What a busy busy past 7 days! Let me break it down for you.
Clean Eating
Is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I am a firm believer in everything in moderation so I am giving myself two "cheat" days. I can't say that I stuck to that last week though. However, I did eat better than I have in a long time. I consider the day a success if I've only had 1 "bad" food. Bad to me means not clean or not completely healthy (fries, donut, soda, queso, etc). I did prep again this Sunday. That is so helpful. I also now know that I have to bring lots of healthy snacks with me to work. Being hungry is the worst time to make decisions on food. If I have the ready-made foods right there with me, it really is half the battle for me.
Mom's Visit
Mom got in Thursday at lunch time and left Monday morning. It was amazing. We had such a great time. We had our whole trip planned out and had just enough time with the girl, inside the house, outside the house, and just plain girl time! It was perfect. Olivia and I got some new pieces for spring (OK Olivia's whole closet is complete) and we all went to the zoo on Sunday. Olivia LOVED it! She got so excited on the train after seeing the giraffes. She's at such a great age to really start to get into it.
Restaurant review: Well first may I start by saying it is such a struggle taking a 15 month old to a restaurant? She screams, and throws things, and wants to grab everything. It's exhausting. Definitely different from a nice date night just the two of us. Every time we go out we tell each other it will be the last time... Anyway, we took Mom to Copper Taps on the corner of Beach & Hodges. It was OKAY. Maybe better for college-age kids? (lol did I just call them kids?) The servers stood around gossiping instead of running drinks or food, the kids basket was greasy, and our service was sub par. The food was good. The fries were the best. So, maybe go on a Friday night? Oh wait...
Gym
I have missed my regular workouts oh-so-much. I just love the feeling I get after a good workout. I'm excited for my PT appointment next week!
Livy <3
Tonight I watched her play with the dog. She ran from the dining room to the coffee table and hid behind the table. Then she bounced around the table all while giving these adorable facial expressions and sound effects. Just when did she get this big? I think she's had a cognitive spurt recently. I can see things clicking in her eyes and she just seems to be on a different level than before last week. She is such a HAPPY girl. She waves to everyone, smiles, and says bye-bye. She is learning that saying and signing "more" gets her further faster than crying and having a fit (thank the good Lord). She does something new that steels my heart all over again each and every day. I thank God for this gift everyday.
Things Coming Up
This weekend we have nothing. Which is nice because it leaves time for me to go through all the boxes and bags I have scattered throughout the house to "donate". All things filled with Olivia's life this far...well her closet's life. I am going to go through it ALL this weekend. I will label and put away...in the attic. Don't tell Bron. He thinks I'm giving it away. But what if #2 is a sweet little baby GIRL??! Then we'll have all we need :). He'll thank me then. I know it.
Have a great weekend, friends!
oxoxo
Nicole
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Prepping Sunday
I love Sunday. Well, I love Saturday too. They feel like a warm hug. Especially now that they mean that I get to spend the ENTIRE day with my girl and her daddy. But, despite Sunday being Monday eve, it has it's own special feeling.
In the research that I've done to prepare myself for this life change I saw a tip that I thought was genius. It was a "why didn't I think of that" moment. Prepping. Sunday is prep day. Prep your veggies and sides for the week. You then have easy access to all you need. No more excuses of no time, or laziness. Duh.
I was so proud of our grocery cart (buggy) today. We usually go to The Fresh Market on Atlantic by San Pablo after church. Today we had a different schedule and we were on the southside when it came to g-store shopping. So we decided to swing by Native Sun. I was less than impressed and missed TFM! Maybe they don't get as much traffic in their produce section? They had a nice selection. However, it all seemed like it had been sitting there for awhile and would go bad before we got home. They did not have a meat or a deli section either. They do have a really great natural medicine area. I've been many times just for that and have found everything I was looking for. Back to the point. Even our buggy at Publix made me smile. We stuck to the perimeter of the store and had an entire cart of GOOD food. Clean food. I just hope it was enough for the week. We came under our food budget and we've been going over the last couple weeks.
So, you may be wondering what I prepped. I always make my menu for the week, then my grocery list before we head out to go shopping (usually the day or night before). I wanted to prep my breakfast, dinner veggies, and dinner sides for the week. I cooked my spinach, quinoa and brown rice, zuccini and squash, and prepped my green beans and green peppers for the week. Again, I hope that is enough for the week. We'll see. Whatever I miss I will make adjustments for the next week.
Cheers to a healthy week! :)
oxoxo
Nicole
In the research that I've done to prepare myself for this life change I saw a tip that I thought was genius. It was a "why didn't I think of that" moment. Prepping. Sunday is prep day. Prep your veggies and sides for the week. You then have easy access to all you need. No more excuses of no time, or laziness. Duh.
I was so proud of our grocery cart (buggy) today. We usually go to The Fresh Market on Atlantic by San Pablo after church. Today we had a different schedule and we were on the southside when it came to g-store shopping. So we decided to swing by Native Sun. I was less than impressed and missed TFM! Maybe they don't get as much traffic in their produce section? They had a nice selection. However, it all seemed like it had been sitting there for awhile and would go bad before we got home. They did not have a meat or a deli section either. They do have a really great natural medicine area. I've been many times just for that and have found everything I was looking for. Back to the point. Even our buggy at Publix made me smile. We stuck to the perimeter of the store and had an entire cart of GOOD food. Clean food. I just hope it was enough for the week. We came under our food budget and we've been going over the last couple weeks.
So, you may be wondering what I prepped. I always make my menu for the week, then my grocery list before we head out to go shopping (usually the day or night before). I wanted to prep my breakfast, dinner veggies, and dinner sides for the week. I cooked my spinach, quinoa and brown rice, zuccini and squash, and prepped my green beans and green peppers for the week. Again, I hope that is enough for the week. We'll see. Whatever I miss I will make adjustments for the next week.
Cheers to a healthy week! :)
oxoxo
Nicole
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
I want more.
It's 8 o'clock on Tuesday night. The TV program you're watching is on a commercial break so you are on your phone checking Facebook and Instagram. Do you ever stop, look around, and wonder "what else"? I do this pretty often, it turns out. I will usually put away my phone and clean the kitchen or read a magazine instead. You can only do those things so many times before it's time for a real change. I've known for a little while now that I want to re-do my house (if you can call never really decorating "re-doing") and to re-do my body, aka get in shape. I'm starting to put together some plans and make 2014 the year of action. I have ideas often and never completely follow them through. I have to start finishing projects. I have to start setting habits that I want my daughter to imitate. The time is now. Coincidently, 2014 just started. The New Year makes things more motivating for some reason.
The House Plan
I am going to list every room in my house and what I want to change about them. Ideally I would like to do a room a month but time and finances are both issues that prevent that. So, maybe one piece of a room per month. As I tackle each room I will post before, progress, and finished photos so you can follow along. Hopefully you will be inspired too. Do you have someone that inspires you to do these things? I love coming home after spending time with her and feeling that inspiration to make my home better.
The Body Plan
Have you heard of Natalie Hodson? Two weeks ago I would have also said no. I found her through a Facebook post that my friend "liked". She is super inspiring to me. My goals are her goals. I want to be fit, I want to eat clean, I want toned muscles, and I want it to LAST. I want the lifestyle change. I don't want to keep going back and forth. I never really gain-lose-gain-lose a lot of weight, but I do go gung ho on something and then quit. As I said earlier, I'm done with that stuff. I want my life to be inspired. I want more for me.
The body plan has already started with the nutrition piece. We have the grocery bill to prove it. We started eating organic meat, fruits, and veggies when Livy started eating solids. We do not want to feed her the chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics that are found in regular meat and non-organic fruits and veggies. We weren't following that same step originally, so we are making that change now. I have also been making my own sauces and seasonings to cut out processed foods and preservatives. Next will come the gym. I have a good friend that I have to motivate me here as well. I can't wait!
I'm very excited when I think of my life in a month or two and can see myself accomplishing these goals. I've proven to myself that I can work hard for things I want and I want that to inspire me to carry that over to all aspects of my life. I hope you are excited to share in my journey!
The House Plan
I am going to list every room in my house and what I want to change about them. Ideally I would like to do a room a month but time and finances are both issues that prevent that. So, maybe one piece of a room per month. As I tackle each room I will post before, progress, and finished photos so you can follow along. Hopefully you will be inspired too. Do you have someone that inspires you to do these things? I love coming home after spending time with her and feeling that inspiration to make my home better.
The Body Plan
Have you heard of Natalie Hodson? Two weeks ago I would have also said no. I found her through a Facebook post that my friend "liked". She is super inspiring to me. My goals are her goals. I want to be fit, I want to eat clean, I want toned muscles, and I want it to LAST. I want the lifestyle change. I don't want to keep going back and forth. I never really gain-lose-gain-lose a lot of weight, but I do go gung ho on something and then quit. As I said earlier, I'm done with that stuff. I want my life to be inspired. I want more for me.
The body plan has already started with the nutrition piece. We have the grocery bill to prove it. We started eating organic meat, fruits, and veggies when Livy started eating solids. We do not want to feed her the chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics that are found in regular meat and non-organic fruits and veggies. We weren't following that same step originally, so we are making that change now. I have also been making my own sauces and seasonings to cut out processed foods and preservatives. Next will come the gym. I have a good friend that I have to motivate me here as well. I can't wait!
I'm very excited when I think of my life in a month or two and can see myself accomplishing these goals. I've proven to myself that I can work hard for things I want and I want that to inspire me to carry that over to all aspects of my life. I hope you are excited to share in my journey!
Friday, February 14, 2014
this.just.in.
So, you may be wondering where the heck my blog posts have disappeared to. Well, I'm happy to let you know they are coming back. A lot has happened in the time I have been away. But, most importantly to this blog, my laptop died. It lost its ability to connect to the internet. What is it good for now, I ask. So we went on a limb and purchased this tiny little tablet/laptop device. Although I'm getting very annoyed at this tiny ass keyboard, I am excited about getting back to blogging. I love reading blogs and I love the way they tell a story about peoples lives. I also like how it's easy to share what is going on to family and friends who are far away.
Things lately...
Happy Valentines Day!
Did you have the Valentines Day you pictured? I didn't set any expectations for Valentines Day this year. I wasn't excited about it like I usually am. I think I took a break from Valentine's Day this year. I hope my husband doesn't mind. I did get him a gift, However, I ordered it Tuesday so it won't be here for awhile since I wasn't willing to double the price on it. And cards are overrated, so he's waiting around for the post man :) My gift was very nice, thank you, honey!!! xo
Illness!
UGH. I hate germs. I hate that they get inside my little Livy Loo and they infect her and make her miserable. We're both on Rainbow Light now though, so hopefully it will help long-term! You know what I hate maybe even a smidgen more? TEETHING! Just the worst thing ever. She's getting like, 7 teeth at once. Ouch. But let me tell you, this kid doesn't let much keep her down for long. Kids are funny that way, aren't they?
High expectations, low hopes!
After coming home from Charlotte for Christmas I had high expectations for the house and I. We were going to team up and make this place nice. We were going to organize, shine, frame, rearrange, and decorate together until this place looks more like a home. Well, it's mid-February and I've done JACK. I have low hopes for this project already. I need to make a LIST. A PLAN. Where are my organizational skills at home? Maybe I use them all up at work. :(
Well, movie night is starting in the Butrimas household so this is "bye-bye" (as Livy would say) for now.
oxoxo
Nicole
Things lately...
Happy Valentines Day!
Did you have the Valentines Day you pictured? I didn't set any expectations for Valentines Day this year. I wasn't excited about it like I usually am. I think I took a break from Valentine's Day this year. I hope my husband doesn't mind. I did get him a gift, However, I ordered it Tuesday so it won't be here for awhile since I wasn't willing to double the price on it. And cards are overrated, so he's waiting around for the post man :) My gift was very nice, thank you, honey!!! xo
Illness!
UGH. I hate germs. I hate that they get inside my little Livy Loo and they infect her and make her miserable. We're both on Rainbow Light now though, so hopefully it will help long-term! You know what I hate maybe even a smidgen more? TEETHING! Just the worst thing ever. She's getting like, 7 teeth at once. Ouch. But let me tell you, this kid doesn't let much keep her down for long. Kids are funny that way, aren't they?
High expectations, low hopes!
After coming home from Charlotte for Christmas I had high expectations for the house and I. We were going to team up and make this place nice. We were going to organize, shine, frame, rearrange, and decorate together until this place looks more like a home. Well, it's mid-February and I've done JACK. I have low hopes for this project already. I need to make a LIST. A PLAN. Where are my organizational skills at home? Maybe I use them all up at work. :(
Well, movie night is starting in the Butrimas household so this is "bye-bye" (as Livy would say) for now.
oxoxo
Nicole
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Month 8
Hello, friends!
We are in Olivia's 8th month of life and there is no way I could have every imagined our lives in this very moment.
Olivia is walking with her toys, scales the coffee table, can crawl to anything in 5 seconds flat, claps, raises her arms and babbles "so big" (I just know it), laughs on purpose and because her parents are funny, taps everything together, feeds herself, holds her own bottle, stands up using anything she can get her little hands on, and much much more. She's so grown up. It's crazy to think she went from this:
In 8 short months!
She has two teeth now. Her two front bottom teeth. Super cute! She knows to chew with them too. I gave her cheese for the 1st time tonight. She was like a little mouse chewing the pieces with her front teeth haha.
I'm just so proud of my little girl. I never knew it would be this amazing :).
I believe when I wrote last we were just about to take off for the beach. Here are a few shots from Olivia's first vacation and first trip to the beach. Yes, I know I know. I live exactly 7 minutes from the beach and my daughters first experience with the sand between her toes was in Litchfield, South Carolina!! I'm awful, lol.
We are in Olivia's 8th month of life and there is no way I could have every imagined our lives in this very moment.
Olivia is walking with her toys, scales the coffee table, can crawl to anything in 5 seconds flat, claps, raises her arms and babbles "so big" (I just know it), laughs on purpose and because her parents are funny, taps everything together, feeds herself, holds her own bottle, stands up using anything she can get her little hands on, and much much more. She's so grown up. It's crazy to think she went from this:
To this:
She has two teeth now. Her two front bottom teeth. Super cute! She knows to chew with them too. I gave her cheese for the 1st time tonight. She was like a little mouse chewing the pieces with her front teeth haha.
I'm just so proud of my little girl. I never knew it would be this amazing :).
I believe when I wrote last we were just about to take off for the beach. Here are a few shots from Olivia's first vacation and first trip to the beach. Yes, I know I know. I live exactly 7 minutes from the beach and my daughters first experience with the sand between her toes was in Litchfield, South Carolina!! I'm awful, lol.
"Mom, what were you waiting for?! I love it!"
Livy loved the water! Both the ocean and the pool. She liked jumping the waves with me and splashing the water with her hands.
Feeding Update:
Olivia continues to enjoy feeding herself. She was really good at trying all of my recipes and liked everything at 1st. She has become a little picky in the last two weeks. Foods she gobbled up the week before she barely touches. We work around it. She is loving feeding herself with finger foods now too! Watermelon is her favorite right now. Although based on tonight, cheese is not far behind.
That's all I have for now. I know I was overdue for an update.
xoxoNicole
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
6 1/2 Month Love
I LOVE this age! Olivia is six months a 3 quarters (hehe). She is so HAPPY all the time! She has always been a pretty happy baby, but her silly, giggly personality is starting to shine through. It is just such an absolute joy to spend all my time with her. She learns something new everyday it seems! She loves laughing. She gets so impressed with herself when she laughs. She tries new laughs out too. So silly.
We've introduced a few fruits and veggies. She's still getting the hang of eating. She is a little resistant to new foods no matter if she likes the taste or not. I'm not sure if it's a texture thing, or what. She also LOVES her sippy cup! She starts getting really excited when she sees that we're filling it up with water and she makes all kinds of noises and bounces all around until we help her drink from it. She can do it herself every so often, but we still have to help her drink from it quite a bit.
(are the thighs not killing you right now?! #noclothessunday?? hah)
Happy Father's Day, Bronny!! Olivia and her daddy had a great 1st Father's Day :). Bron woke up to presents, singing (by my mom), and an awesome breakfast (instagram pic). He felt spoiled and now thinks he gets 2 birthdays per year. Mission accomplished :). OH, and you can see him sporting his new Jaguar jersey game 1 of the preseason...
We added a little Livy play area to the dining room this weekend. It looks a lot better than I expected, honestly. I'm not a fan of all this baby and "kid stuff" cluttering up my home however, it seems inevitable. So, I'm going to do my darndest to make it as organized as possible! Here are a few shots of Olivia playing in her "corner" Sunday morning.
I'll be back to update you soon. Believe it or not, she'll be 7 months next week! I know! We're going on our annual beach trip soon as well, so
xoxoNicole
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Don't Blink
In 6 (short!) months my baby girl has grown so much! It is absolutely fascinating to watch a tiny blob that sleeps all.the.time. grow into a thinker and a doer. She's seriously SO big. It's hard to realize when you're going through it just how far they have come in such a short amount of time. I watched a few videos of her when she was just a month or two old. All she could do was make little purring noises and try her hardest to look at 1 thing more than 2 seconds. Now she's sitting up, crawling, eating, drinking out of a sippy cup, and problem solving. Her personality is starting to come through. Bron and I seriously cannot get enough. We both complain that we don't get enough time with her. Anyway, I grabbed a photo from each month and thought we could look at her physical progression together because I for one, think it's just too cute! :)
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