How I BOOST my hair

Let me preface this by saying- I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I am a mom. And I do not have tons of time to do my hair. However, I've gotten a bunch of compliments lately on my hair, so I thought I'd share my haircare regime.

I should also note that I have very thin, fine, soft hair. It gets very stringy throughout the day and absorbs every ounce of oil, so by the end of the day I literally look like a mop. Not cute! Here's how I BOOST my locks.

Generally speaking, I am very low maintenance. I take my showers at night, every night, and I wash my hair every single night. Shampoo and conditioner. Then when I get out, I towel dry my hair and spray the Kenra volume spray in the roots. I usually wear my towel around to soak up as much water as possible and go to bed with damp hair. In the mornings, I spray the dry shampoo at the roots to make my hair feel a little more fresh, straighten it and go. It's so simple and easy. If I happen to shower during the day for something (like if we have a party or date night or something to go to), I will use the Big Sexy Hair powder play to boost it up a little more. I also use the CHI pliable polish on my fly-aways and at the tips to define my cut, but just a TINY bit.

1. Pureology Volume Shampoo - This shampoo protects your color and boosts your locks! I wet my hair really good, and lather it up right at the roots and then go down to the tips. I love this shampoo because it keeps my hair really bouncy and shiny. It's sulfate free and vegan, so there's nothing in it to weigh-down your hair.

2. Pureology Volume Conditioner - Again, sulfate free and vegan, so it's really lightweight. After I shampoo, I put a tiny amount in my hands and work it on the tips and then move up to the roots.

3. Kenra Volume Spray - This stuff is AWESOME! I spray it right at my roots on my crown and it seriously does work, even when I air dry my hair at night.

4. Kenra Dry Shampoo - LOVE LOVE LOVE this dry shampoo and it smells so good! Most dry shampoo makes my hair feel really sticky and gross. This actually makes my hair feel CLEAN and boosts it a bit.

5. Big Sexy Hair Powder Play - I really only use this when I plan on going out and need a little extra va-voom. I sprinkle it right on my roots and then tease it a bit.

6. CHI Pliable Polish - This is a really great, lightweight styling gel that I use to keep down fly-aways (especially with all my new hair growth post-baby) and define my curls when I curl my hair.

Do y'all have any other tips/tricks?! Would love to hear from you!

Judson - 4 months

 

 

My sweet Judson, you are BY FAR the sweetest, happiest, loving, happy baby I've ever met. You are such a dream and I am so thankful for that! You sleep when you're "supposed" to sleep, you eat when you're "supposed" to eat and I cannot ask for anything more! You fit into our family perfectly and truly complete us. I love you sweet boy and thank God every single day for you.

Age: 4 months

Height: 25.8"

Weight: 15lbs 5oz

Milestones: Judd has rolled from back to belly and belly to back, although he doesn't do it consistently! He far prefers laying on his back under his playmat batting at all the toys or gnawing on his hands or Sophie's head. :) He is very drooly and constantly has his hands in his mouth! He can grasp toys better now and actually holds on for a few seconds. He has started sitting in his Bumbo more and really loves being able to see his big brother. He's still very wobbly sitting unassisted and usually just folds over flat. Ha! He's also started spending some time in his jumperoo! He loves the lights and the little sun on it, he'll just stand there and stare at the sun for minutes! So cute! We also moved Judd to the big boy seat on the Bob Duallie and he loves being able to see out, and especially loves being next to his big bro. I think Jacob likes it, too! Last "big" thing is that he's sitting in his highchair at the dinner table with us. Since he wakes up from his evening nap around 6pm, he's awake and happy to sit at the table with us. So cute!

Sleep: Judd takes 2 or 3 long naps (1.5-1.75 hours) and 1 short nap (30 minutes) everyday. We attempted 2 weeks of sleep training to drop his nighttime feed, but it didn't go well. Sooo he still eats at night, usually around 4:30-5. Our current schedule is here.

Eating: Judd is still exclusively breastfed. He eats 5 times every day, all are nursing sessions, except at bedtime, we give him a bottle of pumped breastmilk at bedtime (currently 6.5oz).

Clothes size: 3-6mo // 6 month 

Diaper size: size 2, although we've moved him to size 3 at night since he's sttn

 

Teeth: none

Favorite toy: he loves his Sophie

Likes: his brother, diaper/clothes changes, playing airplane, strawberries, silly faces, "elevator ride" with daddy, going outside, his dogs, and anything in his mouth!

Dislikes: when I eat dairy (ugh), being bored or staying in same spot for too long

Personality: Judd is soo happy and easy-going!!! Love him! He really is the perfect addition to our family!

Best moment: celebrating daddy's birthday, first Easter, sleeping through the night (!!!)

Worst moment: lip tie revision :(

Looking forward to: we've got a lot of fun stuff planned this month- Day Out With Thomas, cousin Autumn's FIRST birthday party, and possibly a trip to meet his namesake! I'm curious how he'll do at all these busy events.

How is Jacob adjusting?: better, I'm getting better at giving him attention and not saying "no" so much, I also notice a difference when we consistently uphold timeout threats

I should also note that we switched Judd to Nexium for his reflux this month. He was super fussy (for him) and not sleeping or eating good, so we took him to the pediatrician and she seemed to think it was his reflux. I have noticed an improvement in him, so I'm guessing she was right!

We also had Judd's lip tie revised this month. The procedure was very short and easy, but I was a wreck. BUT! Now that its behind us, I'm honestly so thankful we had it done. His latch has improved, his overall eating had improved, his SLEEP (!!) has improved, and I was afraid it would mess up his teeth in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

The day I knew God was speaking to me

My friend sent me this quote from a book called Scary Close. I haven't read the book and couldn't tell you what it's about. But this quote. This quote cut through my heart like a knife. I knew God was speaking to me when I read this quote for the first time.

Judd was 2 months old at the time and I had been aggressively searching for a new house. On this particular day, I had spent most of the day at a model home working through the details of building our dream home, but ended up leaving without signing paperwork because we couldn't come to a price agreement. I was frustrated and overwhelmed; I felt like I had wasted my entire day, my entire weekend!, and missed out on those 2 days with my precious 2 month old. My friend sent me this quote completely out of the blue, unaware of my current situation, and I was speechless! How perfectly timed! Of course, after reading that quote, I immediately readjusted my priorities. I put the house hunt on hold and decided to refocus on the family. I felt like it was God's way of telling me, "You need to be at home."

Around the time Judd was 3 months old, I was starting to feel a little off. Like I needed ME time! I asked friends on Facebook to weigh-in on how they find time for themselves and most people said they get their hair done, exercise, go on dates, etc. I thought these all sounded like great ideas, so I bought a workout DVD, scheduled a hair appointment and lined up a girls night out with a girlfriend AND a date night with my husband. Back to my old ways.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Judd is 4 months old and I had my scheduled girls night out on Saturday night. Judd has slept through the night the last 2 nights, so I figured it would be fine to go out for a bit. It was a very tame night out, but really nice to talk with another mom and enjoy appetizers, drinks, a meal AND dessert at a leisurely pace. Before I knew it, it was 11:15pm! I didn't get home until 11:30pm! Whoa! I had to pump when I got home, because HELLO! I have a 4 month old. And ended up getting in bed around midnight. Judd started crying at 4:30am.

I immediately thought to myself, "Whyyyyy did you go out with your friend?? That was so not worth feeling this crappy!!!"

And then I thought of the quote.

This is God telling me again that I need to put my needs, my wants, on the back burner. Your desire to go out to dinner with friends does not matter right now. You need to be at home.

I'm sharing this because the next time I slip, which I know I will, I will read this quote and remember this post and hopefully I will remember God's words...

You need to be at home.

Our Schedule - toddler + 4 month old

Judd is still eating every 3 hours and has only extended his wake time by 15 minutes since the last time I posted our schedule, so not a whole lot has changed. Except for the fact that he's sleeping through the night now (YEA!), so he gets all his calories during the day. Because of that, I try extra hard to give him FULL feedings each and every time. That is also why we're still on a 3-hour feed schedule.

This schedule was provided by Moms on Call and we really love it! We'll probably stick with this until Judd starts solids in a month or so. 

 

7am: wake and nurse

7:30am: Jacob wakes up

8:15am: Judd goes down for nap (still swaddled)

I pump during this time, clean up, start laundry and try to do some activity with Jacob. 

10am: wake and nurse 

11:15am: Judd goes down for nap

Jacob and I eat lunch during this time, I switch over laundry and sometimes we go play in the backyard for a bit. 

1pm: wake and nurse 

1:30pm: Jacob goes down for nap

Judd and I get some one-on-one time during this time, which I LOVE!

2:15pm: Judd goes down for nap
This is the only quiet time I get all day, so I try to do something I like to do (catch up on shows, blog, Facebook, shower, etc. I actually just bought 21 Day Fix videos, so I'm excited to start those, too!
3-3:30pm: Jacob usually wakes up around this time, and we sit on the couch and eat a snack while watching Curious George
4pm: wake and nurse
4:30pm: dad gets home! party!
I've started to go for runs during this time, or we'll go for a walk as a family or play in the backyard.
5:30pm: Judd goes down for his last nap, and I start dinner
6pm: Judd wakes up just as we're sitting down to eat, this is also when he gets his medicine, so we usually just give it to him at the dinner table
7pm: Judd starts bathtime in the kitchen sink while Jacob is drinking a smoothie and watching Bubble Guppies in family room
7:15pm: Judd starts his bedtime bottle (6oz of breastmilk)
7:30pm: Jacob starts bath
7:45pm: Judd is down for the night
8pm: Jacob is down for the night

Josh and I divide and conquer at bedtime. I give Judd a bath. Josh gives him a bottle, while I start Jacob's bath. Once Judd is done with his bottle, Josh hands him off to me to nurse a bit and put him to bed. Josh then takes over Jacob's bath and puts him to bed.

Once the kids go to bed, Josh and I try to reconnect, talk about the day or anything important, we watch a show together and drink wine, then I pump and shower and we're usually in bed by 9:30pm.

Recipe - no bake lactation bites

Since Judd's lip tie revision, I've been desperate to boost my milk supply. Not only to meet his new needs, but to replenish the freezer stash we pretty much used up completely.

I really liked these granola bars, but with the baking and cooling, they took too long to make (plus they kinda fall apart).

The recipe I'm sharing today was adapted from this original recipe. 

These are EASY NO BAKE bites. And with the cinnamon, they are TASTY! The recipe makes about 24 bites, which will last you a week. I eat about three a day and I've definitely noticed a difference!

Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flax seed (flax seed meal)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3 tbsp. Brewer's Yeast
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1) mix all ingredients
2) cover and put in refrigerator for an hour
3) roll into bite-sized balls
4) store in an airtight container in refrigerator

Our Easter

We had such a lovely weekend with family and my heart could just explode!

 

On Saturday, we had Josh's family over for a little Easter lunch and cousin play time. These kiddos are so much fun to watch together and I'm so excited for next year when Judd will be out running around with them!

 

It was raining on Sunday morning, so the Easter Bunny had to hide eggs inside. That's not nearly as exciting, but we still had fun! Here are the boys baskets. Poor Judd didn't get too much this year.

Jacob got his first Lego Duplo set, which he's been talking about pretty much since Christmas. Haha! He was so excited and wanted to open it right then, we had to talk him into finding the eggs! Ha!

Once we pried the legos from his hands (literally) and told him there was chocolate in the eggs, he was OFF!

Judd was taking notes for next year.

"Chocolate...hahahahaha!!"

"Look!"

My sweet boys.

Judd stayed awake the entire service and fell asleep on the way home, so of course didn't get a single picture with the entire fam. Ugh! Next year! But here's 3 of us.

We had a yummy lunch with my family after church, and then we all took naps. It was glorious!

I hope y'all had a lovely Easter weekend. I'm leaving you with my favorite Easter hymn.

Kool Eggs

This is the first year I finally bit the bullet and dyed eggs with Jacob. It just seemed so messy and with a WILD and CRAZY toddler? No, thanks.

But! I found this recipe for Kool-Aid eggs and I thought it was a genius (and less messy) idea! And the eggs turned out really cute (and they smell good)!

First you need to boil the eggs. This is simple, y'all.

Put all your eggs in a single layer in a sauce pan, fill with just enough cool water to cover the eggs, add 1 tsp. of salt, bring to a rolling boil for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 15 minutes. At this point, I transferred the eggs to a Tupperware container and put them in the fridge for the next morning.

When you're ready to dye the eggs, pour the Kool-Aid packets in cups and then add 2/3 cup water to each.

 

We used a whisk, as you can see, and Jacob could easily do it all by himself!

"Ooooo....look mom! Bluuuuue!!!"



That's it! So simple and easy! I wish I would've gotten a picture of Jacob trying one of the eggs. LOL! His face was priceless. And no, they do not taste like Kool-Aid, much to Jacob's dismay. :)

HAPPY EASTER!!!!