Summer must-haves for my little one

Pool season is in full swing and my daughter can not get enough of the water. Melt down ensues when it's time to leave the pool. You would have thought I told her Elmo is dead!

I read a good bit of information on this whole sunscreen vs. sunblock subject and you better believe that I also did my research on what brand to use for my precious not-so-little cargo. Here's a wonderful website that I found and they even have a product hall of shame!

Here are a few things that are helping me get through this very hot summer:

1. 
   
   California Baby Sunscreen - I know the price is a bit much than your regular sunscreen, but I promise that you will not regret it. This product gets rave reviews all the time and you can not put a price on protecting your little ones! The lotion goes on very well although it looks really white on Kayla since she's already dark as it is. This also comes in a stick-form for easy facial application but I use this one instead.


2. 
   
   i play Brim Sun Protection Hat - Love this hat! I bought the biggest size and it has a little drawstring so that it can fit your child's head perfectly. I tell her no hat, no pool and the hat stays on the whole time!


3. 
   
   i play Swim Shoes - I got her the blue pair because they were all out of the pink in her size. The blue actually goes better with all her bathing suits. Ha! They fit true to size and it's perfect for the hot ground and they are non-slip!


4. 
   
   Pampers Splashers Swim Pants - We have always used Pampers except for wipes, we use Huggies. It was only natural that I buy these swim pants. She has never gone number 2 (thank goodness!) while wearing swim pants, but from what I've read, they work great. Make sure you check the package when you buy yours, Pampers still has the old packaging that has a whole lot less in them than the new ones. The picture above is of the new packaging.

Oh, and don't forget to bring snacks and cold beverages to assist and get your little ones out of the water from time to time. Gotta let their skins rest from pruning up and hydrate them!

Do share if you have and summer products that you love and can't live without!

Hot. So Hot.

It is hot out there today. I really don't like what this weather does to my hair. I walk out of the house with perfectly fine, freshly straightened and nice-smelling hair (thanks to Organix's Moroccan Oil line and Solia flat iron), not even 10 minutes later, my hair is already getting frizzy. Ugh! I hate the humidity so much. I can deal with the heat, but the mugginess is just gross. I hate feeling hot and sticky!

With the hot weather comes pool season. I love that we have an awesome pool in the building and I get to layout and take Kayla to the pool whenever it's convenient without having to drive and pack up everything. My goal is to be as dark as possible. I think being super-tan helps me look slim-ish. Ha!

And just in time for pool season I went ahead and ordered a canvas tote with my married monogram. I've been married almost 3 years and have never gotten anything with it. I know I'm 10 years late to the party but I ordered this LEC/LE canvas tote. Super cheap for only $20-some dollars shipped!

I am working on getting a couple more bathing suits but I can't find any that I like enough that doesn't scream "Im a mom and my body is not the same since I had a baby"! I'm pretty sure that I will be doing a lot of shopping/shopping around seeing that there are sales everywhere! Kayla's need list alone is like a mile long!

Tuesday List

I think everyone has a tiny little bit of OCD-ness in them. When I obsess about something, I tend to never let it go until I've accomplished it or bought it. Like the one time I obsessed over a pair of white jeans and scoured ebay and the internet until I could find a pair that was priced within my budget. Sometimes they linger and I just keep on doing it or keep on buying it. Haha. So, here is my current list of obsessions:

(Collage was created with Picnik, duh! All images were borrowed from respective website.)

• 
  
  Smocked dresses and bubbles - Kayla has/had some pieces since she was a baby but I feel like I'm in overdrive buying these nowadays. Facebook, of all places, has some pretty good companies that does nightly flash sales. Of course, deals can be had from ebay. My favorite right now is Posh Pickle. Holly is super nice and currently clearing out summer stock and prices are really good.


• 
  
  DSLR - Yup, I still don't have one. Why you ask? Cause I'm cheap and I need to be able to find one that I really like at a price that I like even better. Every time I read about Canon this and Nikon that, I get so confused that I don't know what brand to go with anymore.


• 
  
  Picnik - I see collages on blogs and the internet in general that are made really well and I wonder how they are done. Well, here's the answer. You don't even need an account to use the site and no need to upload photos to their site.


• 
  
  Trader Joe's - Trader Joe's and whole foods were 5 minutes away from me back in Richmond. Now, the closest TJ's is about a 20 minute drive. This is probably for the best or I'd go really broke if it were any closer. They have the best stuff when it comes to snacks and frozen foods.


• 
  
  White iPhone & iPhone 5 - I love my iPhone and I don't even have the 4. I google iPhone 5 on a weekly basis because I just need to know when it's going to come out and if it's too far from now I just might cave and get the white iPhone 4.

Clueless. That's me.

Oh, Mondays! You come way too fast and I'm dreading this very long, 7 day work week ahead of me. Thanks a lot, prom season and social events! But I do have a 4-day weekend come Memorial Day weekend.

The weekend was wonderful. We braved breakfast. Kayla behaved well but refused to eat anything but turkey sausage. Oh, and she also liked her daddy's sausage gravy. I had eggs benedict for the first time since I had Kayla. I think this is a no-no when you're preggers so I never had it when I was pregnant. We stopped by Trader Joe's on the way home. I wish this was closer to us but glad that it's not 'cause I spend too much money in there every time. Have I mentioned how much I miss Richmond's shopping and grocery store choices? Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Short Pump all within 5 minutes from me! Hello?? What was I thinking agreeing to move here. Ha!

Last night, before bed, Kayla kept on asking me to sing Wheels on the Bus. So I pulled out the iPad and watched nursery rhyme vidoes with her. While watching Twinkle, Twinkle, baby girl srarted singing - hand gestures and all! I was so shocked that she knew the song. Hello, she's not even 2 and shen can sing songs?! It was so crazy and I might have gotten teary eyed while this was all happening.


(and because a post is not the same without a picture, this is Sunday while grocery shopping at HT)

Weekend, Mother's Day and Losing Weight

The weekend was relaxing and busy all at the same time. I worked yesterday and today but was also able relax, take care of chores and hang out with J and Kayla. I had two events at work and had to go in for both but I practically spent all day with Kayla yesterday and with her and J today.

No crazy plans for Mother's Day this year. All I wanted was to spend the day with my family and a zoo re-do but of course it was rainy and gloomy all morning. By the time the sun came out it was nap time for all of us. Ha! We did go out for yummy Skinny Dip right after.

After our outing we took some pictures and I realized how chubby I've gotten again. I lost all the baby weight and some (20 plus!) thanks to breastfeeding but I have since gained all of it back. The pediatrician told me that I could gain some of it back but I wasn't prepared for all of it. So I have decided that I really need to get my weight in control.

I need to lose some weight. I liked being the size I was after the pregnancy. I was comfortable and didn't feel the need to wear loose fitting shirts. I work long hours and don't really have the time to work out. I'd love to but that means less time I get to spend with Kayla which is not a lot as it is. I can possibly wake up super early and work out before she gets up in the morning but I'm not sure I can commit to that.

My plan for now is to eat healthier. No more sodas. More water. Better food choices. Oh, I also plan to buy a scale. I'm thirty and have never had one. Ever. My goal is to lose at least 15 pounds. For now. We shall see where this goes. Bathing suit season is right around the corner and I need to get it together!

My 22 month old toddler is so close to 2!

I adore this child. So much. She gets a little confused when it comes to pants and shirt but we are working on that.