this recipe

 

Happy Sunday!

It’s been an interesting week full of Christmas cheer anddddddd another county mandated lockdown for us here in California. It’s been quite the pendulum of emotions!

As always, we choose to focus on the good.

Last night we did an early dinner and let the boys decorate gingerbread houses. Which mostly meant them eating candy and licking icing. The boys loved it and so did we. Just what we all needed! A night of fun! We embrace the mess and let the boys be little. Then a really good bath (and mop job of the floors!) after.

What’s Been Cooking?

 

On Sunday, I shared my very favorite . Perfect for holiday baking!

 

On Monday, I shared a brand new recipe for .

 

On Wednesday, I shared my .

 

On Thursday, I shared my . New hack! Make them earlier in the day, then add the cooked meatballs and a jar of marinara sauce to your slow cooker over LOW. Then dinner is ready in a snap come dinner time! I love doing this when making them for a crowd.

 

On Friday, I shared my .

 

On Saturday, I shared my .

Weekly Menu

 

On Friday, I shared my . Includes recipe links, a printable menu + grocery list template!

Happening On Instagram

Boy Mom of 3 💛

On Tuesday, I shared one of my absolute favorite photos I’ve ever had taken of me in my entire life! I JUST LOVE THESE BOYS OF MINE!

I shared my thoughts on being a mom of 3, . I heard from SO MANY of you moms who said you felt exactly the same way about the gender of your kids. Isn’t life just wonderful?

No Rules During Shelter In Place

 

Our county mandated a shut down again on Sunday at midnight. They closed playgrounds (but decided to reopen them again by Thursday, hurray!). So for a few days early this week, we were back to playing in our .

When it’s shelter in place, most rules go out the window. Want to bring the toy car inside? LET’S DO IT! Haha!

(I got this car for free off NextDoor. Yes, it’s pink. The boys do not care. They can ride in it and more importantly climb on it, so it’s a winner!)

Kid’s Sleep Tent

 

I shared a Story clip of the boys during story time, and you could see a glimpse of their . You all had so many questions on it! !

It’s basically a very cute baby jail, haha! It’s a mesh tent (completely breathable) that you put inside the crib. The mattress goes inside, so it seals it on the bottom. It has huge zippers on the side that you can only open from the outside. This way, my little climbing 2.5 year old Ryan can’t climb out of his crib and wander the house in the night. So much safer!

I even have one on Josh’s bed (his converted toddler bed from a crib so it still fits). He was getting out of bed way too early in the morning (like 5:30am!) Now we put both boys to bed around 8:00/8:15pm, zip them up in their tents (they seriously love them and pretend they’re camping!) and they both stay asleep until at least 7:30am. I told you, life changing! !

Mom Confession

 

I have a confession.

Josh is 5 years old. On Wednesday, I took him to the dentist. No big deal, right?

Except…

It was his first visit to the dentist! Ever! Haha! Whoopsie!

I took Ryan too. So at least he went before he turned 2.5! Hahaha!

Both boys loved it! And now they’re oh so excited about brushing their teeth.

So if you’re a mom trying to juggle ALL the balls in the air, and a few have slipped (you know, like basic dental care)…ME TOO!

No guilt! No shame! IT HAPPENS!

Mega Holiday Giveaway!

 

One winner will win a GoWise Blender, Pressure Cooker, Air Fryer AND a $500 visa gift card!

Winner chosen Thursday (Dec 17th). Good luck!

My Robot Vacuum + Mop

 

I’ve had this for a month now and I am obsessed! It does such a great job vacuuming my house, both my hardwood floors and carpet. For vacuuming, I give it an A+

The best part?

It mops too! It has a separate attachment that I fill with HOT water (no cleaner, just water) and have it mop my hardwood floors. It does about a B+ job at mopping the floors. BUT! It is zero effort for me to mop, so I am completely fine with a “good enough” mop job.

 

Before getting this, I was only mopping once a month with my (which does a fantastic job but takes me a full 30 minutes to mop my teeny, tiny house and leaves me sweating and tired. Hence, only mopping once a month!) Now, I mop several times a week WHILE I’M SLEEPING! It is wonderful!

It is my newest best friend and I highly recommend it! !

Little Luxury Of The Week

 

I get pregnancy insomnia. Bad. If you’ve ever gotten an email or DM from me at 3am you can attest that this is true. Haha!

I got myself this (code TASTESLOVELY for 35% off!) and I am SHOCKED at how much it is helping!

I roll it on my wrists, temple and behind my ears about 30 minutes before I want to go to bed. Then I get all cozy in bed, read my book, and drift off to the absolute best sleep.

I still wake up one or 2 times in the night to pee. Because, you know, I’m 34 weeks pregnant and baby boy is perpetually squishing my bladder. But I’m falling right back asleep after which I was not before!

Way of Will has so many amazing toxic free finds that I am loving! It’s been one of my favorite finds of the year, and I love supporting such a small business this time of year. Everything has such a reasonable price point! Especially when you add on my 35% off promo code TASTESLOVELY. I also recommend their , , and .

Funny Story of The Week

Overheard this interesting conversation going on during bath time the other night while picking up the toys in the living room:

Josh: “Dad, what is that? Is it chocolate? Or Poo?” Shawn: “…I don’t know…” Shawn: *silence for 15 seconds* Shawn: “It’s chocolate.”

I do not know where this “mystery stain” was. Was it on some clothes? Was it on the floor? Was it in the bath? WAS IT ON THE TOILET?!

I do not know how Shawn determined what it was. Did he smell it? Did he touch it? Did he TASTE IT?!

Some things are better left a mystery. And this is one of those things. Haha!

Have A Great Week!

 

From me and my 2 sweet boys all cuddled up on the couch enjoying our warm morning drinks ( for them, hot tea for momma) while watching Christmas cartoons, we hope you have the very best week!

Hugs, Natalie