Lollipops and Lemons

The sweet and sour of life with littles

Favorite Things – Summer 2017

~ Lifestyle

Hi!  Can I first just say, I’ve missed this blog so much!  My life has been insanely crazy and busy for the last couple months!  I’ve gained 7 pounds, eaten way too many donuts, had zero time for blogging, bought a house, sold a house, and am getting ready for our big move in two weeks!  It’s been a really exciting time, but stressful in a lot of ways too.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally get settled into our new home (and share it with you)!

That being said, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite things that make me happy in the midst of all the crazy.  None of these products are sponsoring this post, I simply want to share my current faves!  And let’s be honest, I needed a light hearted, happy post to pull me out of the pre-moving funk.  🙂

So, here goes….my favorite things:

  1. Tarte Tartlette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette :  I love this eyeshadow palette so much!  It’s easy to pack for trips, and so easy to make pretty color combinations!  I often get overwhelmed by eyeshadow palettes because I feel like I don’t know where to start with color combos, but with this one, you just follow the row straight across.  So easy.  If you feel adventurous and have time, you can create your own color combos, but I rarely do!
  2. Loreal Gel Eye Liner in Espresso (Target):  Let me just put this out there.  I’m horrible with eye liner.  But this one, I can actually do!
  3. Ella + Mila Nail Polish (pictured: Pink Me Up and Sweet Tooth):  This is a no-bad-for-you-chemicals polish.  Plus Ella + Mila has the prettiest colors ever!
  4. Dabney Lee Cosmetic Bags (Target)
  5. Michael Kors Jet Set Large Saffiano cross-body:  This is my go-to summer bag.  Small, easy to carry, and such a fun summer color!
  6. Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Nude (SPF 15): This is my go-to chapstick!  I’m obsessed!  It’s got SPF, adds some color, and goes on smooth.
  7. The Balanced Life Online:  I’ve mentioned this on Facebook before, but I absolutely love my Sisterhood membership at The Balanced Life.  Robin totally gets it – life is busy, and sometimes fitting in a workout just feels like another to-do!  I love the easy to follow calendar that provides 10 minute workouts on M, W, F and 30 minute workouts on T, Th.  I can totally handle that!
  8. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone:  When I’m tired, this adds a pretty glow to my face.  Just brush along your cheekbones to add a pretty shimmer!
  9. Kendra Scott Necklaces (similar): This is my jewelry must have right now!  It looks gorgeous with everything, casual or dressy!
  10. Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in Pretty Thing: I love the color of this gloss!  It’s pretty and subtle, which is perfect for me.
  11. Gap Sleepwear:I mean, who doesn’t love a cute pair of pajamas?!  I work from home, so I usually start my work day in my PJs.  It helps me feel at least a little bit put together when they are this cute!
  12. Kut from the Kloth Mia Skinny jeans: These are my absolute favorite jeans.  And I’ve tried a LOT of jeans!  They are slightly distressed, super soft, and don’t get stretched out in the knees!  I love them…so much so that I own several pairs.  Of the same jean.  🙂
  13. New Balance 410 70s in Pink Sandstone:  So those jeans I just mentioned?  I pair them with these shoes and a comfy Gap tee.  Again, as you’ve probably figured out by now, when I find something I love, I buy it in every color!  I have these shoes in this gorgeous light pink, gray, and black.  They are so, so comfy and perfect for chasing my boys!
  14. Pacifica Kale Juice Cleanse (Target):  I just recently started using this face product and I’m hooked!  I have super sensitive skin, so I only use it a couple times a week, but it makes my skin soft and gives it a healthy looking glow.
  15. Gekks for Ballet Flats: I love, love, love my Gekks!  This is my number one must-have if you’re a ballet-flat-wearing-girl!  I hate going without socks, but all other shoe liners that I’ve tried still show (especially when I wear my Tieks)!  These do not – they don’t slip under your heel and they never, ever show!  Plus, they prevent smelly shoes!  I also own several pairs of these – for my flats as well as my low cut booties!  If you go for one thing off this list, its gotta be these.
  16. Sam Edelman Katya Gladiator Sandal: These are the perfect summer time sandals!

 

What are your Summer time favorite must-haves?

Mommy Wars: We’re all “Mom”

~ Kids, Lifestyle, Sweet and Sour

Well, I promised a big announcement and here it is!  After 2 1/2 years as a stay at home mom, I’ve recently gone back to work full time!  It’s been a huge adjustment for our family, but its a decision that we are happy with.  It’s funny, when I left my job to stay home after Noah was born, we always joked that I was “retired.”  I wasn’t looking for a job and had no plans of returning to work.  I was enjoying the blog as my creative outlet and my time with my boys.  This past Fall, I was approached with an opportunity that seemed to be a great fit for our family.  After 5 interviews and weighing the pros and cons for weeks, when I was offered the position, we decided to go for it!  There are a lot of things we are still adjusting to (Mommas, help me out here!) and the one thing I’ve definitely learned is that whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, being a mom is just plain hard, exhausting, fun, and so very fulfilling all at the same time.

Going back to work full time has given me a unique view into both “sides” of motherhood.  I now understand that each situation has a unique set of challenges, and neither is perfect.  I don’t normally write emotional posts, but I’m hoping that by sharing a peek inside the life of both a stay-at-home mom and a full time working mom, it will encourage us to have compassion for one another and support each other in this journey of motherhood.  Far too often, I hear judgement and criticism coming from both sides of the fence, when in reality we are all trying so hard to be the best mom that we can be.  Instead of viewing each other as on opposite “sides” can we just see one another as a fellow mom?  We really aren’t all that different from each other.

As a stay-at-home mom, I had the best of my children.  I got to play with them in the morning, when they were just up from a good night’s sleep (most of the time) and full of energy.  We got to go to the park, the zoo, and out for play dates.  I got to see every milestone the very first time it happened.  We created, explored, laughed, and played together all day. My house was pretty clean and organized and we had homemade meals every night.  We were on no one’s schedule but our own.  I got to wear yoga pants every day. Sounds pretty perfect, huh?

Here’s what you don’t see:

  1. She’s lonely.  Sure there’s a play date every week (at which she never gets to have an adult conversation), but the majority of her week is spent at home, with her kids, with no other adult to talk to. She craves more time with other adults.  She’s so. tired. of. talking. about. kids.
  2. She’s tired.  She doesn’t sit down all day.  She doesn’t even take time to eat a proper lunch.  Sometimes during the day, all of the kids are crying and she does too. She’s up late at night, finishing the housework that didn’t get done during the day or soaking in a few minutes of quiet.
  3. She bears the weight of being the primary child care provider and decision maker.  Is her child learning as much as the kids in a structured day care program?  Will her child know how to behave in a classroom setting?  How should she get her child to eat better?  How should she get her child to sleep better?  How should she start potty training? How should she handle discipline?
  4. She doesn’t receive validation.  Her husband doesn’t see the work she does raising children all day and her kids certainly don’t thank her for making lunch or disciplining them.
  5. She feels guilty.  For being short with her kids after being asked “why” for the ten thousandth time that day.  For not taking them to the park but trying to keep up with housework instead.  For serving Mac and cheese for lunch for the third time this week because she can’t take another fight with a two year old. (Not that I’ve ever experienced that 😉 ).  For being on her phone too much, craving a connection with the outside world.
  6. She envies the mom that gets to shower, fix her hair, do her makeup, and put on real clothes.  Necklace?  Dangly earrings?  Forget it.
  7. She microwaves her cup of coffee at least three times, maybe more, before ever finishing it (if she finishes it at all).
  8. She worries relentlessly.  Are her kids having fun?  Would they rather be around other kids more?
  9. She’s selfless.  She sacrifices her hair, her wardrobe, fun nights out for the sake of getting to stay home with her kids.  The money she does spend on herself consists of drive-by shopping at Target with kids screaming in the cart while making the trip out because she’s out of diapers.  She can’t justify buying nice clothes when they’ll be covered in spit up by 7 AM.  She never puts herself first.
  10. She loves her kids fiercely.  She would do anything for those precious babies (and she does) and she just prays that they know how much they are loved.

As a working mom, I start each day by getting myself ready for the day.  I wear cute clothes, jewelry, and makeup every day.  Well, most days. I sit at my desk and drink warm coffee in peace every morning while I check email and read the daily Skimm (side note – it’s my new favorite app!).  I order groceries online and have them delivered to my house because I don’t want to spend time running to the store with my kids.  I sometimes go out to lunch with a friend (kid free!) and I always get to eat my food before it turns cold. I get to learn new skills myself and have intellectual conversations with other adults. I receive validation from my job.  I make the most of the time I do have with my kids. I make an effort to put my phone down and be really, truly present with them when I’m off work. I plan date nights and weekend trips with my hubby because we are able to do things like that with two incomes (especially after being used to living on one!). I have child care providers to lean on when I want advice on sleep, eating, and discipline. Sounds pretty perfect huh?

Here’s what you don’t see:

  1. She wants to be alone.  She’s constantly around people.  Co-workers, family, kids, all requiring something of her.
  2. She’s tired.  She’s up before anyone else to get herself and the kids ready for the day.  She’s up way too late throwing in that load of laundry thats been sitting in the laundry room for days now.
  3. She bears the weight of trying to be everything for everyone.  Her boss, her co-workers, her husband, her kids, and her friends.
  4. She feels pulled too thin.  She forgot diapers for day care.  She forgot to plan dinner.  She forgot that early morning meeting.  She forgot that email that needed a response yesterday.  She hasn’t had time to take the constantly growing kid shopping for new shoes.
  5. She feels guilty.  For being short with her kids after a long day at work.  For sneaking peeks at her phone to check her work email.  When her kids say in their sweet little voices, “Do you have to work again, Mommy?” Sometimes she even feels guilty when she looks forward to Monday.  Her family hasn’t had a home cooked meal all week and the laundry is piling up.  Guilty.
  6. She envies the mom that gets to wake up on her own schedule, watch Paw Patrol with her kids, and wear yoga pants all day. She craves a slower pace of life.  Evenings are a rush to get dinner on the table, play with the kids, and get them to bed at a reasonable hour.
  7. She worries relentlessly. Do her kids see her enough?  Do they know how much she misses them?  Do they feel loved by their caretakers? Are they crying too much, eating too little, sleeping well during the day?
  8. She’s selfless. She works tirelessly all day long to meet the needs and demands of others.  Her mind never stops.  She lays in bed at night thinking about all of the things that need to get done the next day.  She never puts herself first.
  9. She misses her babies during the day.  She longs to hear their sweet little giggles to lighten the stress of work.  She can’t wait to see their little smiles and hear them say, “I love you, Momma” at the end of the day.
  10. She loves her kids fiercely.  She would do anything for those precious babies (and she does) and she just prays that they know how much they are loved.

Do you see my point, Momma?  We are all tired.  We all feel guilty at times.  We all worry.  We all feel envious of something the “other type” of mom has.  We are all selfless. We all bear a lot of weight on our shoulders. We all compare ourselves and wonder if we are doing enough.  But at the end of the day, we are all moms.  We all love our kids fiercely.  It doesn’t matter if we work full time or stay home, or something in between, our worries, fears, and pressures of motherhood are the same.  Not one of us is doing it better than the other. You are the perfect momma for your kiddos.  That’s it.

It makes me sad to see and hear all of this mommy war chatter.  I hope that by sharing my perspective both as a working mom and as a stay at home mom, it will encourage you to have more compassion with women that are in a different position than you.  Mothering is hard.  We all need love, support, and encouragement from each other.  Let’s be each other’s tribe.  :). Take your stay-at-home momma friend out to coffee on a Saturday morning.  Take dinner over to your working momma friend one night.  Lighten the load and love each other.

Guess I better go throw that load of laundry in now….anyone want to come do that for me?  😉

XOXO Mommas!

 

How to Meal Plan just Four Times a Year

~ Food, Lifestyle

Meal planning. Ugh.  Just typing that makes me want to order takeout.  I love to cook, but I despise meal planning (and dishes, but that’s another story).  It never fails that when I sit down to plan out our meals, nothing sounds good.  Nothing.  I sit there and think, “What do I normally even cook?!”  Anyway, because of my dislike for meal planning, I’ve found a few ways to make it easier.  Today I thought I’d share those with you!  Step-by-step, here’s how you make meal planning quick and easy:


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Recipe Organization

~ Food, Lifestyle

As you well know by now, I love having things organized.  My collection of recipes is no different!  I’ve tried so many recipe apps and today I’m sharing with you my top pick for recipe organization! I love to cook (when I have time), which means I have tons of recipes to keep track of!  I am partnering with ChefTap Recipe App to bring you an exciting giveaway – the chance to win a ONE YEAR subscription to ChefTap Pro!  I’ve been a ChefTap Pro member for a couple years now and I truly love using this recipe app in my kitchen. I love that ChefTap was created by two people who truly love to cook!  Here are my favorite features of Cheftap: READ MORE

Household Organization Roundup!

~ Lifestyle

If you are working through getting your home organized with the start of 2017, today I’m sharing a roundup of my favorite organizational tips!  Here’s a collection of my posts from my series on getting organized, as well as a few of my favorite tips from other blogs!  Keeping my home life organized is so important to me.  It frees up the space in my brain to focus on other things!  When all of the stuff has a home, it significantly cuts down on the amount of time I spend picking up after people, leaving more time to enjoy my family.  And more space in my brain to think about tonight’s episode of the Bachelor.  (I’m really not a fan of this season, but its a train wreck that I just can’t stop watching – ah!).  Best of all, I’m giving away TWO Emily Ley Label Sticker Sets to one lucky winner to help you make your planning a little prettier! :). Head on over to my Facebook or Instagram for details on how to enter!READ MORE

Whole30 Must Haves for Convenience Cooking

~ Food, Lifestyle

When I decided to attempt another Whole30 (after a previous failed attempt), I knew that finding compliant convenience items would be the key to success this time around.  The first time I tried a Whole30, I felt like I needed to make every sauce imaginable and all of my own spice mixes.  I put way too much pressure on myself and I knew that this time around, taking on the challenge of changing my diet was enough.  I needed to give myself a break.  For this Whole30 journey, I did not prioritize things like making homemade dressings or mayo as something that I was willing to spend time on.  (I know, I know, people say these are so quick and easy, but to me, it was extra time and extra dishes to wash!).  I also knew that there would be days that meal prep just wouldn’t go as planned, so I knew that having “emergency meals” on hand would be really important.  I’ve shopped MANY different stores and sites and have narrowed down my list of favorite Whole30 convenience items!  I hope this list helps you during your journey through the Whole30 or even just healthier eating!  Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite ways to use these ingredients!  At the bottom of this post, I’ll share my top 5 favorite items!

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Surviving a Whole30 with Kids

~ Food, Lifestyle

As you’ve probably seen me post on social media lately, I’m hungry.  Ha.  Just kidding.  I’ve spent the month of January tackling my second attempt at the Whole 30!  I tried to do it abut a year ago and only made it five days.  This time I am determined to make it the entire 30 days.  My primary goal in doing the Whole30 was to find easy, flavorful recipes that our whole family would love.  It’s been quite an adjustment for Noah, who is a Goldfish, cookie, and fruit snack addict.  (He and I definitely share a love of homemade chocolate chip cookies)!  ? However, I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made and its kept me motivated to continue the hunt for more easy, healthy, delicious recipes!  (I mean, he ate half a bag of steamed broccoli the other night – that’s a parenting win if I ever did see one)!  I didn’t want to restrict Noah to a Whole30 diet (just something I wasn’t personally comfortable with), so I would say that the most difficult part of my Whole30 was preparing non-compliant foods for him!  Here are my tips for surviving a Whole30 with kids!READ MORE

How to Create a Functional Entry in a Small Space

~ Lifestyle

One of the things that I’ve struggled most with in our house is how to create a functional entry in a small space!  I love the mudrooms that I see on HGTV with the benches and locker style cabinetry for coats and shoes.  My dream house would definitely include a huge mudroom area!  (Is that a sign of getting old – when your criteria for your dream house includes a big mudroom and laundry room?!).

Now that we have kids, which means a lot more stuff, I’ve come to realize just how poorly our house is laid out in terms of storage space on the main floor!  Our garage door and front door both open to the same small entry space.  There is just never enough room for coats, shoes, and bags!

After our home remodel earlier this year, I really focused on our entry.  I needed to convert that small, disorganized space in to something pretty but very functional.  My list of criteria included bins for each family member, a place to sit to put shoes on, and a place for keys and our dog’s leash.

We have two small (and I mean small) coat closets.  I found Elf storage units with slide out drawers at the Container Store that fit perfectly on the floor of each closet.  They are very sturdy with a nice top on them (perfect for storing diaper bags on top)!.  We got enough drawers that each person in the family has their own drawer for shoes, hats, mittens, and scarves.  The dog even has a bin!

For storage of small items that we use frequently, like keys and the dog leash, I decided to make over a small table that was once in our kitchen.  It was a boring cream color and was looking a little worn.  Our house has a lot of neutral colors, so I decided that for the entry I really wanted a bold pop of color.  Bold pop of color is definitely what we got and I love it!  It was a super quick makeover – a light sanding and two coats of paint!  One day’s work and our entry was completely transformed.  I placed a pretty, white chair in the corner to give us and our guests a place to sit to put shoes on, and the entry makeover was complete!  Have a look at the before and after:


Having bins designated for each family member has really been a lifesaver.  As I’ve said before, it’s so important when trying to keep a home organized that items have a home.  This gives all of those things that collect in the entry a home in the same area where they usually are left.  That makes it super quick to pick up shoes at the end of the day!  (Will they ever learn to put their own shoes away?!)  Sigh.  A momma can dream, right? 🙂

To break it down into easy steps, here’s how to get your own small entry space organized!  (I suppose this concept would work for a big mudroom too).

  1.  List your must haves in terms of functionality for your space.  For me it was a place to sit, a convenient area to store keys, and a shoe bin for each person in our family.  Then, keep your focus on making sure those must haves are met.
  2. Add color to make the tiny area pop.  Stick with one bold color.  Too many will overwhelm a small space.
  3. Add a fun, unique piece to the space.  I decided to incorporate a really unique, neutral wood mirror to make the space feel a little bigger and add something interesting to look at.
  4. Use every inch of space that you have!  Add bins to the floor of a closet, baskets to shelves on top, or even a small shelf with a cute, tiny basket hanging on the wall to store keys!


How to Organize Mail Clutter

~ Lifestyle

One of the areas I struggle with the most in our house is how to organize mail clutter.  Every day when my husband gets the mail, it just gets left on the kitchen counter or table.  Over the years, I’ve tried many different ways of organizing our mail.  I put a table with mail slots in our entry.  The mail never made it to the entry (my hubby always goes out our back door to walk to the community mailbox).  I put bins upstairs in our office so that we could file mail immediately as it came in.  In reality, nothing got filed immediately.  Wishful thinking.  The problem was that I was creating a ‘home’ for our mail in all the wrong places.  It finally occurred to me that the only way a mail organization system would work was if I placed it in the area where the mail was constantly left out. READ MORE

The Perfect Daily Planner

~ Lifestyle

Hi!  I am so excited to share this post with you!  When I decided to leave my job, I started the hunt for a planner to keep our life organized.  After a great deal of research and trying a few different planners, I finally found the perfect daily planner!  Its the Simplified Daily Planner by Emily Ley.  I’ve been using it for a year now and just ordered my 2017 planner!  In one years time, this has gone from a planner I’d never heard of to me sitting in the parking lot of preschool drop off ordering my 2017 planner the SECOND they went on sale.  I love it that much. READ MORE

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