Life Lately

My summer is in full effect, so today I thought I'd share some pictures from Instagram that will fill in you on how it's going so far.

Last Friday Brian and I went for my twelve week check. I've been feeling much better, but was anxious to hear the heartbeat. Thankfully everything is going well! 

LEAN CUISINE Marketplace Meals

This shop has been sponsored by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyNewLeanCuisine #CollectiveBias

Summer is here and Grant and I are having a blast. We are busy most of the morning, so the last thing I want to do is take a lot of time preparing lunch, and kid friendly foods like hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly aren't on the list of my favorite things to have for lunch (no offense, Grant). 

Since I'm expecting, I really need to make healthy food choices, but I don't want to sacrifice flavor in the meantime. Luckily there's LEAN CUISINE®. As a teacher LEAN CUISINE® meals have been a go-to for me for years, so I was excited to find out they came out with some great new meals. These new, flavorful meals are now available in organic, protein-packed, and gluten-free options available. I don't have any dietary restrictions, but I love that LEAN CUISINE® is wanting to be considerate of those who do.

Swim Essentials

Cover Up / Maternity Swimsuit / Tote Bag / Shark Water Tennis / Flip Flops / Diving Rings / Sun Screen

I'm so excited to be out of school for summer and to get some time to relax and hang out with Grant. One of his favorite things to do is swim. We belong to our local YMCA, there are also a number of great water parks in our area, and we have a few friends with pools, so the swimming possibilities are endless. Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite essentials for enjoying an afternoon swimming.

Since I'm expecting, I needed to find a new swim suit, and I love swimsuit from Target. The print is super fun and I like how the top has fuller coverage as well. I've already worn it, and it stayed in place perfectly.

I also needed to get a new cover-up. My other one didn't have room for my ever growing belly, so I found a super cute Merona one at Target. It's not online for some reason, but it looks very similar to this one.

Probably my favorite purchase this spring was this tote bag from Target. I'm using it for a purse this summer, being I feel like I look a little silly in shorts and flip flops while carrying a leather Kate Spade bag. This tote has been perfect!  It has room for our swim stuff or snacks if we go to the park or zoo, along with carrying my wallet and a bottle of water. 

I have a ton of sandals, but when it comes to water friendly sandals, I like to stick to sandals like these flip flops that won't be hurt if they get wet, and are machine washable it they end up getting sandy and gross.

It's also obviously important to protect both myself and Grant with sunscreen. I really prefer sport spray ones like this sun screen. They are easy to apply and water resistant too.

I'm not sure how it is where you live, but our pools are toy friendly now, which is different than how it was when I was growing up. We have a number of pool toys. Grant is crazy about diving rings and I also think I might get him this cool shark water tennis game for his birthday too.

What about you, what are your swim essentials? Have a missed anything you love? 

Red Shorts: Three Ways

Although I won't be wear these this summer, I love my red shorts. Today I thought I'd give some inspiration for how to wear red shorts, and I've linked some really cute options down below too.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Some books just need to be read, and in my opinion, The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of them. The crazy thing is, I passed up reading this book many times, based on the summary on the back, but then decided to read it once I heard a few friends talking about it. 

What makes this story unique, is that it is told from the family dog, Enzo's, point of view. I'm not going to lie, it caused me to cuddle up a little bit tighter with our own family dog, Gracie.

The story begins towards the end of Enzo's life, he knows his time has come, and he begins to reflect back on his life. We learn about Denny, who adopted him as a puppy, Eve, who Denny falls in love with and marries, as well as Zoe, their daughter. Denny has aspirations of becoming a race car driver, but after Eve get's sick, his dreams are put on hold. Life has it's up and down, and we get the chance to hear about this family though the eyes of no other than Enzo, the family dog.

Be prepared to laugh, cry, and cherish your family pet in a way you may not have before. If you haven't read The Art of Racing in the Rain, it should be added to the top of your list. You won't be disappointed!

Maternity Style: Capsule Wardrobe and Outfit Ideas

Today I thought I'd share with you all the pieces I've bought to fit my ever growing belly. I knew off the bat I didn't want to buy a lot, since the span for wearing them is so short. I also wanted to buy when the sales hit.  The first time around with Grant I had a number of friends share their clothes with me, so I literally only bought one pair of jeans. This time around, two of my three closest friends are pregnant along with me, no it wasn't planned ; ), so sharing isn't an option.

I have a number of tops that are more flowy I think I'll be able to wear through most of the summer. I also plan to wear my normal cardigans and jackets, which should work fine. I also have a number of maxis and a couple of dresses I should be able to wear through the summer too, but I was in dire need for bottoms immediately.  I know some people use Bella Bands or the rubber band trick to make their normal bottoms fit for as long as possible, but I knew I'd need to buy eventually, so why put it off?

Here's a look at the pieces I've gotten. I do have a few pieces I got through thredUP with credits (use this link for $10 off your first purchase), that aren't shown here, but I don't plan on buying anymore until fall hits.

 Navy Stripe Top / Coral Striped Top : I normally don't buy two of the same tops, but I bought the navy one at 20% off, and loved it so much I went and got the coral one too.

Coral Tank / White Tank : I doubled up on these tops too. I scored them at 50% off and figured they'd be great this summer, but also great this fall for layering with sweater.

Skinny Jeans / Boyfriend Jeans / White Jeans : In store I found the skinny jeans and boyfriends jeans for $12 each and have already worn them a ton. I found the white jeans at Target for 20% off and knew I needed them, as white jeans are pretty much my favorite thing.

 Denim Shorts / Black Shorts / White Shorts / Denim Shorts : I scored the first three shorts at 40% off and the Target pair for $20. Being I have summers off, I pretty much live in shorts, so these will be great.

Lime Green Dress / Navy Dress / Black Dress Striped Dress : All of these dresses were $14 or less at Old Navy. The lime will be perfect for summer, whereas the others I'll probably keep for fall/winter.

I also decided to create some outfits with these pieces. I chose nine pieces from above and three layering pieces to create twelve outfits. This summer will be a lot of easy outfits and running around town with Grant, so I wanted to make it simple. Coming up with twelve outfits was easy when you have mixable pieces!

Although the pieces below are maternity, I think they translate into normal outfits as well, so hopefully it'll be some summer inspiration for all of you who aren't pregnant right now : )

Jewelry: Kendra Scott c/o Rocksbox and Stella and Dot
Shoes: Mossimo and Aerosoles c/o Chippmunk
Layering Pieces: Denim Jacket / J.Crew Cardigan / J.Crew similar

Getting Real

This last month has been pretty rough. We have been so excited about my pregnancy, but man, I haven't felt like myself. My normal routine of getting up at 5:30, having breakfast and coffee while doing my devotions has not been going well either. I'm so tired and nauseous I can't even attempt to eat until I've been up for a few hours and coffee isn't happening either. So, that means, I'm sitting, trying to stay awake, while feeling nauseous, trying to do devotions. To say it's not going well would be an understatement.

The good news is, I usually begin to feel more like a normal person by about 10:00, although the tiredness just stays with me. I also am not enjoying getting dressed and have been tell me I don't look like myself on a daily basis, or they ask if I feel ok. No, no I don't. I know the first trimester can be the roughest, I think it's just rougher this time because I already have a child and can't just come home and sleep and leave Brian to fend for himself the way I did with my first pregnancy.

Today is the last day I have to be at school, so I am very thankful for summer, but with it comes a bit of anxiety. I don't want to be a slug all morning and have Grant be entertained by T.V. and simply playing solo. I'm hoping I begin to feel more like myself, and when I can take advantage of nap time each day, I'm thinking that will help too. I'm needing to revise my schedule to find a new time slot for devotions, as I now plan to sleep until 7:00 each morning, which will be a real treat. Maybe I'll be able to do them while Grant is watching a cartoon, or maybe they'll have to wait until nap time, but regardless, there needs to be a time slot.

I was reminded today while reading She Reads Truth of God's faithfulness to us, regardless of the season of life we are in. Whether we are exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed, or up to our neck in the a situation we can't control, God remains faithful!

Lamentations 3: 22-24 reminds us:

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

I hope these words encourage you today, as they do me. Every part of life has a season, and He's with us throughout them all!

One highlight of my week was getting my newest Rocksbox. I have to say, this one is my favorite so far. I adore this Sandra Pendant Necklace and am keeping it for sure. I also got a fun bracelet from Margaret Elizabeth.

If you're not familiar with Rocksbox it's a fun monthly jewelry service.  It normally cost $19 a month, but you get a $10 credit towards any purchases. You can also send the box back and forth as many times as you want each month. I'm really loving getting to try it out and you can try it free for a month too. Just go to Rocksbox and use code "newfavoriteoutfitxoxo" when signing up.