Humpday Bumpday

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

You guys, you guys, you guys. Do you know what is the absolute most adorable thing in the whole wide world? Baby Moccasins. Seriously. I previously hadn’t given much thought to the baby’s coming home outfit but as soon as baby moccs came on the radar, I knew I had to have a pair for him to rock home from the hospital. (I know, I know as if a newborn baby actually needs shoes. Pff. It’s his first outfit EVER so it needs to be cute. I’m banking on a warm summer so I can just have him naked for a few months. Should save us a few $$)

I posted last week some of the moccs I’ve been lusting after (you can see them here) but there is one vendor in particular that I went with because A) she’s local in Calgary, and B) several other mamas in the blog world have raved about her. So when I saw Danielle was running a spring sale on custom made moccs, I ordered right away. PS: I may have even ordered them while I was sitting in the doctor’s office ;).

Her Etsy shop can be viewed here.

Genuine leather moccs made just for my kid? Sign me up. I can’t wait to get these on our little guy! I ordered the light brown leather in size 1 and the cream in 2 (here’s to hoping he doesn’t grow out of shoes as fast as his mama did!) I’ve been told they’re pretty durable and stretch a bit with wear- both indoors and outdoors.

Layla is my shadow, so of course she had to get in on one of the photos 🙂

I’m super excited to have our baby wear these as he grows (sizes range from 1-7) so I will definitely be ordering more in the future. And guess what? Danielle has been kind enough to offer a 25% discount for readers! How awesome is that? Just use the promo code FAB25 at the time of your order.

On another note, his actual outfit should be delivered tomorrow, and I’m anxious to share that Etsy shop with you next week!

And on a third note, Tyler and I had our maternity photos taken on Monday with the wonderfully talented Whitney Cowan (yet another highly raved about person from fellow local blogging mamas). She immediately got us a sneak peak on Facebook- way faster than our wedding photographer *cough cough*- so I thought I’d share that here as well! I can’t wait to see the rest of the pics. We really did luck out with a sunny, warm March day in CALGARY of all places.

Hope you’re all having a great Wednesday, see ya tomorrow!

Five Favorites

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Just thought I’d pop in today and share some things I have been loving lately. And of course, feel free to share in the comments what YOU’VE been loving lately, because I will probably check them out and end up loving them too. Unless you’re loving seafood or Glee or country music then fat chance.

1. Kerastase Elixir Ultime

This stuff is amazing. I put a few drops in my hair after I wash it and not only does it smell DIVINE (think of the glorious salon/expensive smell) but it makes me hair soft and light when I style it. Which is rare these days, but I will still throw some in before I go to bed because the smell honestly just makes me feel sexy. It’s a bit pricy ($54 CAD) but it last forever and well worth it. Several of the other products I rotate through are also a bit on the pricy side but they too have been in my hair regiment for a long time!

2. Smoothies

In previous years, I loved making smoothies (mostly ones that included protein powder) but I had the crappiest blender ever. When we reno’d our kitchen, the blender kind of when kaput, so my smoothie consumption drastically went down. Unless I felt like shelling out $7 bucks at Jugo Juice. BUT- this year, I finally decided to splurge on a Vitamix..using some of the money I got from my work bonus! Holy moly is that machine the most amazing thing ever. It blends anything and everything like a charm. Tyler and I have both been loving smoothies lately because they are quick and tasty and cheap! We can use not-so-good looking fruit we have leftover and stock up on a ton of frozen fruit from Costco. I’m excited to try out more recipes this summer! Oh, and I’ve given up on Nutella for a bit, but if you’re still on that wagon, check out this YUMMY Nutella Milkshake recipe.

3. Whimzees dog treats.

Ok, obviously this one isn’t for me but the dogs go NUTSO over them. We generally only give these types of ‘big’ treats to them on Friday and Saturday nights and ones we’ve bought in the past have either not agreed with the pup’s tummies or Reggie gobbles them up faster than you can blink. Which is unfortunate, because you’d hope they’d last at least a few minutes when you’re spending upwards of $20/bag on them! Reggie gets the hedgehogs and Layla get the alligators and both dogs love them- I think it even helps with Layla’s mouth troubles! (both dogs have each had a tooth removed but Layla also has a lot of nerve damage on the left side of her mouth making it hard for her to chew).

4. Behr Marquee paint

Do I sound grown up for listing PAINT as a favorite? But seriously, this paint is great. Here’s why: Our house was built in 1981 and I’m guessing there have been quite a few previous owners- most of whom had terrible taste in decor. Paint colors included. When I moved in 3 years ago, most of the house was a weird dark brown/mauve color and totally barfy. We tried to lighten up the dining room and living room a few years back, and it took us 3-4 coats of crappy paint to just cover the yucky brown. When we did the basement this winter, we decided to give Marquee a go because of the one-coat guarantee and it covered the basement’s dark green like a charm! We were so impressed that we bought another can to do the guest bedroom, another for the baby’s room, and are now currently working on covering up our previous poor paint job in the main living space/kitchen. The paint line comes with a slightly higher price tag, but it DOES work in one coat which could really make it more cost efficient in the end.

5. Home Workout Equipment

Right now, my arsenal includes:

bosu ball
rope less jump rope
gliding discs
resistance bands
TRX
dumbbells
bender ball
stability ball
DVDs

Since I haven’t had a gym membership at all this calendar year (gasp) it has been really great being able to alternate between what I do have here at home. Sidebar: I can’t wait until after this baby is born to join the Y again!!! Obviously my workouts and far less intense while pregnant, but it is really nice to be able to grab a few weights or a band and do SOMETHING while I’m watching TV.

Regarding pregnancy DVD workouts: I bought the Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project, the Complete Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga & Short Forms, and the Prenatal Fitness Fix.

-I’ve only done the Prenatal Fitness Fix once because I thought it was a really cheesy video and could honestly come up with the series of moves myself.

-I’ve done the vinyasa yoga DVDs quite a few times because it is a nice change up from typical workouts, plus it offers 15/30/45/75 minute practices depending on how much time or desire you have!

-I’d like to say that I love the Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project series, but that would be a lie. She has some great moves that actually target all those muscles that might be hard to otherwise reach during pregnancy, but I really just can’t stand her teaching method. Her explanations, banter, and demonstrations just bug the bejesus out of me. And you can tell when she gets tired because her rep counts are very inconsistent. Tyler laughs when I do these DVDs because I yell at her a lot.

So that’s it!

I’ve covered, beauty, food, dogs, home and fitness. Only topic left untouched is baby- which will come tomorrow! (the topic, not the baby).

Humpday Bumpday

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Oh my gosh you guys, I ordered the baby’s coming home outfit last week and I can’t wait to share with you! That’ll have to wait until he decided to come OUT of my body though. Hint: His whole ensemble is bought from various small, local shops- even better!

Quick sidebar: I think all this resting at home is finally starting to pay off. My back is way more manageable now! Hopefully typing that didn’t just jinx myself. This big-ass bump, however, is starting to give me a bit of grief. 3 more weeks. I’ve done a couple of home workouts: some T25 videos (in super-modification mode) and some strength circuits including this one which has finally given me that sore lower body feeling that I’ve been craving.

Weird that I crave workout soreness? Yeah.

I really need to get out of the house. Or put makeup on once in a while just to feel normal. I’m doing you a favor by covering my face.

Ok, ok, ok, sidebar is over.

So, I wanted to share some baby-related things that I’m absolutely COVETING. Perhaps this will make you want them too. Or perhaps this will give you inspiration to be a good samaritan and send them my way. I’ll totally give you my address if that’s your intention. (Don’t worry, we have already got most of the big-ticket items, so these should be fairly easy on your wallet! 😉 )

First up: Leggings. I want to buy ALL the leggings. And not the retail store leggings. The handmade ones.

The leggings shown above can be found at (left to right) BabyBeans&Me, Tiny Threads, Vivie & Ash, BrikHOUSE, Alexandra Rose Handmade, BABYdeardotca

GOSH. I can’t get enough of them.

And then there are the SHOES. Tyler scoffs at me for lusting after all these things because he thinks the baby will grow out of them too fast and that it’s a waste of money. Um, dude, I am willing to forego my lululemon purchases for a while if it means my kid will be stylish. Thankyouverymuch. (OMG DID I JUST SAY I’D FOREGO LULULEMON? I need a drink very badly)

ParkerAndPosie, handmadetherapykids, Potato Feet, Freshly Picked, Wilde Woods, City Moccs

And I obviously need this hoodie

from Purl Lamb

And who can forget a tipi? (The baby’s room is small, but man oh man would I make room for one of these!)

from Modern Tipi

Among a few other things:

from fromtheseeds

swaddle blanket from Baby Elle Apparel

Ok I think it’s about time I rip myself away from the computer because I might just put us in debt if I keep ogling over all these goodies!!

Do you have any favorite baby goods?? Please share!

Weekend Recap

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Not gonna lie, I’m like super uncomfortable. To the point of tears. While the time off from work has been great and I’ve been able to attempt relaxing, it’s still a struggle to find even a stretch of 20 minutes (sleep included!) where my back, my legs or my ribcage isn’t in rip-roaring pain.

I’m not complaining though, it’s only temporary pain! And heck, it could be WAY worse.

I have a pretty good support buddy, too.

Yeah, sure Tyler is here too and he’s been great. But it’s more fun to snuggle with Layla. Especially since she gets up early with me and now follows me around like a shadow.

Ok, so onto the recap. It’s not very exciting.

Friday, I had my doctor’s appt. They did that swab thingy and used an ultrasound to check the baby was head down. He is! Thank goodness. Now my appointments will be weekly until he comes OUT. That night, we had pizza for dins and watched Unbroken and several episodes of Inside Man.

Saturday we had our third childbirth class. This week there were several flashcards involved (hello 3rd grade!) and we discussed breastfeeding. Pretty sure I’m still totally grossed out by it, but it’s cheaper than formula. And God knows we could used the savings.

After the class, we went across the street to the hospital and checked out the labor and delivery floor just to get a lay of the land. It was so quiet! Which was weird, because the nurse at the check-in desk kept *quietly* running around exclaiming how busy she was! I also had a mini-anxiety attack because I don’t like hospitals. I’ve actually never been admitted to one before, so immmmmmm yeah.

We rounded off the afternoon with a trip to Home Depot. Surprise surprise! We picked up some paint and blinds for our kitchen windows (thank GOD for those blinds). I started to feel like shit, so I parked it on the couch while Tyler got to painting..supervised by Reggie…then made us dinner.

We watched Interstellar then another few episodes of Inside Man. The movie was just alright- we agreed it was like Signs meets Contact. Meh.

Sunday, I got up early and made pancakes for myself. I keep forgetting to buy maple syrup, so I had to improvise with cinnamon raisin pancakes topped with a honey yogurt drizzle. Sounds great, tasted great, looks like shit, and now I want to gag just thinking about it. I want to chug maple syrup instead.

I managed to do the laundry and Tyler managed to do just about EVERYTHING else around the house. He’s so good. I should buy him a present.

Nevermind, I’m making him a human.

We had hot dogs for dinner and I managed to NOT buy anything online, even though it was really the only thing I had the energy for. Is it just me, or does anyone else get online-shopping-happy then quit before checkout once you see how much shipping costs? I was going to order a bunch of stuff I needed from Rocky Mountain Soap, but then saw that shipping was $7 so I’ve decided to just task Tyler with the errand of going to their downtown location on his lunch break. Husbands are cheaper than Canada Post.

Ahaha, I just remembered that the woman teaching our childbirth class used a shark hand puppet and a stuffed boob to demonstrate breastfeeding. Just picture it. Maybe you’ll laugh too?

How was your weekend??

Flashback Friday

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Another week in the books. Nothing too exciting to report on this end. Perhaps this picture can help give you an idea of how I’ve been spending my days:

Pillows, blankets, dogs, nutella, water, tv and some fitness equipment. (Disregard the background- we are pairing that room this weekend and refinishing the fireplace. Finally. And by *we* I mean Tyler because it takes me 45 minutes to stand up from this couch.) So boring, But totally needed since I can’t really do anything anyways! I did try to run a couple of baby-related errands yesterday and 3 stops earned me a 2 hour nap and lethargic afternoon/evening. And my appetite is now gone. Which sucks because I kind of like food.

I did manage to pick up a smaller rug to place under the rocker so that it wouldn’t rock into the wall every time I stood up. I think I need to add a dog bed to the room as well because Layla is doing a good job of hanging out in there too.

I’ve gotten incredibly clumsy over the last few weeks and dropped a figurine when I tried to put the rug down and it broke into a billion pieces. You might be able to see some of the pieces under the crib still because I’m lazy and didn’t want to reach for them yet.

Yesterday, my mom sent me some pics of when *I* was a baby, so I really wanted to share those. Can you tell I’m really getting into this whole baby thing? Holy crap it’s exhilarating and exhausting. PS: Why is Home Depot the only place with expectant mother parking? Sorry, but if I need something from Home Depot, I’m sending Tyler. Give me preferential parking at the grocery store! And the drug store! And the froyo shop!

Ok, back to some old pictures. Sorry if this is boring, but I find them completely hilarious either because of my whackadoodle chub or because of the glorious 80’s-ness (new word?) of my outfits.