Kids Organic Greens Nutritional supplement review

My five-year-old son is going through an" I don’t want to eat anything healthy/vegetables" phase. He will eat an occasional fruit, but for the most part anything green is non-negotiable. He does love his sweets, so I’m having a time constantly monitoring and limiting his sugar intake. So, recently I decided to give him the sugar he craves and sneak in my vegetables at the same time. I bought a kid’s protein shake and decided to give it a go. The flavor is chocolate, which isn’t necessarily his favorite, but chocolate does remind him of a sweetness, so it is easier to get him to try the shake. He only drinks a small amount after dinner, but he does enjoy the drink enough and I feel happy that he’s getting some vegetables in. I would give this drink a 3 out of 5 just because the flavor doesn’t mask the vegetable taste enough to get him a drink a lot of it, but it does have a good amount of protein and much needed, in our case, green vegetables like kale, which my son would never eat.

Here's some of the nutrition facts below:
30 calories
3 g Protein
0 g Sugar

10 mg Calcium
1.6 mg Iron
45 mg Sodium
85 mg Potassium
Organic Greens Superfood Blend: Cocoa, pea protein, grass blend (wheat grass, alfalfa, leaf, barley grass), blue green algae, chlorella, beet, apple, broccoli, kale, spinach, carrot, green cabbage, parsley, red raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, tomatoe, cranberry, pomegranate, acai berry, blackberry, cherry, black raspberry, acerola, apple pecin, banana, flaxseed, mango, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple watermelon and more.

You can try and get this on Amazon if your little one needs a little nutritional push and you don’t want to only rely on vitamins.

Tips for Hosting your 1st Thanksgiving

1.     Accept food from family and friends! Don’t try to prepare everything yourself. If you have a signature dish, prepare it, but don’t be afraid to let someone else bring a big item like the Mac and Cheese or their good stuffing. This year, I forgot to prepare an appetizer for early guests, so I was very happy when a family member came early with a cheese and cracker platter.

2.     Don’t forget the wine. I always think of Thanksgiving dinner as the alcohol-free zone, at least while dinner is being eaten and enjoyed, but honestly, I was reminded this year, how a glass a wine never hurt any meal.

3.     Don’t be too formal. Having a great table setting is always a must if your hosting Thanksgiving, but don’t let it stiffen the occasion. This year, I had a cooler and filled it with ice, for those water bottles and sodas the are usually wanted later in the day when people are catching up, but really there’s no space in the refrigerator for another week or so. The cooler chills those drinks just fine and adds an element of relaxation to the day that can sometimes end up being a little too formal.

4.     Skip the candles, I didn’t place any candles on the table or anywhere this year, because I had almost as many children attending Thanksgiving as adults and I just didn’t want any accidents or tip toeing around for anybody.

5.     Plan at least one fun activity. Luckily, for me the football game draws everyone’s attention enough that I didn’t have to do too much, but a nice prayer or talking about how grateful we are or a game of Monopoly will keep your guests returning next year for more fun.

Wild One Birthday Party for my Baby Boy

So this year, it seems like the Wild One theme was a hit for 1 year old birthdays....and I can see why...this theme was so much fun for us to celebrate my baby's 1st 12 months. With the help of Fairy Godmother Events...we were able to make it a fun-filled and beautiful day for my son. My one year old loved the balloons and treats and greenery that comes with the theme. This was especially fun in November when many of the greenery is missing from the Northeast as trees have lost leaves and autumn oranges and browns are everywhere. We decided to focus on a dessert table and keep most of the floor free for dancing and having fun with balloons and letting my son go free in his walker. Here are a few pics from the day.

Baby's First Halloween - Group costume idea

This is year marks my baby’s first Halloween. I had dreamed up going as Jasmine and dressing my baby up as Raja (the tiger), any many other cutesy ideas…that is until my oldest son reminded me that he was also going to be in costume and wanted the three of us to match (Dad doesn’t celebrate Halloween). My son recently saw the Ghostbuster’s movie for the first time and loved it, so we are going as the Ghostbuster’s! I have worn many Halloween costumes, but this is my first time going as a Ghostbuster, so I am super excited too. Here are some pics of how our theme turned out…this costume is also warm and cozy so no need for a jacket :) We got the costumes at Halloween City, similiar to Spirit of Halloween, basically a Halloween pop-up store. The Stay-Puft Marshmellow costume came from Amazon.com.

https://amzn.to/2Db9ftm

Super Easy Golden State Warrior Themed 5th Birthday Party

For the past 8 months, my 5-year-old has been obsessed with NBA basketball, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, so I thought it only fitting that GSW were his theme for his birthday party at Dave and Buster’s. Dave and Buster’s was a fun place for the birthday because the kids were so entertained with the sights and games that the time flew by and I didn’t have to come up with any games for them. The game floor is noisy, but the hosts makes an announcement that brings guests back to the dining area for lunch in case kids get carried away and forget about lunch. The restaurant policy states that kids must be accompanied by an adult always which I happy about because parents were board standing around but entertained by the venue, too.  We got a nice package that allowed for a kid friendly lunch, with drinks and a game card for each kid that I loaded with $10 to get the young players started for the day. This theme was so much fun and I fell in love with the deep blue colors with the gold. All décor products were on Amazon and Party City, the Stephen Curry stand up came from Fatheads.com. I did run into some trouble with my helium tank and wasn’t about to get up as many balloons as I wanted to, but balloons were nowhere near the main attraction at this party!

Frost covered Oreos

Motherlove: More Milk Plus vs. Motherlove: More Milk Special Blend

Motherlove products

 So, I have settled upon the idea that I am in general a low milk producer. When I breastfed  my first son, I really didn’t know this about myself until it was too late. I could not produce enough milk for my son the traditional way or through pumping. I learned about More Milk Plus around 2 months into breastfeeding but by then I just could not keep up with my son’s demand for milk.  With my second son, I had a great game plan and I already knew about supplements like fenugreek seeds and More Milk Plus and different teas to drink to help boost supply but I was hoping that I didn’t need to use these tactics.

The second time around, I didn’t need to use any supplements until I started trying to pump milk for my son before I was getting ready to return to work. I wanted to create a good supply to stash away. This is where the supplements came into play. I couldn’t seem to pump out the same amount of milk that my son seemed to drink. Pumping just wasn’t pulling all the milk and I wasn’t emptying my breasts through pumping. I needed help so I turned to my old friend Motherlove and bought the More Milk Plus pills which I took 4 times a day. I also purchased the More Milk Special Blend in the liquid form because I had heard good reviews from others of how it worked better than More Milk Plus.

More Milk Plus increased my output through pumping in a matter of days, two days to be exact. Before MMP when pumping I would get out about one ounce from each breast for a total of 2 ounces each time I pumped. With the MMP in my system, I was able to pump 2 ounces from each breast for a total of 4 ounces and some days when I ate well with oatmeal and drank lots of water I could pump 2.5 from each breast for a 5-ounce total which I was really excited about. You can’t drink a lot of water with the MMP pills, only about an ounce of water, but when 30 minutes later you can return to drinking as much as you want. More Milk Plus was reliable for me and I didn’t have any side effects with me or baby.

When my bottle of More Milk Plus ran out, I decided to try the More Milk Special Blend. Unfortunately, the More Milk Special Blend did not work for me at all. First, the taste is extremely bitter and I felt thirsty all day after taking it. Lastly, my milk supply did not increase at all. I gave it a whole week before giving it up and returning to the More Milk Plus. I know that some people tried using both together, which I did not try.

In my opinion, Motherlove’s More Milk Plus is the true winner and very reliable way to increase milk supply. Overall, I can see an increase in my supply when I eat more fiber rich foods and make sure I have a piece a fruit and lots of water. I even started to drink Ensure to make sure I got in the extra calories, but I can really see a difference when I increase my water intake. I purchased both of these products on Amazon and was happy with the shipping and quality of products overall.

5 Easy Ways to Combat Post Partum Hair Loss

 

1.     Don’t wash hair daily.  Instead try to only wash your hair when it truly needs it, be sure to use a conditioning shampoo or co-wash.

2.     Try Garlic Shampoo. Garlic shampoo has specific properties that help aid the scalp with hair loss. Try this one that I scooped up on Amazon, it really helped me in Month 4 when the hair fall out was the absolute worst.

3.     Limit combing and styling.  I stuck with 2 Dutch braids for about 3 weeks just braiding and re-braiding because I saw less hair fall out daily as my hair was protected in the braids.

4.     Double up on Leave-in conditioner. I don’t think it matters what conditioner you use, I used Redken and Shea Moisture products, but try to give your hair a little help with conditioning products as hair seems to get really dry during the post-partum period.

5.     Keep taking prenatal vitamins.  I know things have gotten a little busier in life, but try to keep up your vitamins, if not prenatals, try at least to take some B vitamins and they will give you that extra boost of energy that you will need with an infant who may not be snoozing all night just yet.

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What’s in My Diaper Bag

Since November, my diaper bag has been like a third child that I drag around, I thought it only appropriate to mention what I have in this bag. I love this bag, it’s a Marc Jacobs bag that I got from Nordstrom and have had for 4 years. It’s durable and easy to wipe down when needed. I simply stick my wallet in the bag and keep it moving. I don’t get a lot of compliments on the style of the bag, but only I know how great and easy it is to move around with.

Bag essentials:                                

Diapers

Wipes

Pacifier

Extra clothes

Gum

Nipple butter/cream

Alcohol spray
Lysol spray (travel size)

Extra t-shirt for mom

Snacks for my 4-year-old

Extra fork and spoon for 4-year-old snacks on the go

Bottle of water

Gauze blanket (for nursing and napping)
Diaper bag - http://bit.ly/2FwJWT6

Marc Jacobs diaper bag (Nordstrom)

Valentine's Fun: Toddler/Baby fun ideas

I can truly say that I have never had the same Valentine’s Day twice, every year is different. This year is no exception and with a new born, I wanted to celebrate all the love in my life with all my favorite boys. First things first though, my son’s school asked all for preschoolers to bring in a decorated tissue box and they were going to have a fun celebration in the classroom.  So, I went to work on the tissue box, I’m not the craftiest girl, so I swung by Michael’s in the hopes I could get some inspiration. Jackpot, Michael's had some great kit, so I bought one and took it home and added my little touches, just some stickers that we got out of McDonald's happy meal after wrapping the box using the inside cover of wrapping paper.

Tissue Box decorated with Michael's box kit and stickers from McDonald's

Tiny rose bush, an excellent teacher Valentine

My son's Montessori guide decorated for Valentine's Day and it was so adorable

Valentine’s Day fell on a Wednesday this year, so getting a sitter would have been challenging in addition to the flu season raging and having a newborn, I figured staying at home would be easiest to have a little fun, baked a heart shaped cake and allowed my 4-year old to add some fun sprinkles to the cake. I also had a small gift (Mr. Potato Head left over from Xmas) for my 4-year-old. I lit a candle as we ate dinner and truly had a simple enjoyable evening.

My son had fun add sprinkles to our heart shaped cake

A small gift for my son and candlelight for me and Dad made our family Valentine's Day complete

Maternity Leave

It's so funny, I think most people think of maternity leave as being a time of rest and watching Netflix...well that was maternity leave for me when I had my first son, not so much for the second one. I end up doing a LOT of work around the house and also giving a lot of hugs to my boys. I think my 4 year old is glad for me to not be rushing off to work constantly and giving him extra attention and making cookies and his favorite snacks...here's a quick look at my maternity leave so far, 10 weeks in.

Special Stork Delivery - New Baby Boy

I delivered my son in November of 2017 and its turned my days upside down, but I am enjoying every minute...check out my birth story.