High Five for Friday

1)  Made a trip to the salon to get my hair done.  All blonde this time and a simple trim.  There is something great about freshly done hair.

2)  Recovered from the trip, caught up on sleep, got unpacked and laundry caught up.

3) Had a productive blogging day on Wednesday, got some posts ready ahead of time while we are gone next week.

4)  Lost my food baby that I gained on our Georgia trip and from Easter food.  I hate how I feel like I can eat anything and everything while I'm on vacation.  I hate being full and feeling full, so not sure why I always do it.  But was glad to see it go away.  A few good days is all it takes.  Now to try and have more control next week on our....

5)  I know you are tired of hearing about it, but we leave for Disney in 2 days!  Can't wait to see my boys faces, the castle, the characters, the light parade, the family fun, and the rides.  We are going to have a blast!

Preparing for a Little One Link Up

My friend Kaitlyn and I came up with a great idea that I absolutely love. 

As you know, Kaitlyn is expecting her first child. This can be so overwhelming and I know that other first time moms probably feel the same. She has so many questions and would love to hear the opinions of moms who have already been through this a time or two before.

Because of this, we are hosting a weekly series for a few weeks to try and get some answers to some of the most common questions.


We divided the series into two mini 4 week series grouped into questions Pre-Baby & Post Baby. The first mini series will be:

Friday, April 5: Registering (Everything you need to know, Must Haves, Don't Bothers, etc...)

Friday, April 12: Nursery Organization & Ideas

Friday, April 19: Packing For The Hospital: For you & the baby

Friday, April 26: Birth Stories (The good, bad, and ugly) / Birth Plans (yes? no?)

So without further ado, let's get on with Week 1: Registering! 

Registering for your first baby is one the most exciting things during pregnancy.  I know I couldn't wait to register and was overwhelmed when it actually came to getting the scanner and walking the aisles.  There are so many different and new products than there were when our parents had us and so many questions to go along with them.  What brand should I choose?  Do we really need this?  What is better for baby?  

Here is my take on advice for registering.  

Choose 2 places to register.  You don't want too many and you don't want to register at only 1.  Most likely not everyone lives and shops where you do, give your friends and family options but not too many.

Register for some items online and some in store (if available).   When you register online only it can frustrate people because they can't go to the store and get your items.  Not everyone likes shopping online.  The same goes for the flip side, not everyone wants or is able to go the store and sometimes when you register in store, the items are only available in store.

Each place you register will most likely give you a checklist, use it!    These are great guides so you don't forget a category or something you might not have thought of.  With the same token, you DO NOT need everything on that list.  Don't feel you have to register for something on the list if you don't feel you need it.

Use other mommas.   Research what other moms have liked and disliked.  Facebook or blog polls are great for this.   Ask what others have found to be great products.  This is also great for decision making such as breastfeeding or not and disposable vs. cloth.

Research and read reviews.   Some items are super cute, but lack on function and features.  This is especially important on the bigger items.  The biggest concern for items like your car seat should be safety and usability not look or you will be disappointed later.

Don't just think baby items think about the whole first year and a half.    Babies are expensive and there are many things you need after the infant stage like the silverware and safety items like outlet covers.  You might not need them right away, but you will.

Don't register for the big gender specific items.  This happens more often with girls,  yes I realize the car seats and gear are cuter with the girl patterns but what if you have a boy next, you don't want to have to buy another car seat, stroller, or swing.  Save money, get something that you can use on both sexes.

Prioritize.    Yes I know you want everything, but make a list of needs and wants.  Make sure you get the needs first and the wants second.  This is a great tactic to use if you have more than one shower a few weeks  apart, for the first one have everything on it you NEED, then if a lot of it gets purchased, add some more items that you WANT.

Now for the items we couldn't live without.

Infant Carrier/ Stroller -  Jogging strollers all the way, they are so much easier than traditional strollers.  If you can't find a travel system you like, find a jogging stroller that fits multiple car seats so you have the option to put in the stroller for the first 6 months.  Once baby can sit up, they are usually fine in the stroller without the car seat.

Convertible Car Seat-  You will need it before you know it.  My first outgrew his infant carrier at around 6 months.

Bedroom Furniture-  Crib, Changing Table and Rocker  ( We purchased a crib from Wal-Mart and have loved it.  The same crib was sold at lots of other baby stores but we found the best price on it there.)

Swing-  Noah hated the swing but Carson loved it, so you never know but with Carson we had a swing that went back and forth, and had the option to swing side to side.  These are great!

Bouncer-  (or vibrating chair, not sure why they are bouncers because they don't bounce unless you do it yourself)  Noah lived in his bouncer for a long time.  He loved it.  The vibrations are good to calm baby and and great to bring with you all throughout the house.

Monitor- We have never had a video monitor, always just the regular one and we never had a problem.  If you are wanting to save some money somewhere, I would recommend getting the less expensive regular ones.

Crib Machine or Mobile-   We had much better luck with the crib machine.  Ours had a scene of fish that moved and could play music or water sounds.  It also had a parent remote so you could restart it from the door without having to go back over by baby.

Bumbo and tray

Jumperoo and Walker- Two of the greatest inventions ever, loved them with both!

High Chair or seat chair-  We have both and the high chair we have collapses to be very thin for storage or against a wall, look for that feature!

Moby Wrap or another version of a baby carrier.  We had a ring sling, moby wrap and a strap on carrier.  I wasn't much for the ring sling but loved the moby.

For the Bedroom
- Mattress
-Crib Sheets (at least 3)
-Mattress protector (we have survived with 1)
-Bumper pads, love the breathable kind.  Ours that came with our bedding was very poofy and never fit our crib right.  Breathable bumpers were much better and I felt better about using them.
-Pad for changing table
-Blankets and swaddling blankets.  I was never much  for  the swaddlers but I know some people love them.  We always just used a thing swaddling blanket.  Carters had awesome small blankets and they always have cute different prints.  Aden and Anais are also a little bit more expensive but great for swaddling and a little lighter blanket.
- Hangers and closet organizers

Diapering
-Diapers-  Some people don't put them on their registry because they assume they will get lots of diapers at their shower and you are right but if you put them on  it lets people know which ones you prefer.
- Diaper creme, we loved Butt Paste
-Wipes
-Diaper Genie and Refills-  We have been using ours for 3+ years non stop, and still working great!  The refills do get expensive but I saw on Pinterest how to make your own.

Bath Time
-Shampoo/ Body wash- We use aveeno
-Hooded towel- If you know of anyone who makes them, ask for one.  Homemade are the best.
-Washcloths
-Lotion- We use Aveeno as well.
-Brush
-Baby bath seat, ours could fit into the sink or be used in the tub, loved that we could use it in the sink as well.  Much easier when they were newborns.
-Bath toys

Feeding
-Boppy, used this for most feedings, loved it for nursing, for bottles, to prop them up on the floor and also great when they are first sitting up
- Burp cloths and more burp cloths.  You will go through a ton of these.  I loved all the cute ones, but the ones that really work are just the plain cloth diaper ones.  The oval ones, are cute but about worthless in my opinion.
-Bottles-  Don't get the smaller ones, just register for all 8oz that way you don't need new ones once they start eating more.  We used Dr. Browns and I had Tommee Tippee as well.  If you are going to be nursing as well Tommee Tippee ones are great, if not Dr. Browns are awesome.
-Bottle rack
-If you will be nursing, I used the Medela Double Pump in Style I believe.  Any of the Medela electric ones are great.  You will also needs lots of nursing pads in the beginning (Lansinoh were my favorite) and Lanolin creme.  Also don't forget nursing bras, but be prepared to go up a size or 2.  Nursing covers are also great for nursing around people.  I had a Hooter Hider and really liked it.
If you plan on pumping you will also needs bags for your milk.
-Bibs- the Wipable ones are great.  They also sell disposable ones that are great for the diaper bag.  
- Bowls- we have some with lids that are great for travel and also the ones with the top they can get through to stop spills
-plates, sippy cups, and spoons.  We go through a lot!

Random other Items
- Pacifiers
-Play Mat
-Baby Necessities like Thermometer, nail clippers, files, nose suckers ( you can usually find kits with all these items together)
- Baby Safety-  Outlet covers, cabinet locks, toilet locks
-Teethers
-Medicine- Pain relief, teething tablets, and orajel
-Baby gate if you need one
-A few toys
-Books
-Diaper bag-  Look for one with pockets.  I changed what I wanted a bunch of times.  With each stage it seemed like I wanted the bag set up differently.

Wow, babies sure use a lot of stuff.  Sorry for the longest post ever.   I will never forget my shower and how fun it was to come home and organize all the fun stuff we got!  It seemed so real after you have your house all ready with all the baby goods.

If you have any questions on specific items I'd love to share what exact items or brands we used and if we liked or didn't like them.  Just email five27jones@gmail.com or comment below!  

Happy Registering Mom's to be! 

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Our Favorite Kid Books

There are so many neat kids books out there and we sure do have a lot of books.  I knew I wanted a book collection for my kids and once I got pregnant with Noah I started buying them.  I didn't know what we were having boy/girl yet so it was something I could start getting before we found out.  I did a lot of Ebay auctions and got some good ones but others we have just got here and there as we saw them, and have added to their collection each birthday and Christmas.  

I love reading to the boys.  I love getting to cuddle with them as they sit in my lap and here their thoughts and in Carson's case his cute little 19 month old words.  I'm so glad that each one of our boys enjoy them as well.

Here are our favorites and some that I'm excited about as they get older.

 We're All God's Creatures-  It's a touchy, feely book and is good for young ones, not too many words on each page.

The Jesus Book-  Haven't read this one much yet, it has a mini bible study on each page and also had a CD to go along with it of Bible songs.  In a few years, I hope the boys cling to this one. 

Baby's First Bible-  We got one of these for each of the boys at their baby dedication at our church.  Noah many times has asked to read his bible.  Blesses my heart so much and love that he likes to read it.  This is a good intro at his age (3)

Letters-ABC -  This one has a page for each letter along with pictures and it's dry-erase so kids can practice writing their letters.  

God Made You Special-  Awesome Veggie Tales book with a great message

Love You Forever-  A classic.  I remember my dad talking about this one when  I was little.  Noah already loves it!  Such a great story.

Clap Your Hands-  We have had 2 Elmo Lovers and this one is so cute because it has a connecting Elmo Puppet to use while you read/sing the songs

Colors, ABC's Numbers-  Both boys have loved this one.  It's awesome it has pages for letters, colors, abcs, opposites, and shapes.  It teaches a little bit of everything.  We used this a ton with Noah and have started it with Carson and he loves it as well.  It's one of our first books to fall apart.  It doesn't stay together anymore (boo!)

So Big-  Another Elmo one and if I had to pick one book, I would say this one was both boys favorites when we first started reading books to them.  

Wheels on the Bus-  Another classic, and this would be both of their 2nd favorites.  It's weird that they both have loved some of the same ones.  

The Very Hungry Catepillar- This should be in everyone's library.  Love it.  We have the big and little version and the matching stuffed catepillar.  Kohl's sells this one periodically I believe as part of their Kohl's Cares for Kids

Toes, Ears, and Nose- Every kids book library needs a book for their body parts.  We have a few different ones but I like this one the best because it has flaps and is interactive.  Any book with something for them to do, keeps their attention that much longer. 

Thomas Play Book-   Had to put at least one Thomas on the list, Noah is obsessed with anything Thomas and we have oodles of Thomas books but this one is great because it has magnetic trains that he can move througout the book and play along with the story.  We have a few different ones of these and love them all.   

Will be linking up tomorrow with Kelly's Korner for Show Us Your Life.

And also Not Your Average Crazy for Family Fridays

Jewelry Organization

Jewelry is hard to organize, especially necklaces.  I have bought multiple different organizers over the years and none of them worked well for necklaces.  Then one day I was browsing Pinterest and saw the greatest idea to hold them, a TOWEL BAR.   Our master bath had a random towel bar (excuse the ugly gold, we haven't switched over our bathroom fixtures yet)  over the garden tub and it just held a decorative towel we never used so it was the perfect place for this.  All I had to do was take the towel off, and put on some shower hooks and viola, add the necklaces and I was done.  I have been using this for about a year now and love it.  I can easily see and get to all of my necklaces and they are never tangled!  

Have you ever blogged about jewelry organization, if so, comment with your posts, I'd love to see how you all organize! 

Happy Wednesday!

inking up with Semi Homemade Mom for Show and Share Wednesdays!

Oh How Pinteresting

Another Wednesday, Another week to link up for Oh, How Pinteresting!

Will do this with Noah someday soon

http://www.simplesimonandco.com/2011/06/5-fridayfun-activites-for-our-boys-of.html

Love this idea, for in a year of two!

http://thetanuzlife.blogspot.com/2012/08/chore-discipline-charts.html

Cheesy, but so cute!  Fathers Day??

http://thebluebasket.blogspot.com/2011/09/tutorial-car-shirt.html#more

Summer activity

http://www.thepoefam.com/2013/03/goin-on-color-hunt.html

Parmesan Quinoa, want to try this week!

Love finding new clean recipes!

http://bricelife-gabrielle.blogspot.com/2012/01/rainbow-chicken.html

Because not all recipes on Pinterest are healthy... Monkey Bread Muffins, yumm!

http://www.recipebyphoto.com/mini-cinnamon-monkey-rolls/

Apple Nachos, I don't like regular nachos but these look delicious

http://www.manifestvegan.com/2011/10/apple-nachos/

This dress already sold out, but I'm in love.  Black and white, Chevron and a dress.   I want!

www.apricotlanepeoria.com

Tutorial on how to to make this adorable skirt.  If I find some spare time someday! And it uses a sheet

http://asmallsnippet.com/2012/05/from-sheet-to-maxi-skirt.html

Cute Printables

http://www.papercoterie.com/blog/celebrating-lessons-from-moms/

Been Negative Nancy.  I needed some pick me ups and some worlds to slap me back to Reality
I want to see the good in everything!

Great words to live by!

To Georgia and Back

This weekend, my mom, my two sisters, my almost 10 month old nephew, my two boys and myself drove to southern Georgia to visit our family on my moms side.  My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all live there.  The trip normally takes about 9 hours but each way it took us a little bit longer because we had to make a few extra stops than normal with the kiddos.  The did much better than I imagined it.  The biggest challenge was getting them all to sleep at the same time and keeping them quiet once they woke up and the others weren't up yet.  My boys got way more junk food  than normal but I did what I could to keep them happy.  Now we are all on a sugar detox, haha!   Overall we had a great time, we got to see lots of our family, had some great food, played games, got in a great run, good convos, shopping, relaxation,  and some good family laughs!  

And because everything is better in pictures, here are some photos from our trip!

Icing cupcakes with great grandma.  Love capturing these moments!

Finally got to wear short sleeves, shorts, and sandals.  We had great weather and spent a lot of time outside.

 Me, My beautiful sisters and momma and our precious boys on Easter morning

 No they aren't ornery at all....

 Oh, you don't play weird obstacle games with eggs on Easter?

 Dyeing Easter eggs.  Noah loved it!.

Carson crashed on grandma.  His little fit wore him out!

We woke Carson up to get in on the action

 He was quiet, I went to check on him and he was going to town on the candy in his Eggs.  Apparently candy makes him quiet for the moment!

 Carson enjoying his candy too with Aunt Kate

 Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!  

Tuesday Topics- 7 Things I Do Everyday

I'm a little late starting with these themed posts but thought it sounded like fun.  This week they are on 7 so here goes.

7 Things I do Everday

1)  Take my Genesis Pure.... Not sure what I would do without these supplements.

2)  Workout at least 5 of 7 days but on good weeks I get it in 6 of 7 days.  Right now I'm running, doing some BBL, Turbo and the Elliptical.  Each day I switch it up a little and trying to run at least 3x a week for 1/2 marathon traning.

   

 3)After those workouts this girl needs a shower and to get Ready.... Can't start the day until I do

4) Pick up, pick up, and pick up.  I'm a little OCD

5) Check email, facebook, instagram, and blogs.  I may have a slight addiction to social media.

6)  Eat!  I love to eat.  Somedays I'm a health nut, some days I'm just not!

7)  Kiss my babies!  Don't know what I would do without these boys!
This picture was this weekend at Great Grandma and Grandpas, and it's blurry but I still love it.  They do share a lot of sweet moments together!

What is something you can't go a day without doing?