Welcome to Jude’s big boy room!
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Archives for August 2016
Easy Like Sunday Morning
Easy like Sunday morning…
Finn + Emma sent me these pajamas for my review, but all opinions, coffee, and cinnamon rolls are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Okay fine, easy isn’t really a phrase that translates well to “toddler” but lazy Sunday mornings are my favorite.
Jude’s new FAVORITE thing to do is help BTR make coffee with the Aeropress. He loves pressing the microwave buttons to heat the water and then pushing the plunger on the press to make the coffee. He runs around saying “make mama coffee” and I die every time. I’ve been looking for a toy French Press for him, let me know if you see one!
There’s only one thing better than lazy Sunday mornings, and that’s matching brother pajamas.
I’m all sorts of in love with these robot pajamas from Finn + Emma. I have a problem with buying clothes a size big for both boys. But then I put these 6-9 month pajamas on Ezra and he was almost too long for them. He definitely did not fill them out in the arms and body, but the boy is LONG! Please stop growing. Like now.
Okay I lied, matching pajamas aren’t the only awesome thing about lazy Sunday mornings – cinnamon rolls and listening to acoustic sunrise is also awesome. Have you ever listened to acoustic sunrise? It’s one of my and BTR’s favorite things for as long as I can remember! It’s on Y98 in STL, but look up your local radio station to listen to it next Sunday. #sogood
Now if only every morning could be as fun as Sunday morning.
Tell me, what’s your favorite breakfast food?
Currently…
…Diaper Necessities – The Second Time Around
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PrepTheNest #CollectiveBias
I’m not sure about you, but even though Jude was only 2 when Ezra was born, I still pretty much forgot everything about newborns. Like at the hospital the first time I fed Ezra, the nurse had to remind to burp him. Talk about embarrassing! Another thing I forgot was how to stock my diaper changing area. Newborn diaper needs are so much different than 2-year-old diaper needs (at least in my opinion). So to save you the embarrassment I had, here is my list of what to put in your newborn changing station!…
Hello, Goodbye {Summer}
You say goodbye and I say hello…
Hello, Goodbye Summer! I’m sorry did you say it’s August 15 and summer is OVER? Yeah, I don’t like it either. BTR headed back to work (school) today for meetings and I am re-learning how to take care of two kids on my own. Because I totally got spoiled having him home all summer! Let’s recap this past weekend, shall we?
Friday afternoon we went swimming at BTR’s mom’s house. It was Ezra’s second time (we went earlier that week) and it was so much fun! Jude is doing awesome at kicking and floating (he’s so much fun to watch) and Ezra loves chilling in my Beachfront Baby Wrap!
Saturday we hung out at home all day and then got ready for the Paul McCartney concert that night! I tried to snap a quick picture before we left of BTR and Jude in their Beatles shirts, but you know how toddlers are.
BTR and I headed to STL and had dinner at Baileys’ Range, where we enjoyed some delicious burgers, fries, and beers, and then we headed over to Busch Stadium.
To see my most favorite performer in one of my most favorite places was just unreal. Brandon and I have actually seen Paul McCartney in concert twice, once in 2002 (we were babies in high school) and then again in 2012. I’ve always said the 2002 concert was the best concert I had EVER been too, but this one did not disappoint at all!
We didn’t really do big gifts for our wedding anniversary this year since we got these tickets. We enjoyed some cold Buds and sang along all night. And hopefully, my 24-hour story on Instagram is now gone because that might have been embarrassing.
We got home ridiculously late and my amazing husband let me sleep in a bit on Sunday. Then for some reason, we thought it would be a good idea to go to IKEA. On a Sunday. In reality, it wasn’t that terrible, we got everything we needed and were back home in no time. We hung out the rest of the day inside because it was pouring down rain. Jude read St. Louis Cardinals books to Ezra. The sweetest.
Monday came way too soon and we missed BTR terribly today. Luckily he is off on Wednesday before the kids come back on Thursday, so maybe we can have one last fun hurrah! Just kidding I have to take Ezra to get his four-month shots and that is fun for no one. No one.
I hope you all had an amazing weekend!
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello…
Also, don’t forget that my JORD watch giveaway ends tomorrow at 11:59! Head to this post to find the link to enter!
One Pan Garden Fresh Pasta Recipe
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OnePanPronto #CollectiveBias
As unexcited as I am about Brandon heading back to school next week (we will miss him!), I am excited about getting back into a regular routine! With BTR being at work all day I wanted to have a few easy dinner recipes that I could make on my own. You probably already know he’s the main cook in our house, but I’ve really been trying to venture out and cook more on my own. So this easy pasta recipe that I could make in one pan was a total no brainer!
I went shopping at Walmart and found the Barilla Pronto Pasta in the pasta aisle right next to the regular Barilla Pasta! I also grabbed a jar of Barilla Pesto sauce.
For every box of Barilla® Pronto™ purchased at Walmart between 7/31/2016 and 10/31/2016, Barilla® will donate 10 meals to kids in need through No Kid Hungry, up to half-a-million meals.*
When I got home from the store I headed out to the #rotzgarden and picked some zucchini and cherry tomatoes for my recipe! I love getting fresh veggies from our garden but of course, you could also buy these at the store.
Ingredients:
1 Box Barilla Pronto Penne Pasta
3 Cups of Water
1 Jar of Barilla Pesto Sauce
Cherry Tomatoes
Zucchini
Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
I started by washing my zucchini and tomatoes and then cutting them. Confession: I had to ask BTR the best way to cut the zucchini, but hey I’m getting there! And for the record, I cut them into round slices and then quartered those slices. I cut my tomatoes in half.
Okay here’s why this is the EASIEST recipe ever, I cooked all of this one ONE PAN. I got out my largest skillet and added the entire box of penne pasta and then covered it with 3 cups of cold water. That’s right, no waiting for water to boil before adding the pasta! I also added my zucchini and a bit of salt. Then I turned my burner on high and set my timer for 10 minutes.
Keep stirring the pasta and after about ten minutes all of the water will be absorbed, timing can vary by stove. And since the pasta absorbs all the water, there’s no draining involved!
Once all the water was absorbed I turned the heat down a bit and added my sliced tomatoes and stirred them in to cook a minute. Then I added the entire jar of pesto sauce and let it warm up. Turn the heat off and serve pasta topped with parmesan cheese!
See how easy that was? I only had one pan to clean up after dinner and we had a super delicious meal that I was able to make in under 20 minutes total! I’m so excited to add this recipe to my “I can cook it on my own” list to make evenings a bit easier!
They also make Barilla Pronto Pasta in spaghetti, linguine, elbows, and rotini so I can’t wait to try them as well. Next time I really want to try making this recipe that uses penne and has pepperoni and cheese!
Okay your turn, what fresh veggies would you add to this one pan pasta recipe?
*$1.00 can provide a child 10 healthy meals. This amount is based on individual experiences of grant recipients. Contributions will be used to reach the highest number of children facing hunger in America. Share Our Strength is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
