Hampton is officially 5 months old (Wowza). People are constantly asking me what some of my favorite and most essential baby items are and so I’ve created a list of the things that made our life so much easier.

Mirror – This is a must have. I love the mirror because you can see the baby when you’re driving. You know if he is crying because he spit up or if he is asleep, etc. It is a definite must.

Aden and Anias Swaddle Blankets – I love these. They were by far my favorite blankets and we are still using them (at 5 months). They are great for swaddling but also to cover your baby without using a thick heavy blanket. If your baby is hot natured like mine, that is an important factor. 

Boppy – We use our boppy All. The. Time. I use it when I’m nursing Hampton, feeding him a bottle, reading to him, etc. He is also starting to try to sit up and he loves propping up in the boppy. It’s great to lay your baby in.

Swing – I was very back and forth on whether or not to purchase a swing. All kidding aside, I don’t know how we made it the first month without it. Hampton loves his swing. It is great because you can strap them in while you fold laundry, wash bottles, pee (for the first time all day), eat, and all the other fun mommy things you get to do once your baby arrives. It’s a win/win. They love it, you love it.

Mams Pacifiers – I loved these pacifiers because they were smaller and didn’t look like they were swallowing my child’s face. They are also much cuter. I mean, come on. Those nurser pacis are U-G-L-Y. No offense if you use them, but you know it’s true. 

Baby Gowns – These were great for the first couple of months. I put Hamp in them every night. They make your tired exhausted life so much easier at 3 a.m. when you don’t have to worry about snaps. You just pull it right up, change ’em and done! They also have mittens which are also great so that your baby doesn’t scratch himself in his sleep.

Taggie – We have a taggie that was made by a woman at our church, however this one is similar. I don’t know that we would have made it without taggie. Hampton started teething very early (around 3 months) and he was too little to hold a teething ring or anything for that matter. The taggie was perfect because he could grasp it and chew on it and it kept him very content. We still cannot leave the house without our sacred taggie.

What are some of your favorite baby items?

Do you ever look around you and think, wow, is this really my life? I had that moment Saturday. I’m not going to lie, I felt like superwoman/ the luckiest most blessed mom and wife on the planet. Why? Because. I slept maybe 4 hours total Friday night. Yep. Hampton is waking up every 2 to 3 hours again. He has been for the last month. Anyways. I woke up to this precious face and had some serious snuggle time with my boys. I feel pretty blessed to be their mommy/wife.

I then cleaned the house and did ALL of the laundry Saturday morning. Holy, wow. Then I ran a 5k. My fastest one yet. 35 minutes is a pitiful time, but for me it’s pretty awesome. I’ll take it.

I then cleaned out my car, went to visit my dad, and took Hampton to Toys-R-Us for the First. Time. Ever. Yeah, I did that. He may have left with a few items. Some necessity, some…no, all of our purchases were necessary. Among these items was Frozen! I have been about to die to see this movie. Needless to say, we had a movie night, popcorn included. I may have fallen in love with Olaf. Hampton passed out in the car on the way home. I wore him out. Which if you’re a mom, you know that is a very good thing! Peace.

Helping me clean my car…sort of.

Passed out after we hit Toys-R-Us.

He was pretty excited when I showed him his fave new movie…if you can’t tell.

I even took a bath later that night. That has only happened probably one other time since Hampton was born. I couldn’t believe it.

I do believe this is the first time since his arrival that all the laundry has been done, the house and car (and me) have been clean AND I got in a good workout all in the same day. Yippee! #MyLifeRocks At least it did Saturday…

Serena
by Ron Rash
October, 2008 Ecco

Synopsis from Goodreads: The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons’ intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.

Rash’s masterful balance of violence and beauty yields a riveting novel that, at its core, tells of love both honored and betrayed.

My Thoughts: I wanted to read Serena because the movie is coming out later this year. I love to read the books before seeing the movie and after reading that J-Law is starring in it, I thought, “I definitely need to read this one. ” My book club also chose to read it for this month’s discussion. The book took me by surprise. Although it was a quick read, I didn’t particularly enjoy it. It captivated me and made me want to read till the end, but Serena and Pemberton’s sociopathic tendencies bothered me. It was too much after a while. I wanted to scream, “I get it, let’s move on” about 100 times. I guess it’s a preference thing. I don’t like reading about murder after murder. I wasn’t particularly fond of that creepy eagle, either. The one person I really enjoyed reading about was Rachel. I wish Rash would’ve written more of her into the story. I gave this novel 3 stars. 

I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Springtime is here! Yea! I love this time of year because everything comes back to life and becomes so colorful! It is beautiful. You know that I am partial to the fall season, but I am allergic to all things winter (other than boots and scarves). So naturally, I get pretty excited by the time Spring rolls around. I love the warmth that thaws me out after the harsh winter.

I love that floral print is in again this year and I’m excited to be able to bring all of the bright colors back into my wardrobe and style. In the last year, I’ve been so intrigued/addicted/in love with lipstick. I’ve added about 4 new shades to my collection just in the last month. I have a feeling I’ll be wearing it a lot this season.

When Influenster sent me the new Moisture Renew Lipstick by Rimmel London Voxbox, I was ecstatic! I love trying new products and it is pretty awesome being able to try a different color I might not have been brave enough to buy myself. The color I received is “As You Want Victoria.” It is a bright and fun color, perfect for spring.

I love this lipstick! It is very moisturizing which is something that is important to me when buying lip products. I also love the shade! It will go great with those floral prints and bright colors that I’ll be wearing now. I’m so excited to show off my bold new lip color!

1. What are you reading right now? Tell us about it!


One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus


Goodreads Synopsis: One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial “Brides for Indians” program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man’s world. Toward that end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time.


My thoughts: I am enjoying it so far. I had to put it on hold to read Serena for our chat tonight, so I’m excited to start it up again. 

2.  What was your favorite series to read when you were a kid?


Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children. I was all in to the mystery type books. 

3.  The world is ending:  What 3 books do you save from your collection in hopes to contribute to whatever new society forms?


My bible, obviously, Pride and Prejudice and can I choose my kindle? HA!

In honor of Saint Patrick, I thought I’d share my favorite Green Smoothie Recipe. This smoothie is my favorite go-to as an on-the-go breakfast or post-workout recovery drink. It’s filling and super healthy. It’s around 160 calories. Not bad, huh? Try it and thank me later because this sucker is delish!

This post is not about Paris and cupcakes, although who doesn’t love a good cupcake and the city of love? Side note: I fell in love with Paris for the first time when I studied French in high school and then again when we went there on our honeymoon.

Currently, I’m:

reading One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus and loving it so far. If you like historical fiction, you should definitely read this one. Review coming soon!

wearing Revlon lip butter in Cotton Candy. I love this lip color for spring and it’s so moisturizing. Big thumbs up, Rev!

loving this 70 degree weather we have been having down here in Bama town. It makes my morning runs so much more enjoyable when my lungs aren’t on fire from the cold.

tasting the Starbucks hibiscus berry refresher. Why have I not tried these until now? Addiction.

writing in my journal more and more lately. I know that sounds like so totally junior high, but I’ll write more on this topic later.

preparing for my Thirty One party this Friday night. I’m hosting for my MIL and can’t wait to have friends and family over for a night of fun. Plus who doesn’t love an adorable new bag?

waiting for summer!! I am ready for beach trips, pool days and weekend hikes!

What are you currently into?

I was reading Jesus Calling the other day and like most days, the devotional hit me spot on. The topic was worrying. As you may know from Instagram, our house is up for sale. I have done a lot of praying that God will help us to sell our house quickly. I haven’t prayed that He would help us sell our house in HIS time. See the difference there? I do that all the time. I am so selfish with my prayers and my wants. I am constantly praying for God to do this or that in MY perfect time. Has that ever worked out for you? Anyone? Me either.

I am a worry wart. I worry about the house being too messy, I worry about our laundry being sky high. I worry about the amount of work I have to get done every day while also raising a teething baby at home. God states plainly that worrying is a sin. Some people sin by doing drugs or drinking too much. I sin by constantly worrying. It is a form of distrust. I am not giving everything over to God. I’m trying to deal with it and handle everything myself instead of trusting that he has my back. Why is that? God has never failed me before. He has allowed me go through tough times (or tests as I like to call them), but He has never failed me. He is the one who lifts me up when I’m down. He is the one who gave me my husband at the time I needed him the most. He gave me my precious son when I had almost given up on having children. He has always gone above and beyond for me. So why do I not trust Him enough to quit worrying?

Why is this so difficult for me? Do you struggle with worrying?