Man, oh man. Those first few weeks and months of motherhood? Let’s be honest, they’re pretty dang hard. I was really discouraged by everyone who told me about the difficulties of new motherhood, but guess what? They were right. When I think about how my baby is getting older and bigger by the day? I think I’m supposed to be super sad about the whole thing. Sometimes when I look at those tiny little clothes I’m packing away I do … Read More
Stitch Fix June Review
It’s been so long since I’ve done a Stitch Fix review; I can hardly believe it! If you’re unfamiliar with Stitch Fix, it’s an online clothes delivery service. You fill out a style profile and get shipments of hand-picked clothes to try on in the comfort of your home with clothes and accessories in your own closet. I’ve been getting Stitch Fix shipments monthly for the last couple years and have really enjoyed most of the things that my stylist … Read More
Budgeting Post-Baby: Grocery Shopping and Saving
I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one area of our spending that was a little out of control was our grocery and food budget. Grocery shopping is somewhat of a hobby for me when I have the free time and I love testing and trying out new products, so although we had a budget, I rarely stuck with it each month. We’ve waffled between various different grocery stores over the years: Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Cub … Read More
Updated Top Knot Tutorial For Longer Hair
Lately I’ve been wearing my hair up in a top-knot more and more. As my hair has gotten longer it’s my go-to easy style for looking semi put-together while not having to spend a ton of time on my hair. Because, let’s be honest, I just don’t have a ton of time to spend on my hair these days and my hair is looking less than stellar thanks to that dreaded postpartum hair loss. The struggle is real, y’all. Since … Read More
Budgeting Post-Baby: Saving at the Salon
Today I’m continuing on with the budgeting post-baby series and talking about how to save money on your hair. Once upon a time in college I got into a habit of coloring my hair with boxed drugstore hair color. I think it was the worst my hair has ever looked, but it was so much cheaper than getting it done at a salon and my budget was tight. Now that we’re re-evaluating our budget post-baby the money spent at the … Read More
Ainsley 3 Month Update
Likes and Dislikes: Little Miss Ainsley is non-stop action and personality these days! I love continuing to get to know her more and more and she truly is so much FUN to be around. Ainsley Loves: people singing, being lifted into the air again and again by dad, playing in her Jumparoo bouncer, eating, watching her puppies run around the house and laughing at mom and dad Ainsley Dislikes: having to wait to eat, waking up early from naps (she gets super … Read More
Budgeting Post-Baby: Cutting Cable
Having a baby has a way of making you seriously re-examine your budget. You start to think about the little luxuries you enjoy every day and then realize the money spend on those luxuries could (and probably should!) be going toward more important things your child’s college fund. Although we felt we were in a position to have a baby, when we sat down to re-evaluate our budget post-baby, it was a big wake-up call to make some changes. We … Read More
Will You Promote That Product?
Blogging and sponsored posts and content. Ugh. Does just reading that make your eyes roll or your stomach churn? It’s a tough topic for bloggers, their readers and the companies that want to promote their products. When blogging was first getting started people felt like they were selling out for simply having ads on their site but these days ads are almost a given and sponsored/custom content is where it’s at. While I’m a blogger, I’m also an avid blog-reader … Read More
Social Media Accountability
I’ve been blogging for quite a few years now. When I first started posting recipes to the web from my college dorm room the world of blogging was quite different than it is today. There was no Instagram, blog Facebook pages weren’t a thing, Snapchat didn’t exist and Twitter was still in its early days. Over the years I’ve met a number of bloggers and online “friends” that I’ve followed on social media for years. Some have turned into real-life … Read More
There is no shame in formula (and other truths about motherhood)
Photo by Gina Zeidler www.ginazeidler.com www.ginazeidler.com/blog I really don’t mean to stir the pot with the title of this post, but I’ve had so many thoughts flying around in my head as I reflect on the first 12 weeks of motherhood. Those first months are full of self-doubt and questions, especially when your baby doesn’t go “by the book” the way you had planned. Ha! Does any baby? For me, when things with Ainsley weren’t going the way I thought they … Read More
Quick Brown Rice and Lentil Salad
Friends, let’s be honest: I haven’t exactly been knocking it out of the park in terms of cooking creative, healthy meals since having a baby. We’ve been eating relatively healthy, but it’s been mainly in the form of quick foods like smoothies, protein bars, pre-made salad kits for Joe’s lunches and simple grilled foods. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s hardly gotten my creative juices flowing in the kitchen. That said, even if I had the time to cook more … Read More
Celebrating Mother’s Day
This year I celebrated Mother’s Day for the first time on the “other side of the fence” if you will. I’ve spent 27 years celebrating my mother, step mom, grandmothers and aunts who have been like mothers to me, but getting to enjoy this holiday actually being a mom myself felt extra special and had me all sorts of sappy and sentimental. Although the day has come and gone, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to reflect a little bit on … Read More