So this counter in my bathroom has been driving me crazy for months…
Over the summer, we moved our bedroom from the master upstairs to the en-suite guest room upstairs. We wanted to be close to Henry after he vacated the nursery (here’s a tour of his big boy room + tips for making the transition easier). I moved my bathroom stuff upstairs, too, but the Husband opted to continue to shower in the master bathroom and kept his stuff downstairs. So the bathroom became mine – ALL MIIIIINE (and oh my goodness, it is GLORIOUS to have a bathroom that is entirely MINE).
The only problem is that this bathroom is tiny and has no decent storage. No medicine cabinet. No shelves. Just the area under the sink. I tried stashing my daily stuff under there, but it would just get lost. So I ended up cluttering up the sink.
Finally, this weekend, I found a super easy solution.
I bought this 15 Oversized Pocket Over-The-Door Organizer and – TADA! – instant “shelves.†No drilling, no hanging, no labor at all. I’m not really willing to do any improvements to this bathroom so this was the perfect solution.
Here’s a picture of the organizer on the outside of the door so you can see it a bit better – it’s really hung on the back of the door (as shown above) so it’s hidden from view from the bedroom.
Hi, Claire!
The best part about this organizer is that the pockets are huge. Big enough for my blowdryer!
The only drawback is that the organizer is made for a wider door, not an interior door, so it sags a bit in the middle. Doesn’t really bother me, though. Again, I’m mostly going for function, not form. Loooooove it.
Just a fun little giveaway (and coupon code) for the mommas and mommas-to-be.
Amy and her husband were inspired to launch Eternal Love after the birth of their son, Felix. You guys know I love a great small business story, and I also really love Amy’s awesome products, which are silicon teething necklaces. They’re designed to be worn by mom so baby has something safe to chew on while teething or fun to play with while eating.
Amy said: Before a few flights when Felix was around 6 months old, I decided to try a teething necklace to see if it would be a good trick to have to keep him occupied. We quickly found out that it was just indispensable. I spent the next several months with one on whenever we were out. I also usually wore on when we were nursing because he was one of those kids who just loved to grab my top, and after a while it’s just too much grabbing at my skin! It’s also been great to have jewelry on that doesn’t obviously look like a baby toy, but it something that I don’t have to worry about him breaking.
The necklaces are:
Uniquely designed for Moms, by a Mom
Stylish to wear – most people don’t even realize it is a teething necklace!
Available in multiple colors to pair with any outfit
Great for keeping busy hands occupied while nursing
Fantastic for soothing sore, teething gums (you can also pop the necklace in the freezer to help soothe gums)
Colorful, tactile, & stimulating teethers
Easy to clean – dishwasher safe & 100% BPA free
And I’m giving away TWO necklaces to one lucky reader. This is also an awesome baby shower present (plus diapers – diapers are always a good gift!).
And also, if you’d like to go ahead and purchase a necklace (and support a start-up small biz!), use coupon code 25NEXT25 at the Eternal Love store on Amazon.
This was a sun-filled and kiddo-focused day (plus wine!). My favorite kind of day. Here’s what it’s like to stay and work from home with two crazy kiddos:
6:45 AM – I wake up and sneak out of bed. Claire only got up once last night – wahoo! No one else is up yet so I turn on the laundry and brew coffee. I review blog comments, hit publish on a post I wrote the day before, and try to wade through my emails. I schedule some social media posts on the Healthy Tipping Point Facebook and the Operation Beautiful Facebook page. I also quickly organize the post for today’s selection of notes for Operation Beautiful. I can’t believe it’s been nearly 6 years and the mission is still going strong; I’ve received over 20,000 notes to date. Crazy, huh?
7:42 AM – Henry, who has been up since 7:20, is really awake so I go upstairs to get him. We talk a bit, and then I pump a bottle for Claire, who is waking up, too.
7:55 AM – I take the kiddos downstairs. I make Henry chocolate milk using my extra pumped milk; I give him some every day that I have extra, and I swear it has helped his immune system so much. He hasn’t had more than a single case of the sniffles since Claire was born! Claire has her bottle, too. We talk to the Husband for a bit. I drink more coffee and make everyone breakfast while the Husband plays with the kids.
9:12 AM – Claire goes down for a nap. While she naps, I rush around, getting dressed for the gym, packing my gym bag, and organizing snacks. Kristien hasn’t left for work yet, so I take James on a quick walk outside. I pump a bottle. Then I play cars with Henry until Claire wakes up at 10:15. We go directly to the car. Whew!
10:30 AM – I’ve dropped the kids off at gym childcare and start my workout. I do 2.0 miles with speedwork on the treadmill, 5 minutes on the stairclimber, and ab work. I do two rounds of these moves – I’ve realized that I do more strength work if I write down my plan first. I take it easy because tomorrow is ab day at bootcamp.
12:00 PM – We drive to the playground. I run into another mom that I kind of know and our kids play together while we talk.
1:00 PM – Henry is getting hot and whiny. I’m really struggling to figure out his napping situation. He rarely naps now, but sometimes, he’ll get so tired and really need a nap. But then he can’t fall asleep at night and bedtime is a baaaaattle. Ugh. Advice? I load the kids into the car, give Henry another snack and some ice water, and cross my fingers that he rebounds because I have an errand to run.
1:45 PM – Crisis averted; we ran our errands and now we’re at home. I make Henry’s lunch (he had a lot of snacks earlier) and nurse Claire.
2:00 PM – Henry sits in front of the TV for quiet time. I make myself lunch.
2:30 PM – Claire and I do tummy time on the floor while Henry watches more TV. I let Claire roll around naked for a bit and then she poops all over the blanket! Whoooops. After I eat, I pump again. Claire goes back down for a nap around 3 PM.
3:30 PM – I turn off the TV and suggest we read books. Henry doesn’t want to read so we play with his trains and his Octonaut toys in his room instead.
4:30 PM – Claire wakes up and joins us.
5:15 PM – Henry takes a bath. I pump a bottle and then I read a book to Claire while I supervise the splashing.
6:00 PM – Time to make dinner! Henry eats in the dining room while I finish cooking a meal for the Husband and I to eat later. Claire takes a nap in her carrier. She is super fussy.
6:45 PM – I herd Henry upstairs. He On the way up the stairs, I pick up tiny sea creatures with my feet (can’t bend over because Claire is still in the carrier…).
7:00 PM – Henry is in bed. Claire and I pick up the house. I pump again. I start rocking her to sleep at 7:20 – she inhales a HUGE bottle but won’t go down. I rock and rock and rock while texting with friends. Finally, Claire is asleep at 8. I put her down and sneak away…
8:00 PM – Dinner for me! I wanted to wait for Kristien, but he’s still not home from work and I’m starving. I had roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli, tomatoes, onions, and tofu with BBQ sauce (oh, just an FYI, I obviously did not photograph or even list everything I ate today). I eat this meal while typing this post!
8:20 PM – Done with the computer. Time for some wine and TV with the Hubbers. <3
10:00 PM – I pump Claire’s last bottle (she’ll eat this one around 3 AM), dream feed her, move her into my room, check on Henry one last time, and try to go to sleep. I lay awake until 11 making To Do lists in my brain (whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!?).
I had an awesome week of workouts! It’s really wonderful weather here in Charlotte, and it’s been motivating me to get out of the house more and more. I’ve been making so much use of the gym – and thus gym childcare – that I brought the childcare workers freshly baked brownies on Friday. Thank you for watching my kiddos so I can have 45 minutes of me time every single day. Hah!
Monday: Bootcamp at the gym {whole body focus}
Tuesday: 5K Run
Wednesday: Bootcamp at the gym {ab focus}
Thursday: 1200 yard swim
Friday: Bootcamp at the gym {whole body focus}
Saturday: Yoga
Sunday: 500 yard swim
Saturday’s yoga session was mostly a lot of sitting in child’s pose, and Sunday’s swim was more of a friend date than a workout. I spent half the time talking to Brandi. It took me 30 minutes to swim 500 yards! But it was fun to move (and have an excuse to sit in the hot tub after).
Here’s something fun. Have you ever used a recipe calculator to see the nutritional info for a recipe or a meal? I did this the other day because I was curious to see how my old “standby†breakfast (eggs, toast, fruit or a veggie) stacked up, nutritionally, to my current standby, which is a Vega One smoothie. As I’ve written before, I’m really into Vega One right now because it’s this fast, filling breakfast that I can eat while wrangling the kiddos.
The other day, I had a bit more time in the morning than usual, so I made eggs and toast. But I was STARVING by 10 AM! The smoothie usually holds me over until 11:30 or so, and then I eat lunch. So I got curious about the difference between the two meals…
Here’s Vega One, the way that I make it (with added fruit and peanut butter):
And here’s the eggs and toast combo:
So, the two meals are roughly the same, calorie-wise, but there are lot more carbs (61 to 37 grams) and protein (26 to 19) in the smoothie, but more fat in the eggs and toast combo (30 to 21 grams). Oh, and there’s almost three times as much sugar in the Vega One. Interesting, huh? I guess those extra carbs and protein really make a difference to my tummy.
For me, the winner is…
What’s your ideal breakfast for long-lasting satiety? What macronutrients keep you feeling full the longest?
Happy {almost} St. Patrick’s Day! Charlotte hosted a big parade and festival, and although we missed the parade due to rain, we managed to catch the tail end of the party. There was carnival food, street performers, Irish dancing, and bouncy houses for the kids. It was fun!
We came home feeling pretty hungry (despite all our eating!) and devoured into this Potato Leek Lasagna. Yup. You heard me. Lasagna sans red sauce. Trust me – it’s amazing, just in a different way!
Now, here’s where I get my European-inspired foods all confused… We have lasagna – Italy – and potato leek flavors, which reminded me of pierogies – Poland (and more), on St. Patrick’s Day – Ireland.
How to describe the flavors of this dish? Imagine comforting pasta, creamy potato, and gooey cheese, all mixed in with a kick of spinach and leek. Yup. Pretty dang delicious.
Yes! You can make lasagna with soup. The pasta absorbs the creamy soup as it cooks so it’s not watery at all – just a fun new twist on a classic standby!
When I think of creamy soups, I typically imagine health bombs, but this soup is a great option. No added MSG, GMO ingredients, or artificial flavors – and it’s all organic. Other varieties of their creamy soups include Butternut Squash, Tomato, Portobello Mushroom, Sweet Potato, Sweet Corn, Golden Beet, and more.
Kroger shoppers – visit Kroger.com to download a $1 off coupon on Imagine® Creamy Soups to your Kroger Plus Card. Not a Kroger shopper? Visit imaginefoods.com to check out all 20 creamy and delicious flavors, as well as a $1 off coupon.
For the other gluten-free eaters out there, I love this brown rice pasta.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish.
On the stovetop, cook 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the chopped spinach on medium until wilted. Remove and set aside.
On the stovetop, cook 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the chopped leek on medium until wilted. Remove and add to spinach.
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, egg, leek and spinach until combined.
Spread out 1 cup of the soup on the bottom of the casserole dish.
Spread 1/3 the ricotta mixture on four uncooked noodles and layer onto pan. Top with 1 cup of soup and 2/3 cup shredded cheese. Repeat with another 1/3 of ricotta mixture, four more noodles, another 2/3 cup of cheese, and 1 cup of soup. Place remaining noodles on top, cover with 2 cups of soup and remainder of ricotta mixture and shredded cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remover cover and bake for 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
This post was sponsored by Imagine Foods. Thanks for taking the time to read sponsored content. It means a lot to me, and I greatly appreciate your readership!
