Casamochi.com
Hi! I did an addendum to this post on 1/30/2018. I have recently started a new blog over at casamochi.com! I’ve been wanting to self-host my own blog for awhile and finally found time (late at night when the kids are asleep) to get it started. If you have been with me for awhile, thank you! I’m excited for this next chapter, and hoping you come along 😉
-Lauren
Baby Girl
I have been meaning to post some pictures of Emma for the past 2 months now; I can’t believe she’s already 2 months old! Some things I’ve learned so far: not all pregnancies, deliveries, babies, and postpartum experiences are alike. Not even close. Life with two babies that are 16 months apart is crazy! Fun, but definitely crazy!
This sweet baby of mine is wonderful! We are so happy to have her in our lives. Having a girl is very different than a boy. I feel a special kinship with her. Here are some pictures taken at the hospital:
Thanks for stopping by!
Go-To Veggie Quinoa Salad
I love having a salad I can take out of the fridge and eat as a main dish or side throughout the week. Little man has been loving it, big man loves it, and I love it because it’s so easy to make. There are many different ingredients you can add to make a fun variation: artichokes, olives, bell peppers, etc. Serve it with a side of hummus and maybe some turkey meatballs and you have yourself a quick week night meal. I also love that I can grab all of these ingredients in one trip to Trader Joe’s. This recipe usually lasts at least 2-3 days depending on how frequently we are eating it, but it can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. Our toddler loves this salad, can’t you tell!
Go-to Veggie Quinoa Salad
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa cooked according package
- 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped Green onions
- 2 small persian cucumbers
- 1/2 cup chopped heirloom tomatoes
- Feta cheese to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare quinoa according to packaged directions.
- Mix quinoa with cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, feta cheese, and cilantro.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl: olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Slowly combine with dry ingredients. Eat and enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!
Changing Direction
I’m not sure if very many working and/or non-working moms feel like they have a lot of free time. I have a good balance between being a stay-at-home mom, and being a working mom. I work twice a week in an emergency department, and my shifts are usually between 8-12 hours shifts.
At the end of a 12-hour-shift, I’m done. I don’t want to cook, clean, do laundry, or anything else that requires me to muster up energy. When I come home from work, I want to spend a few a minutes with my husband and son, put little man down for bedtime, eat some ice cream and call it a day. The interesting thing is that I feel this way many times when my husband is at work also. He works 48 hours at a time, so it’s usually little man and I by ourselves, all day, for 2 days in a row (my mom has been wonderful and usually comes by once a week to watch little man if I work while my husband is also working, or just to relieve me so I can run some errands without child in hand.)
At the end of a day when I’m watching O (little man) all by myself, I’m POOPED!!! At the end of these days, sometimes I will be able to finish my ice cream, and watch half of a movie before falling asleep (especially with being almost 7 months pregnant, baby girl is starting to further deplete my energy.)
I know that I’m not the only mom that feels like her time is valuable. The more time I spend cleaning, shopping and preparing food means the less time I have to spend with my family. Since I have 5 days off a week, I want to maximize that time. This has looked a lot like: meal planning, intentional grocery shopping once to twice a week (with a specific list), making meals that take me 30 minutes or less to prepare, and preparing O’s food in bulk and freezing it. I feel like the freezer, ice cube trays, the blender, pinterest, and the crockpot have become my best friends.
I am aspiring to blog at least once a week (although I might fail every now and then). I initially started this blog as a way to keep track of our mortgage payoff. Since we paid off the mortgage of our townhome, we sold the home, and used the proceedings towards a larger, single-family home. I am no longer debt-free, but do intend to become debt-free again.
My new topics will be:
*Toddler food ideas: I will try to focus on things I have made for O that have been wonderful to make in bulk and freeze for a quick and healthy lunch.
*Dinner ideas: Meals that I have made that take me 40 minutes or less to prepare from start to finish.
*Camping/dutch oven meals: One thing I would like to do is make an area in my backyard where I can use my dutch oven to pretend like I’m camping. I LOVE THE DUTCH OVEN!! Not sure how much camping I will be doing in the next few years with two little ones, but excited to keep trying new recipes.
*Nursing: Whether it’s reviewing different nursing products, to personal experiences, to helpful tips I have learned…..nursing is still the most interesting and challenging job I’ve ever had.
*Entertaining/Serving others: I love getting ideas for easy and delicious meals/snacks to make for families once they have had a baby. I also love quick dessert/snack ideas for when we host our bible studies. For either of these, it’s fun to make great food, fast.
*Marriage/child-rearing: I’ve been married for almost 6 years now, and it’s wonderful and challenging at the same time. I think it’s wonderful to have a community of people to share the seasons of marriage and raising a child. Becoming a wife and a mother are the best things that have ever happened to me.
*Finances: I will be keeping track of our mortgage payoff. It will definitely not be at the speed of which we paid off our last home, but our goal is still as soon as possible.
*House projects/DIY: Any kinds of crafts and house projects that we are doing I will try to share. I’m lucky to have a super handy husband, we have been able to save lots of money on house renovations because of him.
*Misc: More things may come to mind, but the above stated are usually at the forefront of my brain.
I’m currently looking to self-host my blog, but I’m not quite sure where to start. Any suggestions? What companies are easy and good for hosting. Are there shortcuts to transferring old posts to a new host?
Thanks for stopping by!
I will be back later this week with a scrubs review and discount code.
Baby Girl
We are excited to be welcoming a baby girl in July! My children will be 17 months apart. The idea seems overwhelming just thinking about it. We are praying for a mellow, easy-going baby that will love her brother. The good thing about having kids close together is that the infant stage still seems recent. I can remember things we went through with Owen, so I’m hoping that the adjustment of going from 1 to 2 kids won’t be as big of a life change as going from 0 to 1 child. I always wanted one boy and one girl so I think the baby shop is closed for business after this one. Here are some pictures that were taken about 7 weeks ago by Taylor Mosby. She is building up her portfolio and is offering photo sessions for a very reasonable price! Message her at mosbyphotos@gmail.com if you are ever in the South Orange County area.
Thanks for stopping by!
Freezable Lactation Cookies
These are my favorite cookies whether I’m lactating or not. I’m not sure if there is evidence-based data to support the idea that these cookies will produce more milk. What I do know is that there are some different galactagogues (substance that produces lactation) in these cookies that include oats and brewer’s yeast. I also know that if you aren’t lactating and you want to eat/make these delicious cookies, you won’t instantaneously be able to breastfeed 4 children. My husband has had a few and nothing ever happened to him 😉 When I first made these cookies, I was about 2 months postpartum. I baked the whole batch and the cookies were gone in about 3 days. Maybe 2. I thought “There has got to be a way for me to have some self-control with these cookies,” so I decided to freeze the dough. It’s nice to be able to make myself 1 or 2 cookies at a time instead of 48, it considerably decreases the temptation. Do they really work? Who knows, but they are amazing! I make a batch about once every other month and I’m still breastfeeding my son who is now 12.5 months old.
Freezable Lactation Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups oats
- 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 4 tablespoons brewers yeast
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
- Add eggs and mix well.
- Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.
- Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
- Stir in oats, nuts, and chips.
- ***Scoop onto baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to cooling rack and let sit for a few minutes.
**To freeze:
- Scoop tablespoon size of uncooked dough onto tupperware. Layer entire bottom of tupperware.
- Top with wax paper
- Repeat layering process until you have filled tupperware.
- To bake, start from step #9 of above directions.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!
Tanaka Farms
{Baby O making his “I’m not so sure about this” face }
Visiting the pumpkin patch was a super fun and frugal activity for the family. The pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms was $2 admission per adult. We didn’t pay for any extras: riding the train, horses, etc. Having a 7-month-old, we figured that he would be stoked if he could just sit and chew on the pumpkin stems all day. Turns out our little one is particularly fond of leaves and dirt; we caught him shoveling them into his mouth a few times during our visit. I can’t believe 7 months have gone by so fast!!