It is late and I need to go to bed, but I have a bunch of random things/pictures to share with you all! Soooo, here goes nothing…
This little chubkins had his 4 month check up yesterday!
He is now 16 pounds, which is the 75th percentile and he was in the 92nd percentile for height. He is a big, squishy, darling boy! I love his cute big brother as well, who is also growing up way too fast!
Oh, and I just want to mention that I ran on the treadmill yesterday, showered, threw on some clothes and a little makeup, pulled my wet hair up in a clip and hurried to this doctor appointment….that’s why I look so dang cute in that pic above. Actually, that’s a pretty typical day for me most days. Ha.
My poor baby also got a bunch of vaccinations and didn’t sleep too well last night because of it. Poor little dude. 🙁
Consequently, I’ve been snuggin’ with him most of the day today…
I soak up every single second that I get to cuddle with this sweetheart. Pure heaven.
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I’ve been making Chocolate Peppermint Protein Shakes lately and I love them! They also make me feel so festive, lol.
I don’t follow a recipe, I just throw in some Unsweetened Coconut Milk, water (maybe a cup of each), 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, a spoonful of cocoa, a sprinkle of stevia, a small spoonful of chia seeds, a drop or two of peppermint extract, 2 big handfuls of Power Greens (spinach, kale and chard) and 2 peppermint candies (da bomb!) Oh and a bunch of ice.
I sometimes put a sprinkle of xanthan gum in there too to make it more smooth and creamy.
I took a pic of my shake today, but it doesn’t look peppermint-y or festive. Dang. It was yummy though!
I also made this yummy salad for lunch yesterday!
It was just a bunch of romaine, grape tomatoes, red bell peppers, olives, green onions, leftover pulled pork and some feta cheese.
Oh, I LOVED this salad so much! I sometimes get bored with the salads I make at home, but I’ve learned that there are a few things that make a boring salad not so boring! Some of my favorite toppings are: leftover flavorful meat (grilled chicken, pulled pork, roast), flavorful cheese (usually feta or bleu), green onions, chopped nuts, craisins, chopped apples and avocado. YUM!
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Check out this house in our neighborhood…
Full on Clark Griswold. LOVE IT!
Check out the next door neighbors house….
You probably can’t read that sign too well (the one I circled), but it says “Ditto” and has an arrow pointing to the neighbor’s house.
LOVE IT! Too funny.
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Check out this gem I found while shopping at Ross the other day…
Are you kidding me???! Now if this doesn’t just scream B.S., I don’t know what does. It actually kind of ticks me off.
They advertise something called “Bikini Ready” that will in NO WAY helps you to look better in a bikini! These are just little candies with some Vitamin B12 and caffeine mixed in! Oh, and check out the serving size…FIVE!
Soooo, this bottle is essentially 10 days worth.
RIP….OFF. That’s probably why it was in the clearance section.
It did make for a good laugh though!
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I got some stocking stuffers for the kids that I’m probably a little too excited about….
Contigo is my favorite water bottle brand and there’s just something so exciting about new, cute, water bottles in fun colors!
My kids also like to take MY water bottles and leave them in various places, so I decided to give them their VERY OWN water bottles so they won’t have to use mine!
AND, when I find them laying around the house I will know who the culprit is.
AND, hopefully they will take a little more ownership of their water bottles because they BELONG to them!
Pretty good strategy, right? I also like the fact that these “stocking stuffers” are big so they fill up the stocking pretty quick!
Oh, and my kids read my blog from time to time….let’s just hope they don’t read it in the next 6 days, huh?
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I also put together a quick, easy and cute gift for my kid’s school and church teachers this year….
It’s just a pair of really soft cozy socks and a Christmas Hershey’s chocolate bar. On the other side of the card, I wrote “Have a Cozy Christmas.”
Cheesy, yes.
It’s certainly not Pinterest worthy, but it was quick and easy to put together and who doesn’t love new soft socks and chocolate?!?!
Oh, and I bought the socks at Costco. They were Keds brand and were on sale for $8 for a pack of 3. The candy bars were $1 a piece, so this turned out to be less than $4 a present.
Not too shabby.
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Well, I’m sad to say that I’m getting just a wee bit sick of Christmas lately. I’m so excited for it to come, but I’m looking forward for it to be OVER as well.
It pains me to say that. 🙁
I’ve been having a few nervous breakdowns the past couple days.
Let me paint y’all a picture….yesterday I was getting ready to go to a Christmas party with a bunch of my high school friends. I was trying to feed my family, make the food I was taking to the party (Artichoke dip), while nursing a baby standing up with my pants unbuttoned (I was in the middle of getting dressed) with my hair pulled on top of my head with a clippie (I was in the middle of blow drying it!)
Oh, and all of the other children were saying “Mom” incessantly and asking for various things.
Doesn’t that sound lovely? Yes, it is an accurate description of my life as of late.
I love CHRISTMAS and all the fun things that come with it, but MAN am I tired.
I’m looking forward to the New Year, kicking my fitness into high gear, sticking with a healthy diet and organizing and de-junking my entire house!
Sounds heavenly! Well, I gotta go to bed so I can survive my life tomorrow! I hope each and every one of you are enjoying this holiday season!
Oh lady you sound so stressed! I can ONLY imagine how busy your life must be. I feel sooooooooo completely overwhelmed everyday of my life with my to-do list and obligations and pressure, yet I only have one child to look after, lol. So, again I say it, you are inspirational to me.
That pic of you and baby on the couch is just too precious. They really do grow way, way too fast.
Um, those pics of that house….I don’t want to even know their light bill! I am definitely a fan of the more simple, classic approach, lol! I like the clean look of white lights everywhere and maybe a little red. 🙂
I am stressed, but I’m seriously trying to get everything done so I can relax and unwind!!!! Here’s hopin’! I know I should probably cut a bunch of things off my schedule, but I don’t! Soooo, I think my stress is mostly self-imposed. Ha ha. I agree with you about the clean white lights at Christmas! They are my fav!
Those gifts are SO cute!!! Your baby is so cute and is the same weight as my 8 month old hahaha. She started off really little though 😉 LOL @ the “bikini ready” gummies, it’s so sad and infuriating that people will spend $$ on that.
All of my babies turn into chunky, rolly polly babies! Your 8 month old is probably so darn cute.
You always have such fun posts and pictures! Your whole street must have to sleep with black-out drapes, but I bet the children LOVE that Griswold house. The Ditto house has me cracking up.
I feel sorry for people who buy into health scams. They are so desperate to look thin, but they won’t accept changing their lifestyle to get there. As long as someone offers a pill (or candy) in place of healthy eating or exercise, they’ll always have an eager market.
I just voted for your blog!
Oh, and the cozy, soft socks! I wonder if I could get away with taking off my shoes and wearing those at work? That would be heavenly! Great Christmas gift idea!
I love homes that go “all out” for Christmas because we can all enjoy them, but don’t have to go to the effort to do it! Ha ha. Thanks, as always, for all of your support and kindness Deborah! You are so so sweet.
I hope that over the next week you have some down time! I’ve decided that they boys don’t care if the gifts look fancy as long as I get them wrapped somehow and under the tree! We are only doing a couple of parties – mostly sticking with family oriented stuff the next 2 weeks while the boys are out of school and I can’t wait!!!
I’m hoping for some down time too! Thankfully we don’t have too many things planned until Christmas…I just need to finish delivering gifts, a little shopping and get the Christmas cards out! THEN, I can relax. Phew!
Hang in there mama bear, the holidays are ALMOST over. Try to enjoy the week with your family!!
Thanks so much Britt! I am trying to get EVERYTHING done today and tomorrow, so I can hopefully relax with the fam until Christmas. 😉
That “ditto” house is hilarious! What a clever idea.
Your lil one is just a month older than my boy. I enjoy having the winter to get back into shape, but the holiday food can sure makes that TOUGH.
I loved the “ditto” house so much too! Congrats on your baby! I was just thinking the other day that I was so grateful to have the winter to get back into shape too! The sweaters and extra layers help to hide my post baby-ness. 😉
Oh my goodness! That Griswald house. So fun! I love it. Your babies are so adorable. Can I squeeze their chubby cheeks??
I don’t believe you get tired, Melanie. You have the strength of 12 Grinches plus two. I’m sure you’ll be cooking and carving the roast beast!
Oh, I love your comment Charlotte!!! I LOVE the Grinch so much. Ha ha. Too funny. I think I’m tired all the time, but just keep plugging along!
You are too funny. Yes, I know what you mean by having too much going on at once and then everyone needs your attention. I suspect you subscribe less to the “better parenting through screaming and yelling” doctrine than I do.
Brilliant idea about the water bottles. We only have about a bazillion around here and they always disappear.
I about died at the picture of you all at the doctor’s office. Terribly cute.
Oh, the screaming and yelling comes out from time to time as well! My kids know they better shape up quickly when it gets to that point, however. Ha ha.
aww your baby boy is all chunky and squeezable. I love to look around at the decorations other people have on their house, is so much fun. And your home-made gift for the teachers is so adorable and cute, I am sure they will all love it.
Oh, thanks so much for your sweet comment! I really enjoy looking at all the Christmas lights and decorations too! We don’t do a whole lot on our house, but I’m sure grateful for neighbors that do!
Oh my gosh that house is amazing, and the neighbor’s Ditto is hilarious.
That house is seriously crazy and the picture doesn’t even do it justice. I can’t imagine how long it takes them to decorate!
OMG he is getting so big so fast! What a cute munchkin. Ummm you have the BEST neighbors! Mine are all grinches and barely have lights up.
I know, I’m so sad how fast my baby is growing!!
I love people that go “all out” for Christmas! It sure makes the Christmas season a lot more fun and I’m glad we can enjoy it and don’t have to do all the work! Ha ha.
I only have two kids and my head is about to pop off from the stress. If Amazon Prime didn’t exist, there would be no Christmas here. Ugh.
I love to put nuts and dried fruit in my salad. Totally takes it up a notch.
Love those lights. We’d totally be “ditto”. Our tree isn’t even fully decorated this year.
Sounds like you and I live similar lives!! There would be no Christmas here without Amazon Prime and we would FULLY be the Ditto house too! Ha. Most days, we just merely survive, but I’m grateful for my crazy nutzo life!
Ditto! So funny!
I know, I laughed so hard when I saw that sign! That’s my kind of Christmas light decorating.