Five on Friday!

  Happy Friday and Father's Day Weekend!   - ONE - I stocked up on Bath & Body Works candles this week during their semi-annual sale! Lots of yummy spring scents!

  - TWO - Last weekend my best friend May came to visit! Here's a glimpse into our wonderful weekend together!

- THREE - Bows, bows, bows! You know what I do in my small amounts of free time in between feedings? I shop Etsy for hair accessories for Caroline. If one more envelope arrives to the house with another bow or headband, Matt may deactivate my debit card. Just kidding, he secretly loves her hair accessories (I've watched him seriously debate over which shade of pink bow she should wear with her outfits). Anyway, here are some of my recent favorites...

  The sparkly, patriotic bow came from Heart of Hazel and the other two bows are from Meg-Made! I also received the beautiful new flamingo print from Laura Dro Designs for my custom lucite tray where I store all of Caroline's bows!

 - FOUR - Salads! I've been aiming to be a bit healthier this week by incorporating lots of salads in my diet. But then I get all crazy and add things like massive crab cakes and defeat the purpose. Regardless, they are delicious...and at least I'm getting lots of greens!

- FIVE - Your weekly dose of Caroline!

  No big deal, just feeding myself...

 Wanna join  Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is...   1.)  Write  your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!). 2.)  Share the logo on your blog and link back. 3.)  Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!

 

Breastfeeding Advice & Lactation Cookies

 First, thank you so much to all of you who emailed or commented on my instagram with advice on how to boost my milk supply. I read all 118 comments and was so encouraged and motivated to keep my breastfeeding journey going! 

In case you or another mama you know is struggling to boost her milk supply, here is a condensed list of advice that was passed along to me: -  Seek a lactation consultant - Join your local La Leche League - Eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast - Drink Mother's Milk Tea, dark beer, apple juice and lots of water - Vitamins & Herbs: More Milk Plus, Fennugreek, Brewers Yeast, Flax Seed - Relax - Nurse and pump often - Make sure to eat enough protein throughout the day - Get lots of skin to skin time - Reglan (prescription required) - Visit KellyMom.com - Lactaction cookies -Prayer! At the end of the day, you have to do what works for you. Personally, supplementing formula (as directed by my lactation consultant, pediatrician and OB) is absolutely necessary for me to give Caroline the nutrition she needs during such a critical time. The silver lining? By incorporating bottles almost immediately, Matt has been able to be involved with feedings, especially during the nighttime.   The first few months are crucial for bonding with your baby, so if breastfeeding is preventing you from enjoying that time with your munchkin, don't be afraid or ashamed to throw in the towel. I had lots of moms (especially second time moms) tell me they were much happier once they started using formula.   On to the sweet stuff - lactation cookies! I have tried half a dozen recipes so far and most of them seemed to leave a bitter after taste. After lots of trial and error I finally found one that I was able to slightly adapt to make it perfect!

Lactation Cookies

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons brewers yeast
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
4 tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2  large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and coconut oil on medium speed until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add in the egg and egg yolk, beating until combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and beat until combined again. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined and mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula until they are evenly dispersed.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden. Let cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday, friends!     - ONE - Today I am counting down the minutes until my bestie, May, arrives in Charlotte for the weekend! Even though this will be much different from her last visit {post here}, I am so excited for a low key weekend of catching up with her. I am also excited about sneaking away with her for a few hours while Matt watches the babe for the first time!

- TWO - It's amazing how quickly Matt and I can make huge decisions these days when you have less than two hours at a time to get as much done as humanly possible and your brain can't function properly. On Sunday we woke up and I had to immediately strip our sheets and wash 2 pairs of jammies, the boppy and 7 burp cloths all from one night of co-sleeping (Don't judge, but if you do, don't post mean comments. We are in survival mode.). Long story short, I flipped out over our teeny tiny washer (for the millionth time since moving into our house). Our awful dorm-size, stackable washer/dryer has sent me into countless tantrums after ruining so many necessities (ie: my Bump Nest pillow and now, the Boppy). I came screaming out of the laundry room about how I don't have time to hand wash large items like comforters, pillows, etc. and Matt immediately went online, compared sales, read some reviews and picked out a new washer/dryer set. Gosh, I love him. Within the hour, we selected a Samsung set, visited Home Depot to purchase it and sold our current set to Craig's List. 

And because we were on a roll for big decisions and Caroline was still soundly sleeping in the k'tan, we drove down the street and purchased two pairs of reading glasses for Matt. Matt has been holding on to his current eyeglasses for over 10 years and we picked out two new pairs in 30 minutes.

Disclaimer: He thought this photo was being taken for his mom.

So there - we have this new ability to make incredibly impulsive decisions these days. I'm sure the first time we get 4 hours of sleep we'll wake up and realize what we've done.   - THREE - Y'all know how much of a mascara junkie I am. Well, I was recently contacted by Younique, a line of naturally-based makeup and skincare products, to try out their best selling product, 3D Fiber Lashes. This product promises to dramatically enhance and magnify the appearance of your own lashes and is easy to use, organic, chemical free, gluten free and hypoallergenic. The simple three-step process combines Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers to help create the appearance of incredible thickness and volume to your existing lashes. The 3D Fiber Lashes are water resistant but easily washes off with warm water and facial cleanser at the end of the day.

 I tried it, loved it and wanted to share it with you!! Want the chance to win a set of fiber lashes? Enter the rafflecopter giveaway below! a Rafflecopter giveaway - FOUR - A few weeks ago I found Matt in the kitchen playing with my washi tape. He was busy creating a label system (using various colors and patterns of washi tape) for breast milk and formula bottles. I couldn't help but laugh and get excited all at the same time. I immediately joined in on the fun and the system has been working out pretty awesome.

- FIVE - Of course, we can't kick off the weekend without a weekly dose of our little munchkin, who we've lovingly started referring to as "Baby Koala" since she must be attached to Matt or me at all time. Is there anything more scrumptious than baby feet?!

 Wanna join  Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is...   1.)  Write  your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!). 2.)  Share the logo on your blog and link back. 3.)  Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!