What's on the menu?

With the rush of trying to prepare for Thanksgiving and my daughter going off her normal sleep schedule over the past week.. this blog fell to the bottom of my to-do list and i'm so sorry for that.

I know i'm a day late on posting this but here is my menu plan for this week..

Monday - Tacos and Fajitas with saffron rice

Tuesday - Korean Shortribs (plated)

Wednesday - Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders (blue apron meals)

Thursday - Moms night out

Friday - Panko Crusted Pollock

Saturday - Out

Sunday - Panko Crusted Pollock w/ dijon roasted potatoes

Happy eating!

Meal Plan Monday!

Last week was such a crazy messy blur! Our baby girl is teething so it's been a week of sleepless nights and crazy days trying to prep for the big turkey day this week!

Here is our menu for this week:

Monday - Meatloaf with Scalloped Potatoes & Sweet Corn

Tuesday - Leftover Short Rib in Tomato Sauce and Rigatoni

Wednesday - We never cook on this day since we are prepping for Thursday. So it will be takeout of some sort.

Thursday - Thanksgiving

Friday -We have my niece staying over and every year we do a Holiday-ish activity. Starting the day with Sweet and Sassy and then going to Sesame Place for their Christmas fun! We are doing the dine with the characters as well.

Saturday - Thanksgiving Leftovers

Sunday - Pan-Seared Salmon with Candied Orange Peel and Cranberry Walnut Stuffing (Blue Apron Meals)


Happy Thanksgiving!!

What's for Dinner!

Happy Monday All!

Here is our meal plan for this week..


Monday -  Seared Hake with Brussel Sprouts and Warm Lentils (Blue Apron)

Tuesday - Moms night out! Hubby will make leftovers

Wednesday - Vietnamese-Style Shaking Beef with Basmati Rice (Plated)

Thursday - Cornish Hen with Glazed Pears and Toasted Fregola (Plated)

Friday - Chili-Rubbed Flat Iron Steaks with tomato rice and quick kimichi (Blue Apron)

Saturday - Pan Seared Chicken Legs with Purple Smashed Potatoes Brussel Sprouts and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (Blue Apron)

Sunday -  Marmitako Basque Tuna Stew with Peppers and Potatoes (Plated)

Have a great week!

Five on Friday

This week was very long for me.. Kaitlyn wasn't liking sleeping by herself which made sleeping for mom and dad nonexistent, plus we are fighting bad colds. Needless to say, i'm excited for the weekend and the bit of warmer weather coming through!

Here are some things i'm thankful for this week...

Starbucks buy one get one was a lifesaver this week! I enjoyed the Caramel Brulee Latte.. DELISH!

I just recieved a print from ETSY Shop - ISEENOISE that i'm loving!!

With not feeling to swell, these leggings from the loft were ohsocomfy and just what i needed!

Hubby and  I are going to have a date night on Saturday and i'm so excited to get dazzled and enjoy a romantic dinner with the one guy who continually has me falling madly in love with him each and every day!

And if it wasn't for my AMAZING parents for watching our sweet girl..we wouldn't be able to go on Saturday!

Have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Inspiration Board

 

I'm going to make Thursday's for this month about Thanksgiving. As I worked on my planning binder yesterday i took a few moments and browsed pinterest and the web for Thanksgiving table decor.

Here are a few photos i found  that i'm going to try to incorporate into my decor..

For my centerpieces i want to purchase these mason jars from Etsy

I love the look of the cranberries and candle in this jar. This might go on the buffet table or into the bathroom.

I thought this would be a neat jar to add. It will be filled every year and we can always look back as to what we were thankful for in the years past. 

I love this prayer. 

May our home be full of joy, May our hearts be knit with love, as we give our grateful thaks for thy blessings from above

 I'm going to make fall chex mix and put in little jars as my favor.

I love this idea from TOMKAT studio as a place card.

This is a cute idea for a utensil holder

Planning for Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving is coming very soon and what that means to me is time to start planning! This year is very special since it's our 1st one with Kaitlyn. I'm excited to see her try some of our Thanksgiving Day treats! We are starting to slowly break away from fully pureed foods to ones with a little more texture, so Thanksgiving Day will be a perfect day to really make a transition.

We have hosted Thanksgiving for almost 4/5 years now. The first few were a bit rough in regards to finding a rhythm. I always remember watching the Thanksgiving parade and watching my parents prepare for the big feast and it always looked to be a smooth process. Now i know that it takes a few Thanksgiving meals to get under your belt and then your practically a pro. We used to have my parents make the Turkey. We were always scared that we would mess up the star of the feast. Mind you we love cooking and now what we are doing but it always scared us. Until last year.. my husband made the big decision to fully takeover and make the Turkey and it was the BEST turkey i've ever had.. my Dad even admitted that its better than his!!!

So now that we have our Thanksgiving Day "mastered'.. I'm now at the point of lets make a Thanksgiving Day binder that we can always refer to so there's no questions as to what did we do last year or what side did we add (since we are always adding an extra flavor to the meal). So after we sat down this weekend and made our menu, i'm now at the stage of putting the binder together. Once i get it all finalized i will share it with you all! I purchased a few templates of etsy and found some free printables but i'm not sure which I want to use for my binder. Once i figure it out i will share the links to the sellers so that you can also create your own binder!

Are you hosting? What are you doing to help make your day stress free and easy? Comment below!

Baby Clothes from JCPennys

A few weeks ago I was searching for some cute wintery outfits to get Kaitlyn and I stumbled upon JcPennies. I haven't looked/shopped in JcPennies in years years years! I know they revamped their style so I was curious to see what items they had for Kaitlyn. I found some cute items on sale and a few that weren't but spent practically nothing and when I recieved the package I was happy to see that it was a great purchase!

Here are some of the items I bought..


Joe Fresh Sparkle Fleece Dress - $19

Joe Fresh Flocked Tee - $7.99

Joe Fresh Long-Sleeve Embroidered BodySuit- $10

Joe Fresh Capri Leggings - $5.99

If you have a baby girl.. you have to check these out! Some great items for the winter!

What's for Dinner!

So I'm a bit late on the Monday post.. Hubby was off yesterday for Veterans Day and we enjoyed the time together!

We enjoyed the different meal styles Plated offered us last week and having all the food from both Blue Apron and Plated. With Thanksgiving coming up and all the planning that entails, we decided to make life a little easier and order an extra plate or two from Plated.


So here is our meal plan for this week..
Monday -  Clams and Linguine (Hubby's recipe!)

Tuesday - Skillet Lasagna with Fall Root Vegies ( Plated)

Wednesday - Pumpkin Ravioli with Pear and Pomegranate Salad ( Plated)

Thursday - Sesame Chicken with Soba Noodles and Snap Peas (Blue Apron)

Friday - Chipolte Steak Salad (Blue Apron)

Saturday - Out to Eat

Sunday - Moroccan Chicken with wilted onions and couscous

Have a great week!

Five on Friday

Fall  - I love this time of year. For me Fall represents - family, friends, traditions, football and the holidays. Especially with having a baby girl to share this all with now , i'm loving fall even more!

My Apple Pumpkin candle from Yankee Candles is constantly burning away. I love love love this scent and love the warm cozy feeling it gives my home.

It's sweater season and there's nothing i love more than a big cozy sweater to bundle up in!

Between HGTV, Food Network or Bravo  one of these channels is ALWAYS on, oh and the HUB Network for my lil miss. Earlier this week I had the Food Network Channel on and the new show - Southern at Heart with Damarias Phillips came on (winner of The Next Food Network Star). I love love her show! She helps people give those they love a yummy meal.. I'm loving this new show!

Loved the CMA Awards this week! All the performers were amazing and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood were fantastic hosts!

My daily routine

Routine..Routine..Routine..

I've been in the workplace from high-school and I always had a daily routine at work. With my last job it was crucial to take the time each evening or when I first came in to jot down everything that needed to get tackled. I had a daily, weekly and monthly lists of to-dos. When I had the baby in March I stopped doing those lists and it went this way until I officially decided to leave the workplace and be a full time mommy. I was desperate for creating a normal routine for myself just like I had when I would go to work. Granted things that would be on my to-do list now aren't has crucial to get done like when I was at work but by having a routine and a to-do list for each day/week/month I knew I could feel less stressed about cleaning or paying bills or laundry etc.

So here is a little glimpse into my daily routine.

My morning starts around 6/6:30am. I go to Stroller Fitness on M/W/F at 9am. On those days I get up around 5:45/6am to get my AM routine done before Kaitlyn wakes up.

AM Routine - Make Coffee, Dishes, Wipe down counters/cabinets in bathroom/kitchen/living room, Quick Mop the floors in the same rooms (with Kaitlyn being mobile now I want to make sure all surfaces she touches are clean), make bed, straighten up the living room/kitchen/bathroom, put out morning snack (Fruit or Granola), Put out Water Bottle (these two things help me from grabbing unhealthy items), eat breakfast, shower and change clothes. Make Kaitlyn's bottle and cereal

Normally by the time I finish my AM routine Kaitlyn will be up and ready to go. This is normally by 7/730am. I will then change her diaper, and feed her. Depending on if it's stroller fitness day we will either leave once she's done eating or if it's not stroller fitness day she will then play until her nap (830/9am) and during her play time I do my morning Fitness routine at home.

Once she goes down for her nap I will have Mommy time. Check Emails/Computer Time/Pay Bills/Etc..I do this until she wakes up. When she wakes up we have Kaitlyn time which is us doing developmental skills together and based on the weather we will go outside.

Then throughout the day I continue to tackle my to-do list.

Around 430/5pm I will start my PM Routine which involves - Preparing Dinner, lightly straightening up from the day, make husband and his co-worker lunch, clean up after dinner, prepare my to-do list for the next day and set-up in the kitchen. Then it's TV time!

So that's a glimpse into my daily routine.. What's yours? Comment below!

Favorite baby products!

When my Husband and I were registering for our baby we were overwhelmed with the amount of baby products on the market. We heard from many friends what their tried and true products were and what their stay away from products were. I always wondered what made them so sure that having that product worked the best and why they told us. It wasn't until I had my baby and went through our daily routines and going out that I would to be saying.. "Wow this product is needed by all parents!". So that's what I'm going to try to do on these posts.. share with you what i'm finding to be my tried and true products and I will be also be doing some other mommy and baby rambling!

So my 2 tried and  true products that have really been a huge lifesaver are...

Playtex Diaper Genie
This product is definitly a must. As we all know babies go potty when they want, no matter where you are. There's been many times we've been in a location that we didn't have a garbage can nearby to throw away her diapers and the shopping bags that i would keep in my diaper bag for such an occasion, were not masking the lovely scent coming from my sweet girls diaper. So off I went to search for something that I be of better use to me then the shopping bags. I went to babies-r-us and found this travel diaper genie! The little bags help mask the odor and it came in this cute mini diaper genie replica that I could hang inside my diaper bag.  I can't recommend this product enough!

Zo-li Buzz B. Nail Trimmer
 I used to dread cutting Kaitlyn's nails. She's a mover and would not sit still while we tried to cut her fingernails and toenails. On her Christening we went to trim her nails and she moved and a tiny part of her skin got snipped. At that moment I was determined to find something that would make this process alot easier. I went searching and found the Zo-Li Buzz B. Nail Trimmer. It trims her nails and she can move around and nothing will hurt her! It comes with 3 different buffers so as she grows older we will change them out. I love this product!

What's for dinner!

My husband and I love cooking and eating. Back in December 2012 right around Christmas time, we were starting to plan for the days when our baby girl will be here. Trying to see what we needed to do to make certain "chores" less stressful to tackle so that we may focus on our baby. One area that I wanted to make easier on us what cooking but not only cooking .. grocery shopping. I knew that it wouldn't be easy to food shop like we used to and the trips had to be quick and few.  One day on facebook one of my friends posted about Blue Apron Meals - www.blueapronmeals.com . She mentioned how great the food was and how easy it was to make dinner. I don't think I blinked before I found myself on Blue Aprons webpage. Blue Apron Meals provides 3 meals a week for $9 per person/per meal. The ingredients come measured out for you already so all you have to do is cut/chop/dice/mix/cook.. The meals looked AMAZING and restaurant-y, something that I knew we would be doing less of (going out to eat) and this service allowed us to feel like we were out at a restaurant. In addition, the meals came to us every Wednesday and I didn't have to worry about food shopping. We have loved this service and It definitly has fulfilled the needs we needed it to. About a few weeks ago I stumbled onto a different meal service Plated - www.plated.com.  What's intriguing about this service is that you can select your own meals and you don't have to be a member of this service but with not being a member the meals are $15 vs when your a member it's $12 and I believe there's a monthly service charge of $10 but I could be wrong. I looked for a few coupon codes and selected 5 different meals and we are going to give it a shot this week. I will review in another post once we made all the meals to let you know our thoughts on each company.


I'm trying to create a meal planning binder so my meal planning is a bit easier. This week since we are going to be testing Plated and also have our blue apron meal service I was able to use the 2 confirmation emails I recieved for the delivery and I planned using that.

Monday - My dad's beef stew (love having my parents nearby to bring us yummy goodies!)

Tuesday- Brussel Sprout & Mushroom Polenta Pizza and Roasted Apple and Butternut squash soup (Plated)

Wednesday- Center Cut Pork with Pan Sauce and Apple Kohlrabi Slaw (Blue Apron)

Thursday - Lamb Burgers with Pickled Red Onions & Greek Salad (Plated)

Friday - Sirloin Steak with Swiss Chard & Rice Pilaf (Plated)

Saturday- Out to Eat

Sunday - Roast Beef

Building blogging into my schedule!

So it's been quite a while since I wrote on this blog and even when I did for those few days I wasn't really sure what to write. I was lost and still kinda am on what I wanted to do on this blog.  I know I want this blog to center around my home life. I love being a mommy and a wife. I want to create a home that is warm and ORGANIZED! That is what i'm trying to tackle right now and have been for a period of time. Ever since I decided to stay home with my daughter I knew that I had alot of projects ahead of me that I'm so excited to finally tackle but overwhelmed at the same time.  So that's where I'm going to start with this blog. I'm creating a schedule that I will focus on certain topics that will in turn help me with getting my home life organized.  Below is the schedule of when I will be posting my posts!

Mondays- Meal Planning
Tuesdays- Mommy&Baby related posts
Wednesdays- Home Organization
Fridays- Five things Fridays

Now you might seen random posts intermixed with the above schedule but that's okay!

I hope you all stick around with me on this journey and even though there will be some bumpy roads ahead.. it will be fun!

A day in my life..

Day 15 of the - Blog Everday in May Challenge

A day in my life

Early morning feedings are going on all night - pretty much from 2am - 4am. 

5am - Husbands alarm goes off -time for him to get ready for work. Give him a kiss then set my alarm.

745am - Alarm goes off  - At first I was using every moment to sleep but I found that i was slowly losing myself and needed to set a routine,

745am - 9am - Shower, wash dishes/bottles, straighten up the living room/kitchen, gather dirty laundry and put a load in the washing machine. Make coffee and breakfast. And prep first bottle of the day.

9am - Sit down to watch Live with Kelly and Michael with my iced coffee and breakfast.

**any where from 9am - 1030am is when my baby will wake up for her feedings**

1100am - 600pm - take care of my daughter, try to pay some bills, figure out which recipe i'm making for dinner. My day is pretty much trying to get her into a routine at the moment and taking care of her. She really doesn't let me put her down.

600pm - 700pm - parents come over to watch baby and i make dinner. Thankfully we joined blue apron meals . This has  been a life saver.. More on this in another post.

700pm - 900pm - husband comes home - eat dinner - spend time together has a family

900pm - 1000pm - last feeding normally happens around now. After we feed her we put her down for the night and we go to bed as well.

Blog Everyday In May Challenge - Day 1 - 14

I've been following the Story of My Life Blog - Blog everyday in May Challenge. So I'm going to play catch up and do all 14 days in this one post! 


Day 1 - Story of My Life in 250 words or less ..

I was born in 1981 in New Brunswick, NJ and raised in North Brunswick, NJ for the majority of my life. I spent 3 years of my adult life in St Petersburg/Clearwater Florida (chased a boy there). I have the greatest parents that have taught me all the great values in life. I have a brother who is 10 years older than me and sometimes is more like a father than a brother but that makes me lucky because I have 2 great men that have always looked out for me. My brother grew up playing baseball which led me to dabble a bit with softball (I had to be just like my big brother). Although the athletic gene stopped with him .. so my softball “career” ended in 8^th grade.  In 2004, the year my niece was born and the year I met the man that would hold my heart for always – my husband. This was the man that I moved to Florida for. It was one of those – if I don’t do it.. I might regret it. I can definitely 100% tell you that this Jersey Girl has NO regrets moving to Florida for that man. That man and I decided we were meant to establish our family in Jersey so in 2008 we came running back. Together we enjoy all things about food/cooking, wine and experiencing new adventures together. In 2010 he became my husband and in 2013 the father to the most precious, beautiful, and loving baby girl – Kaitlyn Jane.

Day 2 - Educate you on something I'm good at or know a lot about

Something i'm good at is planning parties.

I love bringing an idea for an event to life and seeing people enjoy themselves.

For my job i plan pharmaceutical meetings which is the same steps as planning a party (somewhat) but with ALOT of regulations from state/federal to follow, which makes it somewhat boring.

So what i'll educate you all on is how I plan my parties at home or if I'm going to a venue. One event that i'm currently planning is my daughters christening.

1) Create your budget and stick to it..

2) Pick a date that the party will be good on. Keep in mind of any and all holidays (remember.. just because you might not celebrate it, doesn't mean that someone that you want to invite does celebrate it). If the event is for anyone or has any key players (ie -for my daughters christening I had to get available dates from my church, once i had those dates i had to check my family calendar and check with the godparents to make sure everyone was available for those dates).

2) Once you have the date secure with the venue etc.. time to do the invite list.  Try not to over invite. You know those people that are the brothers/sisters of your cousins husbands neighbor.. lol.. sometimes/all the time invite list get out of control.. we have all been there. 

3) Now that you have your invite list down - order/make/buy your invitations. I like to use shutterfly and tiny prints. I love using those sites because they have coordinating stationary and you can personalize with pictures. For my daughters christening I ordered cute invites with her picture, matching address labels and thank you cards.. PERFECT! and Easy - especially for a mom with a newborn that has less than 5 minutes to get 15things accomplished..

4) Decorations/Party Supplies - i use Etsy and pinterest to get my decoration ideas and purchase my party supplies

5) Food & Beverage - don't go overboard with food.. If you have a few items that you have plenty of and they are tasty than thats all you need. I recently had a cinco de mayo party i had chicken/beef fajitas, wings and chips with salsa .. corona and sangria.. it was easy and perfect.  If you are at a venue I would always make sure to have a Chicken or Beef, Pasta/Rice, Fish, Starch and Veggie - this is something that i've learned from my job and it always works. For beverages always have a regular/diet soft drink, water, one beer type (ie corona), red/white wine or a punch.

6) Enjoy!

Day 3 - Something that makes me uncomfortable

I do not like public speaking - i've never enjoyed it and that's pretty much all i have to say about that.. 

Day 4 - Favorite Quote

Don't forget to fall in love with yourself first.. Carrie Bradshaw

This quote fits my life perfectly. I was in a 7 year relationship and did everything he wanted. Once we split I hit a major depression because i didn't know who i was, what i loved to do, nothing.. i was lost and had no idea who i was. Once i learned to fall in love with myself and made that relationship the solid one in my life i was able to fall in love with my husband and have the best relationship with both him and me.


Day 5 - Publicly profess my love for someone.. 

My husband - thank you for doing what my favorite quote tells me to do - fall in love with myself. When you first met me I was in the process of doing this by you letting me continue to fall in love with myself made me fall in love with you even more. Especially when the relationship i was previously in didn't let me even give myself a chance. Thank you for always being there for me, laughing with me, letting me have those moments that all i need to do is cry but once i'm done your there to hold me and tell me it will be alright and for being the  best daddy to our baby girl.. i love you to the moon and  back.


Day 6- What do i do ...

Well currently all I do is be a Mom.. this pretty much involves feeding, diaper changes, walking around in circles to calm my baby down, hold, wipe spit up, play and love.

Day 7 - Thing i'm most afraid of..

Failing as a mother and wife.. 

I want to be the most perfect wife and mother for my daughter and husband. 

Day 8 - Piece of advice..

Avoid drama.. 

I used to get so wrapped up in drama (just like every girl does) and let it run my life.. once i started to avoid drama and those that caused it i was able to focus on being that perfect wife and now mother..


Day 9 -  A moment in my day...

Iced Coffee and Live with Kelly & Michael - This makes my morning.. If I don't get up and enjoy these 2 things before my baby wakes up.. then i'll be in the corner rocking back and forth crying :)

Day 10 - Most embarrasing moment - 

This was recently when I was giving birth and the doctor told me to push  - well the baby isn't what came out.. oopps... 

Day 11 - Sell myself in 10 words or less

Loving, trustworthy, devoted, very emotional lady

Day 12- What do I miss..

Sleep.. Its a great thing and when the moment comes again to where I can enjoy this again .. i will definitely take full advantage of it.

Day 13- A public apology

This is a future apology to my daughter.. 


I will embarrass you all the time.. kissing you at the bus stop and in front of your friends, dance with you in ways that i think are still hip and cool... 

Day 14 - 10 things that make me happy

1) My Family
2) Wine
3) Shopping
4) Beach
5) Friends
6) Coffee
7) Farmers Markets
8) Cooking
9) Dancing
10) Trying new things

My first step into blogging ..

Hello! & Welcome to my blog..

I've been an AVID reader of many blogs for the past 3 to 4 years. Now that i'm a "stay at home" mom (on maternity leave) this is currently my only outlet for the time being to the outside world. So I decided to give this a shot.

A quick glance as to who i am - I just had a baby girl in March 2013, got married in April 2010, pharmaceutical meeting planner, Jersey Girl, love the beach/shopping/food (cooking and indulging in), wine (making and drinking), enjoy spending time with friends and family and shopping of all kinds!

Now that you have a quick look into who I am.. I hope you can follow me into my new journey as a mom, full time worker and a wife..