I’ve hit a road block that’s holding me up with moving on from Phase 01. Here’s my update:

PHASE ONE: PLANNING

• Take stock: I need to find LB’s old things in our attic and go through them. Clean up whatever I want to reuse and donate the rest (this is our FINAL baby). Done! I got all the boxes of LB’s baby stuff from the attic and went through them. I’d say about a quarter of it I donated and the rest I washed and have it waiting to be put away.

• Get Organized: Then I need to organize LB’s room to accommodate LB2’s stuff. LB2 will be sleeping in our room for at least the first 6 months, but ultimately we plan to have the two kiddos share a room. Here’s the road block! I ordered some cube shelves from Target and it is setting in its box waiting to be assembled but apparently we’ve lost every single screw driver we own. Mr. LL keeps forgetting to bring home one from work and I’m about to just go buy a new one because it is driving me crazy.

• Sleeping Arrangements: Like I said, LB2 will be in our room at first and I need to figure out if a pack-n-play will fit in there or if we need a bassinet. I’ve determined that a pack-n-play will work just fine, BUT ideally I’d like to have a bassinet in our room for space reasons. However, this will just have to be determined closer to the end of my pregnancy when I see how much money I’ve saved up to buy the pieces we “need” for LB2.

I’m hoping that by September, I can move on to Phase 2.

The Timeline

At the start of the pandemic I was already home. LB was sick, and so much so that Mr. LL even took off work with me. She had really high fevers, was vomiting, and just very week overall. Being two (at the time), getting her to explain what was hurting her was not working. We had to teledoc for the first two visits, but when things weren’t getting better and no medicine was being prescribed, I finally took her in to see her pediatrician. Turns out she had a urinary tract infection which was a bit of a relief and we were able to get her on medicine.

By the time she was better, her daycare had shut down, my work had gone to working remotely and Mr. LL’s job had cut back on all but two employees (Mr. LL being one of the ones that was still working). I had to seek help from family to watch LB so I could work because she wasn’t letting me focus as toddlers need a lot of attention and stimulation.

Then LB’s daycare reopened with a ton of new rules and regulations for staff and families to adhere to and I started sending her back there. Around this time, Mr. LL’s job laid him off and he went on unemployment. That actually was a bit of a blessing because he was starting to experience some pretty bad back pain and could use the time to rest and heal. Plus he got his plumbing license during that time as well. That was a weird time for me as I didn’t know what to do with Mr. LL in the house all day with me while I worked. I found it to be a bit distracting and was ready to get back to my routine working from home, alone.

The Routine

I’ve slowly developed a routine, working from home, that I’m pretty comfortable with and I’m even starting to really find enjoyable and productive. I take LB to daycare then come home and have my breakfast and coffee and plan out my day. Then I head back to our home office and start my work day.

I knock out as many tasks as I can and then when there is a lull - waiting for responses or just needing to give my eyes a break from some of the more tedious tasks - I get up and do little things around the house. I’ll go make our bed, or pick up the living room real quick, etc. Tasks that take about 5 minutes to complete. I’ll kind of flux between these things, work and quick tasks, all morning then it’s time for lunch.

When I was working at the office, I rarely took my lunch break. I didn’t want to go sit somewhere by myself to eat so I ate at my desk. I’d be done in about 15 minutes and then I’d just go back to working on whatever I was working on. Now I actually take my hour and I’ll eat my lunch, maybe get something started for dinner that night, and do the dishes.

The afternoons are much like the mornings, fluctuating between being productive at work and being productive around the house. Mr. LL’s new job has him coming home usually about an hour before my workday is through so he showers and then goes to pick-up LB. I’m wrapped up with my job and working on dinner when they get home and then we get to have a relaxing evening together.

Note: There are definitely weeks that this back-and-forth routine does not work. If I’m on deadline, I’m glued to my laptop for 8+ hours a day to get the work done. I also go in to the office about once a month (which is open but optional) and that usually throws off my entire week because I have certain things I do on certain days (on Mondays, I’ll do quick tasks that concern the bathrooms, like I’ll wipe out the sinks and the counter tops during one of my quick breaks). So it’s not rigid but it is helpful, especially on days that filled with more mundane work tasks.

The Result?

It’s been doing wonders for my mental health, honestly. To not have the house in constant chaos as it was pre-pandemic and to feel like I’m not wasting a single minute of my day.

Pre-pandemic, Mr. LL and I worked out of the house full time and so the evenings and weekends were our only time to do housework. The evenings were hard because we were both drained and LB needed our attention. We’d manage a few things but a lot of stuff slid by the wayside. Then comes the weekend and we would usually end up cramming as much house work into one day (Sundays) because we’d take a day to just recharge.

Also, pre-pandemic, I’d long felt frustrated by working in the office on the slower weeks when I would have lulls in my day that were too short for me to work on some general-upkeep tasks, but long enough for me to feel frustrated by my lack of productivity during my prime part of the day when I had energy and mental stamina to get things done.

Working from home, so long as LB and Mr. LL are out of the house, has been the answer to both of these issues.

Am I deep cleaning the house during the day? No, of course not. But just being able to walk around the house and pick up dishes, clothes, etc. and put them in places that they can be better dealt with later (the sink, a laundry basket) and not have the general clutter of a working family with a little one constantly surrounding me has been wonderful.

The Future

I know this is not going to last forever. I’ll be glad when the world is able to go back to “normal” because I do live in fear of my more vulnerable loved ones getting sick and it will be nice to be able to see friends and family in person again. Or even just go out to eat at a restaurant again.

However, I feel pretty sure that this is the world we are going to have to live in for the rest of 2020 (because the U.S. can’t figure out this whole pandemic thing) and I’m looking at the brightside that I will get to have this nice, productive routine, a little longer. LB2 is due in December and then I will have a whole new world of things to adjust to and work into my life so if I have to give up this routine after my maternity leave, so be it. I’ll be grateful for the time I had.

I’m interested in knowing what your new routines have been since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Leave a comment below telling me about it.

**This post contains affiliate links.

Those of you that have been around for a while may recall my book club, Books, Booze, + Bajingos. We don’t meet up anymore, at least to talk about books, but I asked the mods to throw up some book recommendations in the GoodReads group.

My Pick: Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite authors and this new series does not disappoint. Magic, female protagonist, a bit of romance, lots of action and mystery!

Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

Annie’s Pick: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) talks about living creatively, collaborating with your inspiration and all the stuff that goes along with it. It actually has a lot of good advice for how to approach any kind of creativity.

Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Gilbert offers insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Here’s my current world of pop culture and media intake.

FIVE THINGS:

1. Umbrella Academy Season 2 - It took me a while to get into Season 1. We tried it out and lost interest on the second episode. We decided to give it another shot and I am so glad we did. Luckily for us, we watched it all just before the new season was released so we didn’t have to wait long to continue our binge-watching!

2. Umbrella Academy (the comic books) - The Netflix series is is based on a collection of comics and graphic novels created and written by My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way. In the space between finishing Season 1 and waiting for Season 2, I read all three volumes of the comic. It’s fairly different from the show, I’d say.

3. Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris - I’ve been wanting to read a physical book lately, but I’m not ready to get books from the library just yet (because of the pandemic). However, I didn’t want to buy a book and lose interest in it so I decided a safe bet would be to pick up a Charlaine Harris novel. I haven’t ready the LIly Bard series yet but I know what I’m getting into with Harris’ books and having recently started this, I’m not disappointed.

4. Hearthstone - I’ve been playing a lot of Hearthstone lately. I mostly play in the Battlegrounds (Beta), with the occasional run in the Tavern Brawls to complete my daily quests. I also enjoy the story line quests when there’s a new one available.

5. Pokemon GO! - Mr. LL got Lazy Baby into Pokemon GO! on his phone and so I had to also reinstall the app on my phone. Mostly we let her play but I’ve been having fun hopping on here and there.

What are you watching/reading/playing these days?

Leave a comment below!

As I write this, I am 20 weeks pregnant with our second child. This pregnancy was not 100% planned. I was ready to have a second child earlier this year, but Mr. LL wanted to get some of the bigger home renovations done this year, before an infant was in the house, and so we had agreed to wait. Then I had issues renewing my birth control because my OB/GYN was on maternity leave and well, you see where this ended up..

So being pregnant during a global pandemic has not been ideal and has added some extra anxiety and stress to the whole ordeal. I’ve definitely felt more depressed this pregnancy and generally apprehensive and worried over the whole affair.

A few things are different this time around and not because of the pandemic.

I’m 35 years old this time. What does that matter you may ask? Well 35 is when they begin to call your pregnancy “geriatric”. That’s right. I’m 35 and considered f***ing geriatric by birthin’ standards. This means I’m “high risk” for things like genetic defects in the fetus, low birth weight, premature birth, other complications, etc.

I’m heavier this time. Hey, my body doesn’t bounce back like it once did and at the start of this pregnancy I was probably at my heaviest if not close, so that is also a tally against me in the “high risk” column for this pregnancy.

So with these two factors, when I took my NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Test - which is just blood work) and it came back as “unable to run” because there wasn’t enough fetal DNA in my blood stream it made me worry.

I took the NIPT again and failed it again for the same reason. Now I started to panic.

Basically, at this point, I had one option for any kind of prenatal screenings and that was to have an amniocentesis done. Scary as that was, to me at least, in-and-of-itself there was the added stressor that Mr. LL would not be allowed to go with me to hold my hand. Yeah, during this pandemic, no one but momma is allowed at any and all doctor’s appointments.

I didn’t have to take the test but my doctor encouraged it since I have the “high risk” markers and no results can be a red flag that something is wrong (tbf, she also said it could be nothing). So, being the always-wants-to-be-prepared person that I am, I opted to have it done. If I needed to plan to raise and support a child with special needs and this test could tell me about it then I would like to know.

What is amniocentesis? Well, it’s when they take a very big needle and stick it in your stomach all the way down into your uterus and get a sample from the amniotic fluid around the baby. It really, REALLY, REALLY f***ing hurts. They had to do it twice on me, because the first needle WASN’T BIG ENOUGH. It took me a full four days to recover from it. The area where it happened felt tender and sore so I just rested. But I mean, I survived. Sure I cried the whole time, was terrified and in pain but it is what it is. Not everyone has as bad an experience as I did (I hope).

Then you wait for at least two weeks to get your results. I had an appointment my regular doctor exactly two weeks from the date of the amnio and they got the results while I was waiting in the exam room. Those two weeks were stressful and I worried about my unborn baby the entire time. The week of my doctor’s appointment I was a mental void. My brain basically shut down because I think I would have just worried and stressed the whole time if it hadn’t.

So what did the results say? I have a perfectly healthy baby (gender being withheld) growing inside of me. Thank The Goddess.

This week I will hit the 20 week mark in this pregnancy! Halfway done now! With that said, and with starting back up with the blog, I thought I’d dust off the “challenge” I gave myself last pregnancy. We haven’t really started getting ready for this kiddo yet, aside from the doctor visits and making a registry on Amazon, so I’ve tweaked what I did last time around to fit this pregnancy. (You can read the kick-off post to the original challenge here and the final post here).

There will be four phases. The breakdown is roughly: Phase One - Planning; Phase Two - Gather; Phase Three - Needs; Phase Four - Final Prep. Last time I checked in weekly with my progress, but I’m not going to promise that frequency this go around.

So, let’s get started…

PHASE ONE: PLANNING

• Take stock: I need to find LB’s old things in our attic and go through them. Clean up whatever I want to reuse and donate the rest (this is our FINAL baby).

• Get Organized: Then I need to organize LB’s room to accommodate LB2’s stuff. LB2 will be sleeping in our room for at least the first 6 months, but ultimately we plan to have the two kiddos share a room.

• Sleeping Arrangements: Like I said, LB2 will be in our room at first and I need to figure out if a pack-n-play will fit in there or if we need a bassinet.

A reflection on motherhood from my perspective:

Motherhood is destroying your body to bring life into this world.

Motherhood is tiny moments.

Motherhood is not a one-size-fits-all thing. What works for some, or even most, may not work for you. And as many books and blogs written about parenting, there is no actual manual for being one.

Motherhood is finding peace when the world is crashing down.

Motherhood is not sleeping through the night.

Motherhood is being the parent that your kiddo says “I love you” to first. ;)

Motherhood is knowing the difference between a true cry and a “fake” cry.

Motherhood is sacrifice.

Motherhood is guilt.

Motherhood is the truest love in all the world.

Motherhood will make you cry. And scream. And throw your hands up, giving up on everything you were trying to accomplish in that moment.

Motherhood is caving in and giving your kid another damn cookie.

Motherhood is lying about how much TV your 2 year old watches.

Motherhood is not actually giving a shit about the TV thing.

Motherhood is hearing the best giggles and never wanting them to stop. Even if it is way past bedtime.

Motherhood is snuggling up with your kid, even though that’s a “sleep training no-no” because this is your time of the day to just be still with her and feel her relax in your arms, lap, on your chest, etc. I will not give this up until SHE doesn’t want me there anymore.

Motherhood should be celebrated every day.

Note: I gave birth to my daughter, but I don’t not consider those who have adopted any less a true parent to their child/children. The above is a reflection on my experiences and my truth. Families are love, not genetics.

I was provided a free product to review, but the opinions are all my own.

I was contacted by a representative of Maple Holistics to review this product, and after checking out the brand and the product I was 100% on-board.

First, let me gush about this brand, based on what I learned. I had never heard of Maple Holistics, and I definitely think more people should know about them! 

Their goal is to provide a natural, cruelty-free, holistic and effective range of health and hygiene products to enhance one’s daily life. Their products are PETA-certified cruelty-free and use naturally sourced ingredients. Not to mention that they support humanitarian, environmental and animal-rights charities!

PLUS: They have a product-bottle recycling program! What?! Check it out! (LINK) 

Ok, now about the product. The benefits of the Silk 18 shampoo from their product description is: “Achieve stronger, smoother, more luscious hair with silk18 shampoo. Infused with a rejuvenating blend of 18 silk amino acids which help fortify hair follicles and strengthen strands to protect hair from dryness, breakage, damage, split ends, and hair fall. The nourishing formula gently cleanses dandruff, excess sebum, and impurities to leave your hair and scalp feeling fresh but not stripped. Enriched with argan and jojoba oil to add supreme softness and a luminous shine. Our shampoo is sulfate and paraben-free making it great for all hair types, color treated hair, and sensitive skin.”

I have been using for this shampoo for two weeks now. I wanted to give it a good run before reviewing it. Mr. LL has been reviewing it as well, to me, when he uses MY products in the shower though I keep telling him to use his own. But that’s another story for another time.

I was excited to try this product out because I am a lifetime dandruff sufferer and it is starting to get hot. In case you weren’t aware, dandruff (as opposed to dry scalp) is caused by an excess of oil produced on the scalp. Heat=sweat; sweat=oil; oil=dandruff. Since they claim this product “gently cleanses dandruff” and “excess sebum” I was very happy to give it a try. I hate dandruff specific shampoos because of the menthol smell and the tar, so usually I just live life constantly brushing the hate (dandruff) away.

Another detail that really appealed to me was the inclusion of Argan and jojoba oil in their formula. You’d think that since I have excess oil on my scalp I wouldn’t want oils in my shampoo, but you are wrong! These help reset the pH of your scalp and keep your strands from feeling stripped like a lot of clarifying shampoos can do. Also, while I dont have damaged hair, I know that the struggle is real for those that do and they claim this is a good product for those of you living that life. Check out their blog post about damaged hair care.

My experience with this shampoo was overall positive. My scalp is definitely less itchy. there has been a noticeable decrease in oil and dandruff on my scalp as well. As an added bonus, my hair is softer. Also, the shampoo has a vanilla scent and that is my favorite scent. I dont find it strong at all but a nice gentle hint. 

At almost $13 for a 10oz bottle of shampoo, is it worth it? I think so. In this world of chemicals we live in, we need to be more conscientious about the products we use on and in our bodies. Not to mention I am a sucker for woke-company that is looking out for the rest of us in their brand and their products. 

This post was a review of a product that was provided to me for free, however the opinions expressed are all my own.

This is a sponsored post, but all views and opinions are my own

For the longest time, I fought the digital train. eBooks? No thanks. Digital lists? I’m good. But then, inevitably, the convenience of modern technology would win me over. Why do I need a ton of physical books taking up space and gathering dust? Give me an ereader and let me check out books from the library in the middle of the night. Thanks! Give me a list that I can keep on my phone and also on my computer, so I can constantly be reminded how much I have to do (#momlife).

But one thing that I haven’t even thought about in terms of modern technology is the ecard. I mean, I played around with them in the early days, like AOL early days (ask your grandparents, kid) but those where, well, lame. Some silly poorly made GIF with some royalty free music over it and bad font choices displaying your message. Not something that destined to last.

Then, recently, Paperless Post reached out to me to try their service. Paperless Post is a digital card and invitation company that is stepping up the online card game. They have beautiful designs that are customizable and work for a wide variety of needs.

There are so many designs and fun additional things you can do with their customization tools. You can change backdrops, text, fonts, the envelope, the inside of the envelope, etc.! I mean really the list goes on and on.

One thing I do like is that you can schedule when your card or invitation will go out. Since I’m previewing this product with no real immediate need, I wanted to see about maybe doing something for Lazy Baby’s birthday next year. I wish I had known about Paperless Post when I was doing Lazy Baby’s birthday invites back in April, probably would have gone through less stress. Now, I can make it and have the invitations scheduled to go out on a later date! Or get those holiday cards done before the task gets away from me. I LOVE that.

I know that these days, I am more likely to have someone’s email address than their actual physical address and I am certain I’m not alone in this. However, if you still want to have your cards/invitations go out IRL, Paperless Post also has a print option.

Anyway, overall, I think this is the future of invitations and mail in general. I wanted to leave you all with some of my favorite designs for a few different occasions.

Thank you so much Paperless post for giving me the opportunity to try out something new and thank you guys for reading! Check them out if you’re wanting an online service for your invitations! (This post was in collaboration with Paperless post, store credit was given in exchange for a blog post. All opinions and words are truthful and my own.)