Family, Life, Motherhood

Little Journey

Three days a week, all three kids have school. The little kids have school for three hours, while Harlan is in school all day. I treat those three hours in the morning like gold. While I should be sitting in a quiet place and getting work done, I usually take that time to run every single errand that I can possibly get done so that I can do them child-free. I never truly appreciated how quickly I could get things on my own until I became a parent and added kids to the equation of grocery shopping, picking up dry-cleaning, or even a “quick” trip to grab some milk. When kids are involved, it takes you double (or sometimes triple) the amount of time that it would take you on your own. Guaranteed.

On the days that I do have a child with me and I need to run an errand, I usually try to strategically plan it so that I only have to go to one place to get everything I need. That way it reduces the amount of places that Macks can throw a tantrum. I know that time is not on my side when I am shopping with him, so I need to get in and get out as quickly as possible. With him still very much a toddler, he’s still unpredictable nearly 95% of the time, which makes 95% of the things that I do very difficult. He’s still in need of a lot of my attention and sometimes that means that I have less time to focus on the things I need to get done, so I can concentrate on the things he needs me for.

Because Macks is still a toddler, I’m still hitting the baby aisle every trip to the grocery store, regardless of if he’s shopping with me or not. Whether it’s diapers or snacks, I can’t make a trip to the store without making a stop in that aisle. That’s why I’m so happy that ALDI recently launched their Little Journey line.  Little Journey is ALDI’s line of baby essentials that includes everything from diapers, wipes, formula, organic food and snacks. And best of all, every Little Journey product is tested to meet high quality standards, while still costing up to half less than name brands. With three kids, that helps tremendously.

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ALDI sent us a few of their Little Journey products for the kids to enjoy.  I came home late one night after the box of snacks was delivered and MacKay must not have known what the box was for (or that I needed to photograph some before I let the kids dig in) because nearly all of the snacks were gone. Their organic pouches (made with pure fruits and vegetables)  were left empty on the counter, the yogurt bites (which are their fav and made with real fruit and yogurt) were gone, and the container of puffs was left open and half empty. Is that an official seal of approval from the kids? I’m going to take that as a yes. The girls have already asked for me to buy more Yogurt Bites so that I can put them in their snack bags for school.

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The Little Journey line really does have anything and everything that a parent needs for their little one. And I’m happy to say that they are all high-quality products that I can easily incorporate into our daily routine.

As much as I do savor my trips to the grocery store on my own to avoid the toddler tantrums, the reality is our journey through the toddler years will soon be over. I know that soon I won’t have to make a trip down that baby aisle to stock up. So that’s why, even with the tantrums in the middle of the store, or having to make an unexpected diaper change in the front seat of my car, I have to remind myself that these moments won’t last forever. Because sometimes it’s when it’s over that you realize how little the journey really is.

All photos taken by Ana of AnaPhoto. 

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Motherhood

Seeing the Beautiful

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“Wow! I look so pretty,” she squealed with excitement. “I love they way my hair is tucked behind my ears. It looks good,” she continued.

Those were the first words that came out of her mouth when she saw this year’s school picture for the first time. There was no rumblings of a hair being out of place or her dress not fitting the way she wanted to. It was only positive. All smiles.

It’s amazing how something that might seem so insignificant to some has such a huge impact on others. Do you want to know the first thing that I do when I look at a photo of myself? I look for things that are wrong. I look for the negative. I tell myself that I look fat or that my makeup looks bad. Very rarely have I ever looked at a photo of myself and a positive thought was the first thing to pop in my head. And sadly, I know I wasn’t always this way.

I know I used to have the mindset that Harlan does. The one that sees the greatness in all. The one that looked at myself in the mirror and saw a strong, confident, and beautiful little girl. So what happened?

I grew up.

Life happened.

As we walk through this journey of life there are so many things that stand in our way to help cast that shadow of doubt and negativity on us. Soon this shadow looms so much over us that we start to believe the opposite of what we once thought. We give into the negativity. It breaks us down.

I know that this innocence that Harlan has won’t be with her forever. And while I can’t to anything to shield her from the negativity that will inevitably come her way, what I can do is teach her to continue with her confidence. I can be that positivity that she needs when she starts to have doubts. I can be that example of positivity within my own self so that she has something to learn from. I need to take this guidance from her now so that she can see it later.

It’s amazing how much so few words can mean so much. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all just saw the beautiful?

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Life

Home for the Holidays

It wasn’t until I moved away from my family for college that I realized just how much I enjoy go home for the holidays. It’s already such a magical time of year and it’s even better when you’re surrounded by the ones that you love.

When we moved from Florida to Manhattan and away from most of my family, it was difficult to be that far away. We traveled home for the holidays for a few years when it was only Harlan (and manageable to fly on a plane during the holiday with one child,) but when Avery came along, we sadly had to tell our family that it was much too difficult to travel back home during the holidays.

Our move from New York to Connecticut came as great joy for everyone because we finally had space to host our family for the holidays. Not only was I excited to have them around during my favorite time of the year, but I was excited to let them stay in our home.

It’s so important for my guests (family or not) to feel comfortable in our home during their stay. Many of the amenities that we love at hotels,  I want to be able to provide for our guests. From making sure they walk into a room that has all they need, to making sure they stay connected throughout their stay, here are some things that I believe make everyone feel much more at home when they are your overnight guests, especially during the holidays.

 

If you’re hosting your family and friends this holiday season, here are some of the tips I’ve learned along the way.

  • Give them a comfortable night’s sleep. I love my bed. I think my bed is the most comfortable bed in the world. It always makes it hard to travel because I am very particular about my mattress and what kind of pillow I have to sleep on. That’s exactly why I want my guests to feel the comfort of sleeping in their own bed while they are at my house. We have a lot of extra pillows at our house for when guests come over. Prior to their arrival, ask what your guests prefer in terms of pillows. Everyone is different, so I like to give them options. Also make sure there are plenty of blankets on hand. While some people love to sleep with just a sheet, others prefer being piled in big soft blankets.
  • Take care of the essentials. I like to make sure that our guest room is much like a hotel room (but much more inviting) by having all of the essentials on hand during their stay. I’ll buy travel-sized toiletries for them so that they can easily bring them into the bathroom without having to ask what’s okay to use.  Make sure the towels are laid out so that they can grab them when they’d like to take a shower. I always like to put a bottle of water and an easy grab-and-go snack available so that if they need it, it’s there.
  • Stay connected. One of the first things I do when I am visiting a friend or family or even staying in a hotel, is ask for the wifi password. In our day and age, there is always so much going on online that it’s hard for us to stay away. I’ve mentioned my love for eero in the past and while it’s been a lifesaver for our family, it’s also been the perfect tool to help our guests stay connected. With eero you can set up guest sharing in the eero app. That allows you to set a password for your guests so that they can connect to the eero app simply and securely. I put the wifi network name and password on a piece of paper and leave it in the guest room so that they don’t even have to ask for it when they arrive. Whether they want to stream the latest Netflix movie or check emails for work, eero gives my guests the same amazing connection that we get everyday.
  • Go the extra mile. One of the goals for me is for my family to feel like they are at home, especially during the holidays. It’s always important for me to make them feel special and to let them know that we are happy to have them spending this time with us. Whether you provide fresh flowers in their room, or a beautiful scented candle. Even putting a few local magazines in their room so that they can see what your city is all about and they can explore on their own. Our guest bedroom is in the basement, which allows our guests to hear footsteps above very easily. My kids get up early, which I know might disturb our guests. Putting a quick-making espresso machine in their bedroom is the perfect “I’m sorry,” during their stay. If your guests have kids, surprise them with toys upon their arrival. Not only is it important for the adults to feel comfortable in your home, but their children as well.

And for those of you looking to do a little shopping this holiday season (either for yourself or your family,) eero is having an amazing Black Friday sale! 

You can purchase eero in retail stores and online at eero.com, amazon.com, bestbuy.com from 11/24 – 11/28 for the following prices

  • $399 for a 3-pack (reg. $499)

  • $299 for a 2-pack (reg. $349)

  • $149 for a 1-pack (reg. $199)

If you want early access to the sale, use code EEROLAUREN100 (offer valid on purchases over $450 and valid until 11/23) I don’t often brag about how much I am obsessed with a product, but when I tell you that eero has been a game-changer for our family, I mean it. It’s changed the entire network in our house for the better and I can honestly say that since we’ve gotten it, I’ve NEVER had a buffering issue with my computer or watching shows on my phone. It is well worth the investment and saves the headache. We’ve tried other things to increase our wifi signal and there is nothing that can even compare to eero. Learn more about how it’s worked for our family here and here. 

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