Good morning and happy Friday friends! Once again my little one is up at 5 this morning... I am so frustrated because it feels like she has only slept until 7 am a handful of times... ever! Now this 5 am nonsense is back. I would blame time change but she must be an early riser like her Mama, because this has been her normal her whole life. She's currently babbling along in her crib (not crying) so I am going to let her stay in there for now while I drink my coffee and get working on this post. Give me ALL the coffee this morning because sleep has been rough around here guys. Just last night Mia was up a few times for her paci and twice to eat, and then Ella was up at 3 because she was scared and wanted to sleep with us. It took her awhile to fall back asleep... 5 am came fast and I am so tired. Any tips to ease Ella's night time worries would be so appreciated. We already do a nightlight and keep her door open so she's always able to come get us if needed. She falls asleep okay but it's always around 2-3 am that she wakes up afraid and can't get herself back to bed. I hate to think of her being scared at night and more sleep for me would be great too.
Overall our week was pretty good. It was a short work week for me but I still look forward to the weekend because that means Michael is home with us. We are planning for us to do something as a family this weekend and would love to take the girls somewhere new and fun. We are definitely homebodies at heart but it would be nice to venture out once in a while. I guess you'll find out on Monday what we decide to do ... :)
Okay, now onto our favorites from this week. A brief little list.
One- My little shadow & helper
Ella has been all about her momma lately... she is legitimately my shadow. She wants to be around me 24-7, regardless of what I'm doing. Whether it's making the bed, folding laundry, sweeping the floor- she is right there. At times it's hard, but I try to put it in perspective and enjoy it. I know one day she won't always be like this and I will be so sad and miss it. Because she loves being around me and doing exactly what I'm doing, she has become a great little helper and that is my favorite. She always helps me prepare meals, clean the house, and gets things for Mia. Love my big girl and sweet shadow/helper.
Two- A new cleaning solution
I recently saw this system at Target (made by The Grove Co.) and I knew I wanted to try it out. I love that this one bottle of cleaner will replace my other various cleaners and it's much more eco-friendly. I purchased the glass bottle as well as 1 box of multi-purpose cleaning solution. You just add water and voila. No more plastic bottles of cleaners for every little thing clogging up my cupboard. This one spray bottle is safe on glass, granite and stainless steel-and it smells great! We are loving this so far and whenever we run low we can just buy a new box of the cleaning solution instead of more bottles of plastic. I actually really enjoy cleaning... it's therapeutic for me. So of course my new cleaner made it onto my favorites list. I can't wait until we use up our other cleaners and I can get rid of them and replace it with my 1 little bottle of spray.
Three- First day of school photos
We ordered prints of Ella's very first school photo and I am soo pumped to get them. I love school pictures so much... She clearly did NOT know what was happening, but she is the sweetest. Which option is your favorite? We both loved #4, I think it's her little arms.
Four- The love between my two girls
The love between these two sisters is my favorite thing to watch. The first thing Ella asks for in the morning is her sister. She just adores her. Of course it's hard for her sharing her Mommy's attention, but that doesn't take away from how much she loves her sister. Mia just lights up whenever Ella is around. It's the best.
Five- An organized pantry
I recently re-organized our pantry and I am loving it! Anything new, clean and organized is always a favorite of mine.
Six- A holiday themed play-doh tray
I promise we haven't forgotten Thanksgiving, but I saw this play-doh tray inspiration and knew I wanted to re-create it for Ella. She spent the whole morning making christmas trees to decorate and gingerbread cookies too.
Here's a couple little cookies she made for me.
Seven- A new yummy snack
The last time I was at Target I saw this cashew based spread/dip. I think it's supposed to be a cream cheese replacement, but it's really yummy with pretzel thins. We love the everything bagel ones!
Eight- I found my 2022 planner
Every December, I get a new planner for the next year. I usually get the Happy Planner but decided this year to switch it up. I reached out to some friends on Facebook and asked everyone what they recommend for a planner. A lot of people mentioned Erin Condren and as much as I love how they look, I can't justify 60$... I'm not that busy... Haha! I found this one at Burlington for 10$ and I love how it's set up and definitely think it'll be a great fit for me this year.
Nine- Sweet baby snuggles that are rare these days
My kids are not big snugglers. Ella was always harder to rock to sleep unless she was extremely tired. Mia is the same. They usually like a bottle, a few minutes of cuddles but ultimately fall asleep in their crib. It's a good habit for babies to learn to soothe themselves to sleep but I definitely miss holding them until they fall asleep in my arms. Recently Mia has been wanting more Momma love and it's the absolute best. I love rocking her to sleep and just holding onto her and listening to her breathe... My sweet girl. She is growing so incredibly fast and I am just trying to enjoy every single moment.
Loving this little list of favorites and can't wait to see yours. I am anxious to get the day started and do something fun with my girls. Tonight I am having some girlfriends over, so I am realllllly excited for that. We were going to a Friendsgiving, but decided to just get take out and hang at my place since everyone works until about 4:30. They've never been to my house, so it will be really nice to have them/host them. I hope you all have great weekends. We will be back on Monday to recap! :)
-Ashley
xoxo
I love your play-doh Christmas tree idea! Did you buy the little “ornaments” at Dollar Tree?
ReplyDeleteGirl you know I did! :D
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