My Recipe Binder

Can I just start by saying that there are not enough hours in the day to get sh*t done. I mean, seriously? I think moms across the world should be allowed, I don't know, like, however many hours they please! We deserve it! But that's not the way the world works, sadly.

So, with all of these extra hours that I don't have, my organization and cleanliness has been slacking, for reals. I usually lay in bed at night browsing Pinterest until I completely pass out. They have so many recipes on there! I'm a sucker for a new recipe. Food is totally my love language. Cook me a good meal, and I'll be your best friend for-ev-er! No, really. That's kind of why I gained sixty pounds when I was pregnant with Aiden...that boy made me HUNGRY, but I do believe it was all out of love!

So, between my husband and I, we have accumulated a few cookbooks. We have all different kinds ranging from baking, to grilling, to the kind you get at Church. Adam is extremely picky; he's probably more picky than any four year old you'll ever meet. It's pretty ridiculous if you ask me (love you, honey!) So, with that, we only have a handful of things we eat often and that list gets put on repeat which gets old. I love trying new things, especially new foods - yum!

So, as we try new recipes, I usually scribble them down on scrap paper and keep them in a pile. This gets messy! I also hate that I have to scavenge all of my cookbooks to find that one specific recipe that I know I've cooked before, but can't remember where I found it!

So, I've decided to put together a recipe binder to keep all of the recipes organized and in one spot! I found an empty binder in my cabinet and printed off some free printables online! You can find some really adorable kits on Etsy, but I didn't want to pay for something I could find for free on the world wide web. I did a quick google search and found the cover sheet and spine label from Richly Blessed. I downloaded the category sheets from Happily Hope and used Microsoft Publisher to add my category titles. All I did was place the sheets in plastic protectors; it's super simple! I will probably get those sticky tab dividers and add them to the protectors so I can tell where each category is from the outside without flipping through the entire binder.

I think they turned out super cute! I'm really happy with them.

For now, I'm just adding all of my recipes to the binder "as is", but eventually I will type them all out on the computer so they are legible and more presentable! I can't wait to get this baby filled up! I'd love for this to get passed on to my kids one day!

We Made It!

So, my baby Aiden isn't much of a baby any more! He turned ONE earlier this month. Where has the time gone? I can still remember the car ride home from the hospital and the first night home with him in our house as a family. Now I know why everyone tells me to cherish these days - they go by so fast.

It's been long enough now that we have found things we love and things we hate. I thought I would put together a list of the things we definitely couldn't go without.

1. Fisher-Price Deluxe Monkey Bouncer

This was a gift from our baby shower. It has been quite a lifesaver. Any time I needed to get something done and needed to put him down, Aiden would go in this bouncer. It plays music and has a vibrating feature that you can turn on that helps calm your baby. If you are interested, you can find it at Sears.

2. Graco Pack 'n Play Playard - Barlow

This was also a gift from our baby shower. This is where Aiden slept when we brought him home from the hospital. In the beginning when he was a super newb, I would try to get him to nap in it at least once a day, but he slept with me at night. As Aiden got older, he started sleeping in his crib for naps and by the time he was eight months old, he was sleeping in his crib at night, too. I lowered the mat back down the very bottom and this was a great place for him to play so I could keep an eye on him while I did a quick load of laundry, made us something for lunch, or any of those other awesome mommy duties that needed to get done and I couldn't keep my eye on him 24/7.

I love this pack 'n play for multiple reasons. It has a bassinet feature - basically the bottom of the playard raises up so that you don't have to reach so far down. This is perfect for newborns! Those little poop machines are very immobile the first month or two and there's no chance of them rolling or climbing out, so why break your back reaching all the way down? This is the perfect solution! It comes with a mobile attachment that Aiden loves to look at and talk to. I think my most favorite part of this pack 'n play is the attachment at one end that I use to hold diapers, lotions, ointments, etc. I started using this instead of constantly going back and forth to his bedroom to use the changing table. It stays in our bedroom unless we go on a trip, then it comes with us. Here is the link for this one at Target.

3. Infantino Twist and Fold Gym with Tummy Time - Baby Animal

Again, another gift from our baby shower that I just completely love. I love that this mat folds up easily and we can take it anywhere we go. It comes with a tummy time pillow which has come in handy more than once. At first he had major trouble trying to lift his head, so the pillow gave him support while helping him at the same time. This particular activity mat doesn't play music, but it does have four toys that dangle down that they can play with. The first few times we put Aiden on the mat, he couldn't quite grasp the concept of reaching for the toys, but he did kick at them from time to time. It also has a mirror and he loved looking at himself! This one you can get at Target.

 

 4. Evenflo Exersaucer Jump and Learn Jumper - Jungle Quest

What is there not to love about this thing? I seriously have nothing bad to say about this! We bought this one from Amazon when they had it on sale, but it looks like it's still about the same price as we paid months ago. I'm a huge fan of the Evenflo brand. This jumper held up really well and it is super easy to clean! The seat cover comes off so that you can toss it in the wash when it gets yucky (and trust me it will!) The soft bounce base lets your baby jump and land on a soft surface. It has three different height levels that lets you adjust it as your baby grows. It has toys all around the jumper and some that even light up and make noises and Aiden loved that! The seat turns so that the baby can play from all angles and the toys are easily removable so that you can just pop them off and give them a quick scrub (trust me, do this often because the your little drool factory can produce some serious ick!) Aiden was in his jumper when he learned how to hold his head up well and I really believe that this helped his balance and coordination. This is definitely a great investment!

Aside from the ever-so-important burp rags, onesies, diaper bag, car seats, blankets, and lots of love, these four things helped get us through each day a little easier! I'd love to know where your first year must-haves were and why you loved them!

Facelift!

Long time, no posts! I can not believe what a slacker I have been these past few four months. Shame on me! I haven't updated Aiden's monthly posts since he was seven months old and then, at Christmas, we found out we are adding another kiddo to the mix! (holy crap!)

So, being pregnant AND having a one year old tear up your house, I was seriously lacking the motivation it took to blog. I also had such an ugly design/theme going on over here. I tried learning the things it took to design my own template, but that takes a lot of time, and time is very valuable over here y'all. I'm lucky to get to brush my teeth most days (just kidding, but ya know...)

That led me to start looking around on Etsy for a quick new do for my blog. There were lots of options and I loved that, because I'm sort of - no - REALLY picky. I stumbled upon this gold and mint theme and just fell completely in love. I knew immediately that I had to have it! I completed my purchase and Audrey messaged me back right away so she could begin working on it for me! Seriously, from what I can tell, she's so sweet! And fast, too! She also gives you the option to add-on a package so that she can handle all of the installation for you - yes please! I'm kind of a ditz in that department, so that was perfect! She is completely professional about everything and she was finished in just a couple of hours by the time I paid - although her Etsy shop does say it could take up to 24-48 hours after you pay. I'm very happy with my decision and so glad I chose her design!

So, what do you think? Don't you love it?! She has more to choose from and you can even get a customized design! Go visit her shop Miss Audrey Sue Designs! She is fabulous! And I do believe this will add on to the motivation to blog and capture more of the memories we are making!