Mommy and Me Matching Breakfasts

February 27, 2019 brittalivengood1 Comment

There have been plenty of posts about my daughter and I matching, but we also like to match when it comes to meals.

Before my baby I did not eat healthy. I ate what was convenient. Sometimes that just meant quick and easy spaghetti or tacos, other nights it meant even quicker and easier pizza or take-out. I didn’t think about the different kinds of foods I should be intaking. I would literally go days without consuming a vegetable. When my daughter was born, I ate even worse. Fast food and takeout was so much easier than thinking about what to eat, and those big, juicy burgers filled me up with so many calories when I was breastfeeding.

But everything changed when she began eating real food too. I had to start really thinking about what she should be eating, and it made me realize that I needed to take better care of myself as well. If I was going above and beyond to make sure my daughter was eating healthy, shouldn’t I be treating my body the same way?

Here are some healthier meal options I’ve been using for my daughter and I.

(Disclaimer: I am by no means a doctor. It is important to consult your doctor before jumping into the stage of eating real food. Also if you do begin feeding your child food, make sure you are in the room with them while they eat, as well as give the child appropriate size pieces to avoid choking.)

Check out this pancake recipe made with baby’s leftover rice cereal.

Peanut butter banana toast with a little cinnamon (coffee for mama)

Other matching meal ideas we’ve eaten include:

tons of other fruits & veggies
yogurt
oatmeal
omelets or other egg dishes
cottage cheese

Stay tuned for matching lunch and dinner meals!

Galentine’s Day Outfits

February 7, 2019February 10, 2019 brittalivengoodLeave a comment

Margot’s Outfit // Dress: Target | Headband: Zelda Matilda

Colette’s Outfit // Sweater & Tutu: Target | Headband: Zelda Matilda

Mama’s Outfit // Dress: Amazon

Valentine’s day has looked a little different the last few years. There hasn’t been much going out to dinner and getting drinks as often as we used to, and sometimes with Valentine’s day falling in the middle of the week, it makes it that much harder. But we know that this is just a season in our lives that will eventually go away and we will miss these days, so, for now, we are enjoying sharing every second of this time with our girls… including Valentine’s day. And if it’s Valentine’s day with my girls, it’s obviously Galentine’s day.

This year with the holiday of love falling on a random Thursday we have a fun filled day full of crafts, candy, and preparing to make daddy’s favorite dinner. But just because we’re staying in doesn’t mean we can’t dress up!

Happy week of love, friends!

This post does contain affiliate links.

Baby · Beauty & Fashion · Life At Home

My Favorite January Amazon Finds

February 7, 2019February 10, 2019 brittalivengoodLeave a comment

I see all these Pinterest mom’s on social media doing the cutest crafts with their kids, throwing the most outstanding birthday parties for their children, and making beautiful, delicious meals.

Then there’s me.

Although I try really hard to be that kind of mom, in reality, I am super lazy when it comes to these things. Crafts? Here are some markers. Birthday parties? Look at this beautiful cake the grocery store made for you! Meals? Who’s up for more tacos?!

No. I’m not a Pinterest mom. But you know what kind of mom I am? I am an Amazon Prime mom. Yup. I’m the mom that likes to order things and receive it two days later without another thought about it. If you’re not signed up for Amazon Prime, you should be. Here are some of my absolute favorite finds that I purchased in January.

Red Tie Front Button Down Spaghetti Strap Midi Dress

I am in love with this red dress. It is so comfortable and is going to be perfect for these warm Carolina summers. I was worried the tie in the front would be too revealing, but it is cute and doesn’t show anything I don’t want to be seen. I typically wear a small, and this dress fit me perfectly in that size. They have so many other patterns and colors to choose from as well. This red dress is definitely what I will be wearing this Valentine’s day.

Silicone Foldable Reusable Straws

We are in love with our RenuStraw’s that are made of silicone. They are extremely easy to use for our daughter who is two. She can bend and move them so she can easily drink without any fuss of holding her drink a certain way. Not only are they super easy and convenient, but their brand is focused on helping to reduce plastic waste, especially found in the oceans. They are helpful for you, and they are helpful for the environment.

Lantern Long Sleeve Tunic Dress

This fun olive green dress is the perfect dress to transition from winter into spring. It’s so comfortable and easy to throw on for church, errands or a night out. I love the different layers to the dress as well as the adorable bell sleeves. It also comes in other colors and patterns.

Panasonic Video Monitor

We have used a few different monitors in the past and with the baby, we decided to get a new one. This Panasonic Video monitor by far takes the cake for the greatest monitor! We received the original piece for Christmas but decided to buy a second camera so each girl could have one in their room. This monitor makes it extremely easy to switch back and forth between the girls’ rooms and can reach so far. There is nothing about these camera’s and monitor that we don’t like, and cannot recommend it enough.

JuJuBe B.F.F Multi-Functional Convertible Diaper Backpack

We just purchased this new diaper bag because after two years with our old one it was definitely time, and I am in love with this new diaper bag! It’s a little smaller than our first, but I am completely fine with that. I used to lug around so much stuff that I never used, so now it’s easy for me to only bring the essentials. This bag easily holds both sets of diapers, a package of wipes, the wrap I use to carry my newborn in, a sippy cup and bottle on the sides, snacks for my daughter, and personal items like phone, wallet, and keys. It even has a special pocket just for phones (oh, us millennials), which is super convenient and easy to use. The other great feature I love in a diaper bag is that it is a backpack. With two kids it’s now so much easier to have the backpack to just throw on without having to carry anything. It does come with a strap in case you don’t want to wear it as a backpack. It’s very easy to snap on and off, as well as the backpack straps. I definitely am recommending this diaper bag for any new moms, especially moms of two!

These are a few of my favorite January Amazon purchases. Check back for more each month to see my latest finds, because I am sure there are plenty more to come.

This post does contain affiliate links.

Baby

Monthly Baby Pictures… with Donuts

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019 brittalivengood2 Comments

I’ve had a lot of good ideas in my life, but none of them top my latest idea. This idea is pure gold, ladies and gentlemen. I have decided to take my newborn baby’s monthly pictures… with donuts.

Think about it, there are twelve months in a year that you capture this little baby of yours, and there are twelve donuts in a dozen. I’m pretty sure whoever came up with the idea for the term “dozen” to mean twelve had this exact thought in mind.

Therefore, each month that my daughter hits a new month on the 28th, I will pose her newest monthly pic beside a donut, or two, or three, or eight… you get the picture.

The best part is that this new found prop is not only edible but delicious. And if mom is the one going to all this trouble to locate a donut(s), find a matching outfit and pose a newborn baby for the perfect shot, I think we all know who’s going to get to eat the donut, or two, or three, or eight each month.

I’ve never been so excited for a baby to turn one in my life.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Beauty & Fashion

Maternity Top After Pregnancy

January 25, 2019 brittalivengoodLeave a comment

Margot’s Outfit: Pom Pom Ice Cream Sweater | Leggings

Colette’s Outfit: Headband | Onesie | Leggings

Mama’s Outfit: Cold Shoulder Top | Jeans

It’s frustrating to buy maternity clothes when you only wear them for about five months… if that. My first pregnancy I bought all the pregnancy clothes. I thought I would need them, but in reality, I didn’t wear all of them that often. With my second pregnancy, I bought a few essentials but didn’t purchase many. Partly it was because I had some left over from the first, but also because I was pregnant during the winter months (cue all the big comfy sweaters).

One thing I tried to do with this pregnancy was find maternity clothes that I could also wear post-pregnancy. A few things didn’t quite fit right after I lost that big old bump, but one of my favorite items was a long sleeved cold shoulder pink ruffle top from PinkBlush. It fit perfectly during pregnancy and now that my daughter is here and the bump is gone, it still fits just great.

Although this top is currently out of stock, I’ve linked a similar option to check out, and it’s only $24. Happy shopping!

Decor · Life At Home

Bring Anywhere in the World to Your Own Home

January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 brittalivengoodLeave a comment

I’ve officially been living in the Charlotte area for about three weeks. Already I feel so at home, and I am so happy that our little family of four has relocated to this area. There is so much to do, and the weather is fantastic.

That being said, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I get a little homesick from time to time. Although the Carolina’s have stolen my heart, a small piece of it is still back in New York.

Our small hometown (I say small compared to Charlotte) is a wonderful place that my husband and I will always love and admire. One of our favorite things about where we were born and raised is the beautiful lake that is right in the backyard of our hometown. We grew up on that lake, and it will forever be a part of us.

Recently we received the most beautiful map of our hometown and surrounding lake from Mapiful. Mapiful is a company that makes custom maps from anywhere around the world, and this map is by far my favorite piece of decor in our new home.

It was so easy to create the map on their website. All I had to do was plug in my zip code and I could move the map to center it how I chose. When I typed in my zip code a map of our hometown popped right up. Although this looked cool, and I could even see right where my old street was, I wanted to zoom out so I could also see the lake. Once I zoomed out I could center it again so the lake was to the left, and my hometown was on the right. At the bottom of the map, I decided to label it, “Chautauqua”. The coordinates even show up at the bottom without having to look it up on your own. I could not believe how simple it was to create such a special map!

This piece of art will always be so meaningful to me because the place it represents holds such a special place in my heart; home.

Thank you to Mapiful for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Beauty & Fashion

The Perfect Dress for a Carolina Winter

January 20, 2019 brittalivengood2 Comments

If you’ve been following along with my blog posts you would know that I’m originally from New York and just recently moved to the Charlotte area to relocate for my husband’s job. It has been a huge change with a new home, no family around, and getting to know the new area.

So far I’ve loved the transition and am getting used to all the new aspects of my life, but the one thing that seems to make it all so worth it is this Carolina weather. The other day I ran errands in this dress and it was 62 degrees here, and 24 degrees in my hometown. That alone is worth the move down south.

Back in New York, January would be another sweater and boots month for me. Now that I’m in Charlotte I am loving that I get to wear these comfortable dresses to run errands when I leave the house.

Recently I received this adorable dress from PinkBlush, and it has been perfect for this time of year in the Carolina’s. For the last few months I wore tons of their maternity clothes, so when I learned that they also had women’s clothing I was all on board to try some of their regular items.

This Grey Striped Ruffle Trim dress is the perfect piece for this time of year. I love the light gray color, but it also comes in black or charcoal grey. If you like a dress with a cinched waistline this is the dress for you. It hugs my waist right where I want it to without being too tight. I absolutely love the ruffle trim bottom and sleeves which give it some character. The material is so soft but is thick enough to feel comfortable wearing. One of the best parts about it is this dress has pockets. C’mon ladies, you know you love a good pocket dress.

Check out PinkBlush‘s website for some of their adorable clothing items. If you’re interested in more outfit ideas with PinkBlush, check out some of my recent blog posts with some of their amazing pieces:

Teal Floral Fitted Maternity Wrap Dress

Peach Floral Striped Knot Tie Maternity Top

Navy Floral Fitted Wrap Maternity Dress

Heather Grey Soft Knit Maternity Duster Cardigan

Ivory Floral Chiffon Ruffle Trim Maternity Blouse

Floral Maternity Maxi Dress

And tons of other items!

Thank you to PinkBlush for sponsoring today’s post and for always having the best, quality clothing for pregnant and new mothers! All content and opinions are that of my own!