Hi!

I am actually feeling pretty refreshed after a long weekend away! We went to my in laws, 3 hours away and spent the weekend showing off Archie. We didn’t get in until 8:30pm on Friday and we stuffed our faces with pizza. I even packed snacks for the car but I just couldn’t resist. Saturday morning I did 6 hill repeats and continued on for 5 miles. It was my first time since having Archie so really felt it Sunday morning.

We stopped at our friends house who have a 6 month old and Archie got to try out their little jumper. We definitely need one of these bad boys. He didn’t jump at all, still figuring it all out.

Saturday night, Archie slept from 10:30-5. It was glorious!!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

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Happy Monday!

I am back to working full time and so I already know it’s going to be a rough week. It also doesn’t help that I was out of town in Chicago all weekend!

At least I got to let loose and go out with my sisters a bit! Saturday morning we went for a long stroller walk and meant to do some yoga but it didn’t happen.

Getting back into fitness was pretty difficult after having Archie. I got cleared by my doctor after 2 weeks.  I no longer had the excuse of being pregnant to slow me down! When it is my time of the month doesn’t work as an excuse either, especially with the Kotex fitness line! Kotex flex products are made to flex and move when you do. Because they are specifically made for fitness there is nothing they can’t handle.

Be sure to click here for a rebate coupon!

Have a great week!

This post is sponsored by U by Kotex Fitness, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Hope everyone had an excellent Mother’s day! It was my first one and I was very spoiled! My mom, sisters, and I got to go out to dinner just the four of us.

My moms plate! Wowza

This almost never happens so we made it necessary to order martini’s and apps. I am still on the only 2 drinks rule because I am nursing. This was the first time I had to pump and dump because my test strips told me to! Every day I am like okay I am over this nursing garbage but I keep on powering on. It is not easy that’s for sure.

Archie has been coming with me to the gym and going to their little childcare there. It has been great so far and he gets lots of attention in there. I know this because I check on him every other minute. I have been doing a bunch of classes (I’m obsessed) including yoga.

I also had a bridal shower over the weekend! It had a taco bar which was delicious. I had to remove myself from the chips and salsa. Got a little dangerous. The shower was Mexican themed with a bunch of sangria choices. Can’t wait for the wedding in August!

**How was your weekend? Any Mother’s Day plans?

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I’m finding it incredibly hard to believe that this sweet little boy is already 4 months old. A third of a year! Say what?

Eating

In case the chubby cheeks didn’t give it away, this boy loves to eat. If I am home with him I will nurse every 3 hours or so. If he is with my mom while I am working then he has about 3 pumped bottles.

Sleeping

Sleep? What is that? Archie still doesn’t take naps. If he does they are for about 20 minutes. He usually gets up twice during the night and is up for the day at 5:00am. I’ve read a few different books on how to sleep train and none are providing any assistance so far.  I am now trying to reduce the minutes that I feed him during the night so as to eliminate the night feeding. I’ll let you know how it goes! I do try to make it to a 5:15am workout class a few times a week. It makes it pretty hard when he is up at 3 or 4am then I only get a tiny bit of sleep before heading out to the class. Priorities!

Weight & Height

We don’t have another appointment until June so tbd on the exact measurements. According to our home scale he is making up for lost time at 14 pounds.

Clothing

He has some 3 months clothes that are starting to feel a little snug. He is still a little peanut and I always forget how little he was! Each time I break out the next month’s box of clothes I get so emotional! My baby is growing up already!

I am so excited to go to the Isthmus Food Cart in Madison. I’ve never been but what could be better than food samples and beer!

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After having Archie and nursing, I noticed my skin is ridiculously dry. I knew I had to make a change other than applying lotion non stop. I have been trying to make efficient changes to my routine where I can. I feel like I never see my baby as it is! I started to use Vital Proteins to help with my hair and skin dryness! I am noticing positive results already.

My favorite part about Vital Proteins is the fact that it is tasteless. You can add it to anything! Even protein powders can sometimes leave a bad aftertaste. I also am loving the low sugar content. Always, a plus. These on the go packets are something I keep at work too!

According to Vital Proteins, food processing has removed the natural collagen from the food we eat. Collagen is a base to healthy skin, bones, joints, and hair.

The beauty greens are great to add to juice or a smoothie.

Vital Proteins is by far the easiest way to add more collagen to your diet. Peptides are short-chain amino acids derived from collagen protein. These natural peptides are bio-available, and easily digestible.

I was provided Vital Proteins product to try. All opinions are my own.

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Why is it that apartments in Wisconsin think its fine to have a sole air conditioner in the living room of a 2 bedroom apartment? I don’t care that that is a run on sentence because this BF mama gets extremely hot now a days. If we turn the a/c on after work it takes until 3am to reach our room and its freezing in the living room. Grr.

I was shocked to hear Amazon bought Whole Foods! They better not do away with the hot bar.

Sigh. They were not lying when people say  don’t blink once you have kids! Archie is 5 months and growing like a weed.Clothing: Archie is officially wearing some 6 month clothing but mostly 3 months still. I cry every time I put away a new tub of clothes.

Sleep: We started to put him in the pack n play in his room. He has graduated from the rock n play. Yippee! I’m sure he loves being able to move around a little bit more. However, it isn’t making him sleep any longer. Womp

Eat: He is eating rice cereal once a day. He basically licks it off the spoon and tries to take the spoon from me. He did have prunes once but I haven’t been ambitious enough to break those out again. This weekend I am going to make him some sweet potato puree with apple sauce.

Clothing: Arch is mostly in 3 month clothes. Despite his rolls he is still a little bit on the small side.

Cant wait to show him this pic when he’s older. He loves his pink bath!

This weekend we are moving some boxes to the house! We are getting so excited. Hopefully we have no issues and can move in in a few weeks!

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Ryan’s first Father’s Day started off great! He got to sleep in while Archie and I went to church.  Tricia and I did a crossfit workout in the barn when we got back. That barbell is older than I am my dad informed me.

WOD: 3 rounds

12 Sumo dead lift high pulls

12 chest flys

25 lunges

Little Parker on the right is army crawling! There is no stopping him these days.

These Chloe’s popsicles are amazing. I love the raspberry but really want to try the chocolate.

This weekend we are moving more boxes into the house! We had an issue with our counters being backordered so hoping we can still get into the house ASAP.

Have a great weekend!

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You read that right! We passed inspection this morning. We finally are getting into our home! I will post a few pics as soon as we are settled! Have you heard of Edison light bulbs? They are so cute but so dang expensive! Unpacking and moving sure gets old! I don’t have the excuse that I’m pregnant this time so I actually have to get to work!

I started my morning off with some yoga. I really need to shut my mind off and do a full hour. That will be my goal in the new house. That along with sleep training Archie. I read Twelve Hours in Twelve Weeks about 5 times and obviously just reading it doesn’t do the work!

I also grabbed starbucks. I thought it might help with the bags under my eyes. I keep Click Protein at work.

It is easy to add it to my drink for a caffeine and protein burst. I used to always drink my coffee black but click has made me a changed woman. Love that it gives the creamy consistency without the heavyness. Not sure if that makes sense but just go with it. Right now you can get buy one get one half off on Click samples!

I can’t not leave you without a pic of this little guy.

Have you tried Click Coffee Protein?

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It’s the weekend!

As always, I am extremely late in posting this.

Our 4th of July was jam packed. Actually, that is an understatement. We moved into our house on Friday and had our annual golf party at our friends house at 11am the next day. I made some pesto spinach pasta salad that was really easy to make.

I used my favorite Now Foods sesame oil and it worked perfect with the nutty flavor in the pesto.

These m&m festive brownies were a hit!

I always feel hungover from so much food the day after this party.

We hung out poolside and I enjoyed some time baby free!

Hope you all are enjoying your summer!

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Happy Tuesday!

While we haven’t put any holes in the walls, I wanted a few new décor items for the new house. Since we live on a golf course I did not want anything inside the house to have a golf theme.  On the other hand, I have to give in to a few cubs items here and there.

Ryan and I first lived together in Madison and that is where he proposed!  I wanted to get something for Ryan’s office that would portray that a bit. Madison Map Art has so many options. I had the opportunity to exchange a few emails with Jennifer, the artist. Her passion for travel and art is very evident. She knows how to bring nostalgia from peoples favorite places displays it in a unique and modern way. Check her out! Our piece really lightens up Ryan’s office.

We had a blast at my cousins wedding over the weekend. My nephew was the ring bearer and he stole the show.

Hope you all have a great week!

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Hello!

There was record flooding in southeast Wisconsin where I live. We were very fortunate to have no damage but our neighbors had significant damage. So sad! On Wednesday we couldn’t get out to get to work. It was a welcomed day of unpacking and hanging out with Archie.

I skipped the 5:15am boot camp this morning. It just wasn’t happening today. I was able to cover 4.5 miles on the cart path though! I actually didn’t have time to go that far but I got lost! There were golfers already out starting to play so I was forced to sprint home!

I had about 4 minutes to get out the door. Our kitchen was in no way put together but luckily I had a few Quest Cereal Protein Bars on hand. I didn’t even need to break open any boxes to have a high protein breakfast. The flavors are waffle, cinnamon roll, and chocolate. I am liking chocolate the best so far.

Each bar contains 12 grams of protein, 2 or 3 grams net carbs, 6-7 grams of fiber, and are only 110 calories. I love their flavor variety too!

Quest is all about making eating healthy as easy as possible. Did you know you can actually find a healthy breakfast bar  at 7Eleven? Grab one on your way to work!

**Have you tried Quest bars? What is your favorite flavor?

This post is sponsored by Quest Nutrition but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

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My baby is half a year old. I think someone is messing with me!

Height and weight: We checked his weight at home and he was about 17 pounds! I am so proud of this chubby baby!

Food: Archie loves to eat and will let you know right away when he is hungry. I drove to Chicago this weekend and had to pull off of 90 to feed him! I guess you need to make it work! He didn’t love green beans at first but is now tolerating them. We are hoping to incorporate avocado by the end of the month too! I am still nursing but supplementing with formula.

• apples (store bought)
• prunes (store bought)
• sweet potato (homemade)
• green beans (homemade)
• pumpkin (store bought)

Sleep: Archie is napping much much better.  He used to take 10 minute naps but he now usually takes at lease 2 1 hour naps. We have no blinds up at our house happen on the floor in the living room lately. Sorry kiddo!

At night, he has officially started to sleep through the night! I never thought this would happen. It is like I am a new person. He is sleeping from usually like 9pm- 4:30am. We are working on creeping up on his bed time but haven’t had much success.

Clothing: Some 6 month clothes are a little too tight.  His chunky thighs seem to make all the difference. As you can see by his sock in the photo above, his feet seem to be growing as well.

Milestones: Archie rolls onto his belly the second you put him on his back. Sometimes we have to hold him down to change his diaper because he is a such a wiggle worm. He also seems to find his way to move anyway he can without crawling. We set him down on his mat and we look over at him a minute later he is 3 feet from the mat facing the opposite direction.  I am sure he will be crawling in the next few months.

Happy half birthday my sweet boy!

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Happy Monday!

It was freezing here in Wisconsin on Friday, so much so that I took it upon myself to get a spray tan! I’ve never tried the mystic tan but I loved it.

I hit up Tropic Stop Tan and was overwhelmed with what a great experience it was! The staff was so helpful and informative.

We had rehearsal dinner for our good friends wedding and it was a blast! We left around 10 pm which was a great idea because we have a full day today. My in laws are here spoiling Archie

Luckily we left early enough to be in bed by 11. Archie was awake at his normal 5am. I may have to hit up a Starbucks later today.

I made it to boot camp at 9am and brought Archie to the child care at the gym. With 10 minutes left in class they flagged me down to change a poopy diaper. It was a disaster and he went home in just a diaper. The joys!

I forgave him pretty quick!

We had a great night out dancing and celebrating the happy couple. It was a little difficult to wake up for work this morning that is for sure!

Have a great week!

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Happy Friday!

Wow has it been a year since I have done one of these? I wanted to get one out before this blog starts to attract dust bunnies. This weekend I am headed to a bachelorette party in Chicago. It’ll be my first time at Arlington horse race track. Watch out for selfie overload on Instagram :-/

This will be one of my first nights away without Archie and I know I need it!

Friday Faves:

Favorite memory: My old gym posted this picture from a hot yoga class I took. I miss having access to hot yoga daily! I am very glad I chose to wear all lululemon this day. Thanks Megan for the photo!

Favorite Product: Of course Vital Proteins is my morning staple. If I skip it in my coffee or tea I usually do the beauty greens at night!

Favorite Update: We officially have shades! I highly recommend these roman shades from JCPenney!

Favorite recipe: I am sure everyone wouldn’t mind a home made healthy dinner delivered to their doorstep! Whether it is a friend who is having a hard time or just had a baby, these recipes from PB fingers  fit the bill.

Favorite splurge: The like to know it app has really been speaking to me lately. I bought a dress for the bachelorette party this weekend and I am also eyeing up a few other tops.

Favorite snack: Popcorn with nutritional yeast! I love braggs!

This guy has to make the post!

**have you tried like to know it?

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Wow! These months are flying by!  I am not ready for summer to be over that is for sure.

Archie officially turned 7 months last week! Here are some of his latest updates.

Weight & Height

We went in to the pediatrician and she could barely recognize Archie. He has become quite the butterball. He weighs 16lbs 15 oz and is 27 inches! He still doesn’t quite register on our new Eat Smart Scale but he is growing alright! Their scale is amazing by the way. It never requires a new battery, ever! We have the Precision Bathroom scale and it isn’t super bulky so we can keep it out on our bathroom floor.

Eating

Archie tried sweet corn for the first time. He was very entertained for about 1 minutes.

We are officially done nursing. It was a long 7 months but I was actually sad to be done. It is really the only thing Archie and I had just us two. To avoid any separation anxiety we are having lots of floor time which I think helped lead to him crawling!

He doesn’t seem too interested in solid foods but we usually can get him to eat them 1-2 times a day. He tried avocado and eggs for the first time and didn’t mind them! If you saw on my Instagram a few weeks ago. I made a super simple recipe for baby food. I was able to freeze a few jars. He still hasn’t had any yogurt or cows milk.

Sleeping

Archie had about 10 days where he was sleeping much better at night. Lately, he has been regressing. Womp womp. At least he is only getting up once a night now. He does tend to take a nap around 5pm which helps keep him up for a while so he can sleep longer at night. That really is his only consistent nap to speak of. We lay him down on his back and he immediately rolls to his belly or side. We look at him on our monitor and just crack up sometimes.

Clothing

Most of his clothes are 6 months but the romper type outfits are 9 months.  It is hard to believe we will be putting away his 6 month outfits soon.

Milestones

Archie is sitting up and starting to crawl. He even just started going from his belly to sitting. He has been better about sitting up and playing with his toys while I am making dinner etc. He will only crawl if he really sees something he wants. I am sure he will be getting more efficient in no time. Watch out world.

Love you Archie bear!

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Happy Labor Day!

We had a few friends over for drinks last night and I stayed up until midnight! Haven’t seen that hour a while. I was going to attempt to go to the gym but we wanted to get on the road to the lakehouse! I ran 4 miles outside instead.

We served some Margaritas on the rocks with frozen berry purée. I used Agavero Orange and Gran Centenario.

Berry Margaritas

1 oz Agavero Orange

1 oz Gran Centenario

Frozen berries

Ice

Pour in a tumbler and serve immediately!

Super easy and we even put these in a container and brought them on the boat!

This post is sponsored by Proximo Spirits, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

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We had a great time on Lake Wisconsin over the long weekend! I am sad summer is over that is for sure. We took my parents pontoon boat out and mostly relaxed.

Archie got to drive the boat a bit. He drove us straight to a bar of course.

Keeping warm on the boat!

On Sunday morning, we went to Devil’s Lake to go hiking. Yesterday, we found out that a 27 year old died while hiking the night before we were there! So terrible! We even took that same southeast route that he did. Scary stuff.

Later in the day I went paddle boarding on the lake. A woman stopped me to tell me I need to wear a life jacket or I will get a ticket. Oopsy! My core is still a little sore today! I wish I could do this year round.

Monday I ran 4 miles and did a quick workout with my sisters. We considered driving into town to go to yoga but it seemed like too much work.

**What did you do for the holiday weekend?

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Yesterday, I golfed a 18 hole scramble for work. I was ready to be done after the 1st hole. I don’t golf but I powered through! It was hard not getting home until after 9pm though because I didn’t get to see Archie at all.

This weekend is my sweet nephews first birthday party! He spent over 2 months in the NICU, so we are so grateful that he is healthy and happy.  I am just hoping his gift gets delivered in time. I guess I can’t leave for the party until after FedEx arrives!

Friday Faves:

Favorite summer recipe: This Black Bean Taco Salad recipe is perfect for summer but I am going to incorporate it into fall as well. It can feed a crowd and I use fresh tomatoes from my moms garden.

Favorite grill recipe: Apparently all of my recipes involve black beans right now! Black beans and sweet potatoes are my favorite combo ever! Check out this recipe from Two Raspberries.
Favorite Read: I love this post from Fitnessista. Hate to say that I can relate.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

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Happy Sunday!

I was out of town for work this week so today doesn’t really feel like Sunday to me. Once I get to work I will have a giant Monday reminder of a million things to do. It was my first work trip and I missed Archie like crazy! Ryan did a good job and we face timed often. Archie didn’t quite understand that It was me on the phone though.

Parker’s first birthday was a hit! They had perfect weather so most of the party was outside. I am pretty jealous of Fall birthdays because Archie’s is in the middle of winter so I’ll have to be creative with his party.

Sisters pic!

After Parker’s party, Emmett came over for a sleep over! Tubby time at its finest. I can’t wait to show them this picture at their high school graduation.

This was a blue apron meal! We added the broccoli. It was salmon and rice noods.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

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Happy Hump day!

I ran 5 miles over the weekend! It is crazy that 5 miles used to be the norm for me and now its a long shot. We had a bunch (9) of visitors in town so our air mattress got some good use! Luckily the kids got along really well and we borrowed my nephews power wheels car so no one got too bored.

Archie and his girlfriend Piper. Too cute.

The boys golfed and we took the kids to the park. We took advantage of the beautify weather.

We watched some badger football and I think they won! We just grilled out and had pizza so that kept things really easy. I was happy to report I was still in bed by 10pm.  That made waking up at 6am with Archie a little easier.

Cute kids in their jammies!

Have a great rest of the week! Its almost Friday!

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