- P is for Potty Elmo Flapbook
- The New Potty
- Potty Board Book
- Everybody Poops Book
- Potty Targets
- Travel Potty Seat – folds up for easy storage in your diaper bag!
- Munchkin Potty Seat
- Munchkin Potty Seat Hanger
- Chummie Nightime Trainer – Ages 4 and Up
Bulk Cards
If you know me, you know that I do not like to spend a lot of money on cards. The fact that cards at the store are, on average, 5.99 drives me insane, considering while a nice sentiment, most people throw them away. (I know some people save them, but I think those people are in the minority nowadays.) We used to do a lot of e-cards, but the service we used stopped being available, and we never found a replacement. I realized we were spending a lot on cards recently, so I had the idea to bulk order on Amazon. I found two sets that I really like. The cards don’t feel over-the-top generic, or cheap. They have nice messages and feel super high quality. But, at 30 cents a card, I’d say we’re saving a significant amount of money. Both the American Greeting’s birthday set and the all-occasion set I bought came with organized boxes as well. I’m super happy with both purchases and have already used a couple cards!
Callus Remover
This may be kind of gross, but I love this thing.
I noticed they used something similar at the nail salon when I get pedicures, and this callus remover worked so much better than just a pumice stone. While it’s highly effective, be sure to keep it out of reach of children and be careful when using it because it’s super sharp. I cut my finger, grabbing it wrong, but my heels are baby’s bottom smooth. I use it once a week or every other week.
Large Makeup Bag
Another blogger I follow raved about this makeup bag, so I decided to give it a try! I previously had all my makeup in a drawer in the bathroom, but with the baby sleeping in our room, oftentimes, I’ve wanted to do my makeup downstairs while the boys play. So I’m back to using a makeup bag like all the time, and I really love this one so far!
Food
Latest Thrive Market Order
We love Thrive Market for staple items like jerky sticks (great protein for breastfeeding moms), Larabars, organic oats, and avocado oil (which I get at TM instead of Costco because it’s in a glass bottle).
Brown Sugar Oatmilk Espresso – Starbucks
Air Fryer Salmon Bites
I’ve been a big fan of air fryer salmon for a long time, but KJ eats the crusty top part and leaves the bottom of the fish. So I decided to try to make our salmon into bites. He didn’t care for the change, but I could have eaten a whole bag of salmon this way. Seriously delicious! (Just toss with oil and your favorite seasonings and cook at 400F in the AF for 10 minutes.)
Healthy French Toast
The kids were super happy I finally got a chance to restock their Healthy French Toast supply!
Trader Joe’s Chimichurri Sauce
I really prefer making my own chimichurri sauce for my chimichurri chicken thigh recipe. However, with a newborn in the house, you just can’t make as much from scratch, so I picked this up. I LOVED it, and Mr. Hungry HATED it. Admittedly, it was very spicy, and he doesn’t do spicy. The package doesn’t say anything about spicy, and chimichurri sauce is not typically spicy unless you make it that way, so it was a bit surprising.
Dairy Free Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast
My in-laws serve up a delicious brunch that is even dairy-free, which is great because dairy-free brunch can be challenging!
Fitness
Man getting fitness in with three kids is so much more challenging than one or two. Many of my workouts were cut short this week from a baby waking up earlier than expected. I’ve been through this before and know that it will get easier. And that fitness progress is not a straight arrow, nor is weight loss postpartum. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say at the moment I don’t get frustrated with the process and the lack of time to truly focus on my goals or the fact that I don’t feel super comfortable in any of the clothes I own right now. #stillwearingmaternityshorts But, I know that the important thing is that I keep showing up for myself and that I use the scale as feedback on how well what I’m doing is working, not as a gauge of my self-worth.
I’m grateful as a Dietitian who has lost 30+ pounds postpartum twice before. I do know what I’m doing and how to adjust when I’m not seeing results. The challenge now is adjusting to the capability of my current life as a mom of three. But just because I have the tools doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated. I share this because social media makes it seem like women just bounce back, and some do. But, personally, I’ve felt the need to be kinder and more patient with my body after each pregnancy, which can mean slower results!
Friday Flashbacks
Made my Crispy Crockpot Carnitas last night. It’s the perfect summer recipe!
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