One year ago I made a big announcement, my ABA company was ready and open for business. A dream years in the making was finally true, but there was so much unknown. The unknown of building a business, getting clients, medical billing, the list goes on. In fact, I told Joel multiple times that if 6 months in I don’t have enough clients for this business to be viable, I would go back to work for another company. But one year later, not only do we have enough clients, we have an office to see our amazing clients and an amazing team helping kiddos and their families everyday.

Maven in Behavior has been blessed with success, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been challenges. Starting a business coming off a year maternity leave and in the midst of a pandemic was already a challenge! But the biggest challenge was the learning curve of a new role, business owner. Unfortunately, this wasn’t part of any ABA curriculum when becoming a BCBA, but it should be. Google has been my best friend 😉 as well as all the amazing professionals in this field who have answered MANY questions!

Over the last year I’ve had many “pinch me” moments. Maven in Behavior has become not only a second home for me and our team, but a safe place for our families. I recently heard someone describe Maven in Behavior as a concierge ABA Company and I got all the feels! While there is still so much to learn, I am so proud of what we have created for our community!

For anyone out there thinking, “should I take the next step?”, here are some words of very young wisdom-

•It may never feel like the right time to get started, but doing your homework about all the small steps you need to get to your “destination” will make the big step much more attainable!

•If you’re not financially savvy, talk to someone who is! Set up a meeting with a CPA to get your business started off on the right foot. Then, keep track of EVERYTHING!

•Whether your a BCBA or not, chances are your business is providing some type of solution for someone. This is something I’m still learning, but the problems you’re solving don’t always need an IMMEDIATE response. Not only for your sanity, but chances are you’ll provide a better answer when you have the time to sort through it!

Birthdays are a pretty big deal around here. Let’s be honest, any excuse to celebrate just about anything, we make a big deal out of! This year, Thomas’s 7th birthday would be no different, well maybe just a little!

While celebrating a birthday during a pandemic can be somewhat of a challenge, especially when it’s your second pandemic birthday, we had to get a little creative! Last year was the first year Thomas didn’t have a big birthday party, surely we thought by this year things would be different, yet here we are! So, a few weeks ago I got to planning! We knew it would be something small and just with our family. We definitely wanted to make it extra special for a few reasons. One, we wouldn’t be with him on his actual birthday two, so much attention has been on Sprinkle lately, he deserves his own time too, and three, we barely leave the house, we all needed a change in scenery!

We decided that we would celebrate all weekend long, from Friday to Sunday. Luckily, this would fall over spring break and Easter. When he got to our house Friday morning, everything was ready to go! We gave him a majority of his presents that morning and one of those presents would be a “yes day”.

Recently Netflix debuted their movie, “Yes Day”. Truth be told, I didn’t watch the movie with Thomas and Joel because I was taking care of Sprinkle, but they made sure to tell me all about it. I had also seen floating around on Instagram the “yes day challenge” and I loved the idea! You know who loved the idea more, Thomas!

I was ready for some pretty outlandish requests, but really there weren’t any! If you follow me on Instagram, then this past weekend you saw Thomas’s itinerary and were able to follow along for the day, but here’s what he planned:

• Eat candy and drink Sprite for breakfast
• Have a marshmallow fight
• Take a nap with Sprinkle (really this meant watching YouTube while Sprinkle slept next to him!)
• Go to Mima’s house and have a sleep over (his grandmother’s house-always an automatic yes day there!)

So, overall pretty tame, pandemic friendly and the best part…when we asked Thomas what his favorite part of the weekend was, his response, “spending time with you guys.” Doesn’t that hit right in the feels?! We ended up loving this idea so much we decided we would do this for every birthday. I love that we’ve found a new little tradition out of this!

While the yes day dominated the weekend, we can’t overlook the other small things we did to celebrate! On Friday we had set up the house with Minecraft birthday decorations, all from Amazon, and we gave him a majority of his gifts! We typically do one big gift and a few smaller ones, this year he got a Nintendo Switch! Another way we love to celebrate is getting him a themed birthday cake. This is definitely a splurge, but have found it to be so worth it year after year! Since our weekend also fell on Easter weekend it gave us the chance to relax and enjoy with family. On Easter Sunday we planned to spend the day with Thomas at his grandparents house. I made us our favorite brunch casserole dish, did a small egg hunt, we set up this fun slip and slide in the back yard, spent the day by the pool, and enjoyed some yummy cake!

While it may not have been the traditional party he’s grown up used to, this year gave of us the opportunity to create some new traditions. At the end of the day, I hope he looks back and remembers how loved he is and how special he is, not only on his birthday, but everyday!

Monday, 3/1/21, the day my dream baby didn’t feel so dreamy.

After my recent bout of mastitis, things were off. The day before I got sick, last Wednesday, what was taking Sprinkle 10 minutes to nurse was now taking 30. Thursday is when it hit, it’s 4 in the afternoon and I tell Joel I feel like a ton of bricks hit me. Sure enough, I started running a temperature and within an hour, I was at 101.9. Tylenol was helping, but by the time it would wear off, I would spike again. Nervous about Covid, at 3 am Thursday night, I drove myself to urgent care. Covid and flu were negative, and at that point, my only symptoms were body aches, fevers and chills. We wrote it off as a cold and new mama exhaustion. Luckily by morning I no longer had a fever. Sprinkle was still taking significantly longer to nurse than her usual. During one of her afternoon feeds is when I noticed a red mark on my left breast, this led me to believe I had mastitis. Since almost all my symptoms were gone, I didn’t call my doctor or go back to urgent care, by Saturday I felt like myself again and the mark was gone, but on Saturday I started noticing a change in my supply, specifically when pumping. On top of that, Sprinkle was still nursing for such a long time, her naps weren’t lasting more than 40 minutes, sometimes I could get her back down, sometimes I’d have to nurse, sometimes we we’re just up. Side note, she is going through a “leap”. By Sunday night I was obsessing over my supply and her schedule. But Monday… Monday was THE day. Every time I nursed I cried. And not tears, sobs. I kept reminding myself these are hormones, my baby is fine and she’s healthy, but nothing. I immediately put a call into Dr. Schell. My package had expired, but she sensed my desperation and talked me through my options.

It’s normal for your supply to drop for a few days after Mastitis, which by the way, I knew this (because of course I was googling every possible scenario), but it felt more reassuring coming from her. Her and Joel had similar suggestions, first breathe, but bottle feed her from the stash, see how she does, pump and most importantly call our doctors (Sprinkle’s and mine). Luckily, I already had an appointment with my OB scheduled for Tuesday. The rest of the day I took to nap with Sprinkle, made my current favorite dinner and have Joel help out a little extra. Oh, and go to bed at 9 PM.

Monday night Sprinkle slept until 5 am, I was so relieved, on top of that, her feedings were almost back to her 10-15 minute time frame and most important, I wasn’t crying! I didn’t call her pediatrician because my mama instinct didn’t think this was much other than a spurt combined with a change in my milk supply. At my OB appointment, I discussed all the symptoms related to mastitis I had experienced. He cleared me, but told me to keep an eye out, that sometimes your body can rid it on its own and a decrease in supply is very common. We were doing all the right things, feeding as much as possible and continuing to pump.

Something I gave a lot of thought to the last few days was the idea of the goal of breastfeeding. Goal, I now feel, is the wrong word to use. A goal is something you, for the most part, have control over in achieving. Breastfeeding is not something I have control over. While I set out with this “goal” of breastfeeding Sprinkle for a year, taking a hit with my supply really forced me to change my outlook on my “goal”. Instead, I have to look at this as something I get to do for as long as my body is able to and that’s ok!

While I’m so relieved things are somewhat back to normal, I can’t say I’m not a teensy bit scared of my hormones and feelings getting the best of me again. I’m so grateful and thankful for everyone who was so supportive the minute I opened up. It may not have stopped the tears or made me any less tired, but it was definitely less of a lonely place.

Reaching out to those around me was the best thing I could have done. It can be scary and daunting, but if you’re struggling and reading this, I encourage you to reach out! My inbox will always be a welcome, safe space!

Hi guys! This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through the links provided (at no extra cost to you)!

I can’t tell you how overwhelming shopping for baby products is! By no means am I here to say the products below are the best of the best, but they are what have worked for us so far! So take it all with a grain of salt, what may work for my baby, may not work for yours and what may work for your baby, may not work for mine!

While pregnant, I can’t tell you how many hours I spent researching and talking to different moms about some of the very items below! You may see that some of the items I chose were maybe simpler items such as those without battery operated movement. Joel and I both believe that at a certain point in time babies didn’t have all these high tech contraptions and you know what, they survived. Unpopular opinion, I know. Anyways, below I’ll share our favorites so far and why. I’m hoping to share the products we love in stages because I fully recognize that while Sprinkle may love some of these things now, that may not be the case as she gets older.

Our Favorites

• Lovevery Play Gym– We started using the play gym when Sprinkle was around 2 weeks and I regret not bringing it out sooner. She LOVES being on there! I love all the things the play gym brings like the high contrast flashcards and a little booklet to guide you in playtime with you baby! While it’s a little on the pricey side, I feel like it’s truly worth every penny!
• Angel Care Bath– We were originally recommended this bath and even used it for the first week or so, but I can’t tell you how uncomfortable I was bathing her. The Angel Care bath is a no frills, light weight bath and it fits perfectly in our kitchen sink! Bathing her here has made all the difference on my back and neck and she LOVES bath time now! We both dreaded it before!
• Haaka– This is another item I wish I would have gotten sooner! I learned about Haaka because I had been recommended and already using the ladybug milk collectors. As my milk was coming in and adjusting to Sprinkle I was a faucet. Using the Ladybugs I loved not having my milk go to waste! Then, after some research, I learned about the Haaka! This “pump” that does no pumping, but catches your milk as the other side is being occupied, has helped me create such a nice “stash” in our freezer for Sprinkle.
• Boppy– If you’ve seen pictures of Sprinkle, you’ve definitely seen her on the Boppy lounger! Since day 1 she has loved this! Sprinkle loved the dock a tot when we first brought her home, but that didn’t last very long. She really likes to be propped up and in the mix of things which the Boppy has a nice little incline that lets her see what’s going on! As a newborn, she would occasionally fall asleep in the Boppy too, but not so much anymore.
• Baby Bjorn– We were recommended a few different bouncers, but after some extensive research, this was the bouncer I felt best about. I cannot tell you how much Sprinkle loves this thing. She’s been hanging out on the kitchen counter while I cook daily as she’s in the Bjorn and often falls asleep in there! At the beginning she was to little to bounce it on her own, but she’s starting to now!
• Newton Mattress– I am SO happy with our Newton Mattress. I knew we wouldn’t be using a bassinet with Sprinkle and she would be sleeping in her crib from day 1, so this was a big and an important purchase for us. The Newton Mattresses are 100% breathable and washable, as a new mom that gives you so much peace of mind! Luckily we haven’t had to wash it yet, but I thought it was so great that you can literally just hose the mattress down! If you’re interested, I have a discount code for you to use! Click on the link here and type in this code at checkout:  livelovefinds50
• Halo Swaddle– I can’t tell you how many swaddle blankets we have because I convinced myself Sprinkle would be the cutest swaddled baby. She’s still cute, but Mama and Papa HATE swaddling. In a night of desperation, I placed a pick up order for the Halo Swaddle. This has been the best we’ve used in comparison to a few others!
• Nanobebe bottle– Babylist.com offered a great bottle introduction pack that came with several different popular options for baby to try. The first two weeks that Sprinkle was home and wasn’t really breastfeeding, we did have to use bottles, the Nanobebe was Sprinkle’s favorite. In fact, whenever I’m not home and we leave a bottle for her, this is always our go to!
• Nuna Pipa Car Seat– The Nuna Pipa car seat was a no brainer for us, the reviews were fantastic as it’s one of the highest rated car seats on the market. So far I love it, but then again we’ve used it a handful of times considering we don’t leave the house. I will say it does easily connect to the stroller, making it hassle free!
• Nuna Mixx Next Stroller– I love that this stroller goes with our car seat. While I’ve only used it for walks around the block, it is so light and super easy to use! I also love the style!
• Solly Baby Wrap– You’ve probably seen me wearing Sprinkle in the Solly Wrap. It is so soft and comfortable and perfect for when I need my hands, but Sprinkle needs her mama!
• Baby Buddha Pump– Thank goodness for this pump! While pumping wasn’t necessarily my original plan, things changed when Sprinkle had a hard time breastfeeding the first few weeks. The Baby Buddha is so quick and amazing that it’s hands free!
• Skip Hop Changing Pad– This pad is seriously the BEST! It’s waterproof and a special type of cushioned foam, so it makes clean up a BREEZE!

Some other favorites

• Tubby Todd Bath Products by shopping through this link you’ll receive 10% off your order 🙂
• DockATot
• High Contrast Toys

Sprinkle Update

This week we had our two month visit with Sprinkle’s pediatrician and I am happy to report she’s doing great! She’s weighing in at 10 lbs and 22.5 inches long! We made the decision to space out her vaccines so we should be done with her first round in about 2-3 weeks. Next week she’ll be getting her ears pierced! For the last two or three weeks Sprinkle has been smiling and making all sorts of new sounds. I swear everyday I hear a new one and it just melts my heart! She’s not the biggest fan of tummy time, but everyday she’s at it a little longer and complaining a little less! We’ve been working hard on a daily routine and sleep training and I’m so happy at how successful we’ve been. You can check out more on my Instagram, but look out for a post soon! Can’t wait to see what new stuff she starts doing in the upcoming weeks!

As a blogger and new mom, I had to post my hospital bag! I asked around quite a bit and did some research on some staple items I should have. Let me tell you, I didn’t use half of it, more than half probably.

What you see pictured above are the things I did use minus a few and I’ll go into detail as to what those were and why. I’ll also be suggesting some things that I did see commonly suggested, but we didn’t have the need for.

The Bag Essentials

For starters, the bag you see pictured above, I LOVE! It’s the perfect travel bag and was packed for weeks before giving birth, but last minute Joel decided he didn’t want to carry so many bags and we put everything in one larger one.

Comfy pajamas are a MUST! I loved this Eberjey Pajama because it is so soft, makes nursing super easy and bathroom trips a little more bearable. Target has a similar option for much cheaper! On the topic of nursing, bring nursing bras and pumping bras! The ones linked are the exact ones I’m using! I didn’t have a pumping bra on me and do I regret it! While it may not be in your plans, it wasn’t in mine, it’s good to have backup!

It goes without saying you’ll need a charging cable for your phone, but an extra long one is the way to go!

If you read my birth story, you know that having my hair done before going to the hospital was VERY important for me! Wasn’t sure when my next wash would be, so I wanted it to be as perfect as possible before checking in. Bringing my Revlon Blow Drying Brush and Dry Shampoo were lifesavers for touch ups and photos! This is part of my regular routine at home! While the hospital provided toiletries, it was nice to have my own things from home and having them organized in a little baggie definitely helps! I also brought shower shoes with me and I’m so glad I did. While our room and bathroom were clean, it’s just not your bathroom!

Mama also needs a coming home outfit, while a bit more thought went into Sprinkle’s, mama also needs to look cute! My suggestion, a loose comfy dress! This dress was one of my favorites while I was pregnant and love that it’s non-maternity so I can still wear!

Extras:

• Hand pump
• Nipple balm
• Nursing pillow

For Baby

The hospital did a great job at providing most of everything we may have needed for Sprinkle, such as diapers, onesies to sleep in, wipes, baby soap, bottles, a pump, and a pacifier. Really the only thing we needed was outfits for any pictures we wanted to take and a going home outfit. But here are the things I brought, or similar, for Sprinkle:

• Pacifier
• Pacifier Clip
• Swaddle
• Onesie

The Other Essentials

Some reminders of things to make sure are in order before going to the hospital!

• Verifying with your insurance company what steps and documentation are needed to add baby on for coverage
• Car seat installed, we have this one and love!
• Any pre-registration information for hospital
• Your insurance card and ID
• Prenatal Vitamins

Nurse Baskets

While this totally isn’t necessary or required, I can’t tell you how much the nurses appreciated it! If you follow me on IG you know Joel was against it at first, but I think he changed his tune once he saw how happy the nurses were! I had two baskets, one for the labor and delivery nurses and the other for the post partum nurses once I was in my recovery room.

The baskets were simple to put together, found these bins at Michael’s and the Dollar Store and I filled them with non-perishable goodies. I had put them together about a week or two in advanced since we were on baby watch for quite some time. Definitely did not want to put these together at the last minute! I also made sure that all the goodies were individually packaged since it is Covid times!

Things That Didn’t Make the Cut

A lot of what I packed were things the hospital already provided and never even made it out of the bag. For example, diapers for me, pads, Tuck’s medicated wipes (god send), dermaplast, etc. Another common suggestion I hear is a sound machine, nightlight or fan. We haven’t used a sound machine for Sprinkle, so we opted out of this. As for a nightlight and fan, our room had different light options and we were in control of AC, so didn’t find this necessary. There were also a lot of suggestions for your own pillows and towels. While these things would have been a pure luxury to have (the pillows were AWFUL), I think Joel would have killed me if I had him carry one more thing!

When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately started planning a nursery. Truth be told, I started planning for a boy nursery. Part of me was convinced we would be having a boy and the other part of me found that planning a girl nursery was way more exciting and I didn’t want to get my hopes up in designing something that wouldn’t come to fruition. To Pinterest I went and planned away, for a boy and a girl.

When working on design and furniture for our house, I’ve always started with picking out the largest item for the room and designing around that. It was a no brainer to start with the crib. Although there were a few I liked, I kept going back to this one. I felt it was gender neutral and loved that it could serve her for years to come since it convers to a toddler bed and later on a full size bed. We actually just ordered the conversion kits!

Once we found out that Annabelle was a girl, I immediately started going through all my “girl nursery” pins and went a little crazy! If you know me, you know I like to get everything done ASAP. I wanted everything ready for when Sprinkle arrived, especially since we wouldn’t be using a bassinet and she would be in her crib as of day 1. As I started planning, I realized, this girl, or her mother rather, had a vibe. I didn’t want anything overly pink, but rather, all the mid-century modern boho vibes. I would say we executed pretty damn well.

I love that the pieces we chose can transition with her for years to come and hope she loves it one day as much as I loved designing it! Below I will link everything shown.

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New mamas, how many times have you heard that? My thoughts on breastfeeding before getting pregnant, at first I was a hard no, I’m not doing that. Once I was pregnant, I warmed up to the idea and as I got further along, while it was something that I wanted to do, I also wasn’t tied down to the idea in case I physically couldn’t.

While I was pregnant, I came across Dr. Schell. An OB-GYN in the local Miami area, now offering Post-Partum Care services. I loved this concept since there is SUCH a need for it! One of her services is offering breastfeeding support. While sure, I could probably have googled and consulted a whole bunch of other mamas, I wanted to go this route. I’m so happy I did! I invested in her packages and will also be working with her for sleep training in a few weeks, stay tuned! I had one virtual call with Dr. Schell prior to going into labor, so I felt prepared with the latch technique she showed me and felt comfortable knowing I had plenty of calls remaining to work with her!

As soon as Sprinkle was born they immediately placed her on my chest and we tried to get her to latch. Honestly, I can’t remember if she successfully did at this point or not, there was SO much going on and I was so overwhelmed with the moment of her finally being with us! Later on back in our post-partum room our “journey” began. I had planned to feed Sprinkle ever 1.5-2 hours day time and every 3 hours at night. Operative word being “planned”. Using Dr. Schell’s technique, my brest friend pillow in tow, Sprinkle would latch, but would suck 2-3x and call it a day. But we kept trying ALL day. Our first night was the most difficult. She refused to suck and was inconsolable. Our nurse tried helping, and finally after a few hours, Joel was able to calm her down.

At the hospital they had two different lactations consultants come meet with me. One was VERY aggressive in her approach and frankly off putting. The other was definitely less subtle in her approach and helpful, but at the end of the day, I left that hospital without being able to successfully breastfeed. The most helpful person was a nurse who kept checking on me almost every 20 minutes and offered great support. Finally we gave Sprinkle formula to ensure she was at least eating and I started pumping.

Keep in mind what you produce the first few days is colostrum, not actual milk, but I was happy to pump quite a bit and baby girl was happy to drink it all from a bottle. Was I nervous that we had introduced a bottle, ABSOLUTELY. But I remember seeing Dr. Schell post that this would be something we could work on.

Going home I knew I was going to have to pump until I was able to speak with Dr. Schell. Mistake number 1, not having a hands free pumping bra. I had literally EVERYTHING else, not sure how I missed this. It honestly almost broke me waiting for Amazon to deliver that damn bra. I was miserable holding those bottles for 20 minutes every two hours. Joel was amazing the first few days washing everything for me after I would pump, but I was exhausted.

I finally spoke with Dr. Schell who observed a feeding with Sprinkle. The latch was good, but my nipples might be the problem. My nipples are a little flat, so a little hard for Sprinkle to suck. She recommended we try a nipple shield. What I love about Dr. Schell is that her care is individualized, meaning, this was my recommendation. Had I not spoken with her directly I may have been given different suggestions or solutions. Immediately, I purchased the nipple shields. Joel was hesitant and practically believed this wouldn’t work. Let me tell you, I popped on those shields and Sprinkle DRANK. I can say it was one of the top experiences I’ve had, being able to provide from my body for my baby girl.

Dr. Schell and I had discussed that the nipple shields don’t have to be forever. With trial and error we will go fading out the nipple shields. As a BCBA, I love the term fading. Basically, we’re adding something to the environment to help us get to the end goal, but we ultimately want to fade this “help” so that it can be done independently. By chance this week Sprinkle was HUNGRY, but the nipple shields were downstairs. I gave it a go feeding her without the shields and baby girl did it! It wasn’t perfect, but after a few attempts not only was she latched and sucking, but she was drinking! Since then, we’ve been doing a lot of practicing and ultimately the goal will be to not have to use the nipple shields!

Let me tell you, breastfeeding is WORK. Might as well be a full time job. It’s hard and tiring, but also so rewarding and I feel lucky that I’ve had the success I’ve had because I am also aware that not everyone is as lucky. I’ve also been lucky to have a great support system behind me from my family and friends, to my Instagram family and most importantly Dr. Schell!

Now our next step…dairy free breastfeeding. More on this to come soon!

My first post of 2021 and I could not be more overjoyed that it’s Annabelle’s birth story. Even as I sit here writing this, as she sleeps next to me, I am still mind blown that we created this perfect little being!

My pregnancy with Annabelle was overall an easy one, even if I was nauseous everyday from about week 8 till literally the very last moment. I had heard so many horror stories of all the awful ways I could be feeling, that no matter how tired I got, how out of breath I became, or just how nauseous I felt, I knew I was lucky. Like they say, it was worth every moment in the end.

My last few weeks I was ready for this girl to make her debut. As the days kept getting closer and being the over planner I am, my anxiety was high. When would she come, would it interfere with Christmas or our schedule with Thomas? This was on my mind NON STOP the last few weeks. At my 38 week check, I was 2 cm dilated and expressed how ready I was to get this girl OUT. My doctor told me that if I wanted to be induced the following week, a few days before my due date, we could do that. This mama was THRILLED, I could plan! We set an appointment for the following Monday, December 28th, to check me out and we would go from there.

Monday the 28th came and I happily went to that doctors appointment, hoping I’d be more dilated than my last visit. My doctor did the routine cervix check and probably a little extra because WOAH. But only about 3 cm dilated. We decided that inducing was the way to go, he called the hospital right after my visit to see what was available. But woah was all we needed to get things started.

Joel had driven me to the appointment and almost immediately after I felt cramping. I had felt cramping the first time around so didn’t think too much of it. The hospital called me immediately for me to come get a Covid test prior to being admitted. We didn’t even go home, but drove straight to the hospital to get this out of the way. Next order of business, get lunch. I had said my first meal after I delivered would be a deli sandwich, but at this point Mama was giving no ef’s because these “cramps” I was feeling, were contractions. I got my deli sandwich and I ate it too. Once finally home, I started timing my “cramps”. After an hour, I look at Joel and say, we’re going back to the hospital today. But what did I have to do first? My hair of course. I did my hair, I’m talking scalp treatment and full on blow dry, got ready and Joel packed the car. I called my doctor and since his office is next to the hospital I would be delivering in, he told me to come to the office first for him to check if I was any further along compared to the morning. I was still 3 cm dilated, but more effaced, but at this point my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. I was given two choices, go walk around and then go to the hospital to have a baby, or go straight to the hospital. Mama was ready, and off to the hospital we went.

By about 5-5:30, we were already checked into a room and my contractions were getting stronger. The plan was, get an epidural and then my doctor would come break my water. Well, my body had it’s own plans because around 6:00 pm, my water broke on it’s own. Side note, out of ALL the advice and words of wisdom I was given, how was it missed that when your water breaks, it keeps drippin’. #notpleased. At 7, I got my epidural and thank goodness for that. The immediate relief I felt was a nothing short of a miracle, but not for long.

At 8:40 my doctor came to check me and to break my water completely, but at this point I was only 4 cm dilated. My body wasn’t making much progress on it’s own, so they started me on Pitocin at 9:45. At around 10:30 they gave me the peanut ball to see if that would help things moving and make me a little more comfortable. But shortly after, boy would things change. From about 11 pm on, my pain was unbearable, I felt EVERY contraction. Although we tried some more of my epidural, pump after pump, nothing would take that pain away. The only thing happening was I was no longer able to feel my legs. To the point that when switching me from side to side, it required two nurses because I could NOT move. I didn’t get feeling back in my legs till about 8 am that day.

Around 2 am is when things were cranking up! I was still in awful pain, but I was finally feeling that “urge”, that urge to push! They were hesitant to check me again so first, my nurses tried moving me from side to side to see if that would help out, but no. We then realized that baby girl had shifted, still head down, but facing up towards the world instead of my spine, which they explained was probably why I could no longer feel my epidural and instead feel all the pain I was feeling. Finally, at 2:45 my nurse checked me. I was 10 cm dilated and it was time to go! They called my doctor who was in our room by 3 am. As soon as my doctor came in we immediately did two practice pushes when all of a sudden I heard, “she has a full head of hair!” Annabelle was ready to make her debut!

I cannot tell you how scared I was to push, especially since my epidural wasn’t working for my contractions, but much to my surprise, that epidural WORKED. Mama pushed for about 15-20 minutes and Annabelle was here! A perfect 7 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long and at 3:23 am, our Annabelle was in my arms.

I got so lucky that while my epidural wasn’t working for my contractions, it certainly worked while pushing. I barely felt a thing and can honestly say it was the easiest part of the whole process. I definitely would not be saying the same thing a few I hours later after everything wore off!

Everything everyone tells you about that moment is true. You forget all the hard work, pain, discomfort leading up to that moment. Holding her for that first time was pure bliss!

We got about 20 minutes (maybe more maybe less, that time until we got to our post partum room is a little hazy) with our precious baby girl before they took her to the nursery so she could get cleaned up and mama could get cleaned up and taken to our post partum room. Joel went to the nursery and a nurse came back to let me know that he was just staring in awe of our baby girl, my heart melted.

Now, while I was hoping that by the time we brought Annabelle into the world, Covid would be a thing of the past. It wasn’t and isn’t. We are still in the thick of it, whether you’d like to believe it or not. Luckily, Joel was able to be with me the entire time, for the first time during my pregnancy. I also did not have to deliver with a mask on. I know this has not been the case for everyone, so for that we feel so lucky. Overall, despite the challenges Covid presented and some uncertainty about Annabelle’s future when we first got pregnant, we had such an amazing support system from all our doctors and nurses, to all our family and friends.

It is still mind blowing to me that I am sitting here writing my baby girl’s birth story. She was so wanted and is so loved by so many. Joel, Thomas and I, Cogsy not so much, are enjoying every moment we’re lucky to have with her.

WhAt a YeAr! While this year has been trying in so many different ways, it was also the year that gave our family so many things to be thankful for. Joel and I got married, our honeymoon was the trip of a lifetime, and most importantly, we are so lucky to be growing our family.

My beautiful and insanely talented friend and the only photographer I’ll ever trust, Maria Font, helped us capture not only the magic of this season, but some of our last moments as a family of 3. Despite all of the craziness, I will always treasure these photos that make me pause and realize all that we have. Such special moments in the home we’ve worked so hard to create!

What are some of the things you’re thankful for in 2020?

Many of you have followed along on what seemed to be a never ending journey. Finally, 5 pandemic and pregnant months later, it is nearly complete. I say nearly because we need to complete the finishing of our window, but I can live with that!

I want to share with you not only our kitchen and all the details I spent weeks and months planning, but also some tips! Then check out below the complete transformation! Let me know what you think!

Kitchen Remodeling Tips

1. Hire a contractor and don’t deal with it. HAHA, but really!
2. Ok, so if you’re not going to hire a contractor, go with somebody local through recommendations. They will pay much more attention to detail and the customer service will far exceed that of any big name company. I can say TRUST ME on this as we used a mix of both for this project.
3. Be prepared to wait and for things to NOT go according to plan.
4. Budget for lots of take take out. While I looked forward to this initially, it got old real quick.
5. Hold on to a microwave to be able to do some cooking! I am quite surprised at all the things I was able to make in there!
6. Bonus: this experience put me back in touch with my air fryer! Also VERY handy when you don’t have access to a major appliance.
7. Despite having a PERFECT timeline, things never go according to plan, reference #3. We held on to our old appliances in our garage until new ones came and were able to be installed. This was key!
8. BE PICKY and SPEAK UP! It’s your money and you should get EXACTLY what you want AND paid for. If you follow me on IG you know all the bumps in the road that came along with this kitchen. But as I type this, sitting in an almost complete kitchen, I’m thankful for all the hell I raised (and it was a lot) to get exactly what we wanted!

All products are linked below, but if there is something you don’t see, always reach out or if you have any questions about our personal experience, always reach out!

Before

After

Not only are we DAYS away from Christmas, but that means were DAYS away from Sprinkle! This year I’ve compiled a few gift guides that will hopefully help with everyone on your list! I’ll be keeping an eye on a lot of these items on Black Friday to make sure I’m getting the best possible deal! Happy finding my friends!

Men’s Gift Guide

• Yeti Cooler– We have this cooler and not only does it keep things cool for literally over 24 hours, but it stores SO much! We have gotten so much use out of this and have even traveled with it!
• Google Home– We have one in our kitchen and mini’s all over the house, we get so much use out of this! I imagine there will be some sales on this for Black Friday.
• UE Boom Speakers– We have 2 of these, which you can actually sync together for even MORE sound! They also float in the pool, so fun!
• Ridge Wallet– I got this wallet for Joel when we first started dating and he still uses it. It has some cool features and very sleek.
• Personalized Decanter– I love the decanters from Crate and Barrel, we have a similar one on our bar cart.
• Electric Wine Opener– I love that this set also comes with a foil cutter, makes opening a bottle so much easier!
• Hydro Flask– I love this water bottle, but this was actually a Joel find! A larger one is also on my wish list this year!
• Google TV– I’ll be getting this for Joel this year since it was on his wish list! Can you tell we’re a google house?
• Knife Sharpener– Over the last year and a half we’ve invested in a few really great quality knives for our kitchen, this sharpening block has been great at keeping them like new!
• Sony Ear Buds– I got these noise cancelling ear buds for Joel last year and he uses them daily! They’re currently on sale for a great price, so keep an eye on these!

Mom’s Gift Guide

• Square Wine Glasses– These glasses are V on trend right now! I think I’ll be adding some to my own wish list!
• Mackenzie Child’s Vase– This vase would pair great with the dried floral arrangement idea I’m linking below!
• Slip Pillowcase– I own this pillowcase and besides being so soft, it’s great for your hair!
• Silhouette Print– I gifted this to my mom last Christmas and included all her kiddo’s on one print! Vana at Le Papier Studios does such a beautiful job with these custom silhouettes and has so many varieties of what she can do on her websitez1
• Eberjey PJ’s– I think you’ll probably always see something Eberjey related on a gift guide! All of the Eberjey products are so soft and cozy and always make a perfect gift!
• Olaplex Hair Fix– I’m recently a huge Olaplex fan and this holiday gift kit is the perfect way to introduce someone to the world of Olaplex!
• Dried Floral Arrangement– I’m linking here a local florist who makes STUNNING dried and fresh arrangements. I recently purchased two dried arrangements for our home from Sam’s Blooms and could not be happier! I love that you can customize the arrangements to your decor and they require no maintenance! If you’re not in Miami, I encourage you to reach out to your local florists!
• Instant Pot/Air Fryer-Joel may kill me if I add one more appliance to our kitchen, but this combo instant pot/air fryer is a total game changer!
• Packing Cubes– While travelling may be at a standstill, packing cubes really changed my travelling game last year. There are so many different options to choose from and make a great gift!
• Revlon Blow Dryer Brush– This brush has changed my haircare routine! My mom also got one as well and loves it!

Kid’s Gift Guide

• Batcave– I can’t say I know all the details around this, but it’s on Thomas’s wishlist!
• Play kitchen– I love that this isn’t your traditional kitchen and incorporates farm to table, so cute!
• Taco & Tortilla Play Set– I’m a sucker for all Melissa & Doug toys, but this taco set is the CUTEST!
• Tamagotchi– I’m so happy these are still around in 2020! Have not played with this one, but looks like they’ve gotten a major upgrade!
• Vtech Phone– We got Thomas this “phone” for his birthday and it was one of his favorite presents! It was a little hard to keep up with since he goes back and forth between houses, but it does have so many fun features! I do love that we were able to text him when he wasn’t with us!
• Skates– Since we’re all at home a little bit more these days, skates would be such a fun gift idea to get everyone a little more active!
• Jewelry Organizer– I got this organizer for my niece last year and hand painted it to customize with her name! It’s a great size and you could even include some fun jewelry when you gift it!
• Instax Fujifilm Gift Set– I got this camera for all our wedding related acitivites last year and love it, but could be super fun for kids too! Love that it comes already as a gift set!
• Stunt Drone– Another item I don’t know much about, but will probably be under our tree this year for a certain someone! He circled it for his wish list!
• Nintendo Gift Card– For older kiddos, this makes a great gift so they can pick out the games they’d like! You can also purchase for xbox, roblox, play station, etc.

Teacher’s Gift Guide

• Personalized Bracelets– These bracelets are not only made by Thomas’s mom, (check out her Etsy Shop, she has tons of goodies!), but can be totally customized! Bonus: Use code Alanasgifts15 and get 15% off your order!
• Personalized Stamp– This is SO cute and such a fun idea! I would have loved this when I was a teacher to put on my student’s work!
• Teacher Fuel Tumbler– What teacher is not running on coffee! Love This teacher fuel tumbler with the cute personalized name addition!
• Grow Garland– This would make such a cute addition to any teacher’s classroom!
• Coffee Coaster– This would go perfectly with the personalized tumbler! A cute personalized coaster for your teacher’s desk. You can also add a personalized message on the back!
• Google Home– I would have loved having one of these in my classroom back in the day! Quickly put on timers, music, and search for info!
• Erin Condren Planner-I love Erin Condren’s planners! This teacher one would be so helpful for any teacher and added bonus that the covers are interchangeable!
• Notepad– This is such a cute notepad that can be customized with your teacher’s name!
• Planter– I love the idea of gifting a planter with a cute succulent or even dried arrangement!
• Amazon Gift Card– And if all else fails, who doesn’t love an Amazon gift card?!

Boss’s Gift Guide

• Wine & Cheese Basket– This gift could really apply to anyone because who doesn’t love wine and cheese?! We have a local liquor shop that does this for us, Sunset Corners (ask for Kamille), but if you’re not local, check the stores around you!
• Candle– Jo Malone candles always make a great classic & timeless gift! They always come beautifully
• Pura Home Scents– If you follow me on IG you know I love my pura! This would make a great gift for any office space! Plus I have a discount code for you! Bonus: Use code LLF15 for 15% off your entire order!
• Personalized Ornament– Shameless plug here, for the holidays I’ll be making these custom ornaments! Something personalized is always a special treat! Bonus: Use code LLFBLOG when checking out you can save 10% on your entire order!
• Amazon Gift Card– You’ll probably see this pop up a lot, while it’s not the most creative or out of the box, a gift card is always a safe idea!
• Custom Coasters– Another shameless plug! I’ve made a few of these marble coasters and love how they’ve come out! I can make them in sets or individual and can be customized however you’d like! Bonus: Use code LLFBLOG when checking out you can save 10% on your entire order!
• Cheese Board Set– Have a boss that loves to entertain? This cheese board set is PERFECT! Comes with knives and expands for all your hosting needs!
• Coravin– This is a pricey gift, but the Coravin system is great for wine lovers! Coravin let’s you open the bottle of wine, but only pour what you’re going to drink so that the entire bottle doesn’t go to waste!
• Grazing Board– Who doesn’t love being gifted food and snacks?! A beautifully presented grazing board is a wonderful idea for a boss who may be tricky to shop for! Here I’m linking a local favorite, Blissful Boards, owned by Melissa and has already done some boards for me! If you’re not in Miami, chances are someone in your area has jumped on the grazing board bandwagon! Bonus: When ordering with Melissa, let her know you were referred by LiveLoveFinds blog for a 15% discount on your order!
• Phenomenal Women Mug– 2020 was quite a year, but women have made quite an impact! Have a kick ass girl boss, this mug would make a great gift!

Baby & New Mom Gift Guide

• Dr. Schell– If your a Miami mom, chances are you’ve heard of Dr. Schell! OB-GYN turned postpartum concierge miracle worker, Dr. Schell offers a new kind of service for mom that is invaluable! I’ll be working with Dr. Schell myself when Sprinkle arrives, but her packages make an amazing New Mom gift!
• Eberjey Nightie– Told you you’d be seeing Eberjey all over my guides! This nightie is not only so unbelievably soft, but perfect for nursing!
• Personalized Ornament– What a cute way to remember baby’s first Christmas! Yet again, another shameless plug, but this has to be one of my favorite ornaments to make! Bonus: Use code LLFBLOG when checking out you can save 10% on your entire order!
• Temperature Control Mug– How many moms are notorious for not being able to get through one cup of coffee without it getting cold!? This temperature control mug solves that problem!
• Personalized Mommy & Me Jacket– I love making custom jackets and a mommy and me one is no different! Bonus: Use code LLFBLOG when checking out you can save 10% on your entire order!
• Lamaze Octopus– You probably saw this on my gift guides last year if you’ve been around for a while! Lamaze makes great baby toys, but this Octopus has always been one of my favorites since it was gifted to my brothers 18 years ago!
• Mommy & Me Hospital Set– I recently made a purchase through Little Miss Dessa and learned that part of their proceeds goes towards prematurity awareness and medical research. Tiffany of LMD has a beautiful story and all her pieces are just as gorgeous!
• Lovevery Play Kits– The lovevery play kits are subscription based play kits delivered to your home and based on babies developmental stages! This would make a great gift for a new mama and it’s a gift that keeps on giving!
• Necklace Charm– I discovered Le Papier Studio through one of my favorite bloggers, Lovely Lucky Life, last year. Vana makes a range of custom pieces, everything from charms, to ornaments, to prints! Her custom work makes a perfect gift!
• Personalized Pillow– Stitching around is a local monogramming company here Miami that offers so many different gift items! Sprinkle was gifted this sweet pillow along with a matching lovey!

Adult Stocking Stuffers

• Custom Coasters– You can gift a solo custom coaster or a cute custom set! Bonus: Use code LLFBLOG when checking out you can save 10% on your entire order!
• Google Home Mini– The google home mini makes a great stocking stuffer!
• Reusable Portable Straws– Not only are these eco friendly since they’re reusable, but they are portable! Great to always have on you on the go!
• Floating Wine Glass– I have gifted these numerous times and they are always a hit! These glasses will float in the water so you never have to worry about spilling a sip!
• Le Labo Discovery Set– If you’ve smelled anything Le Labo, you know how heavenly their scents are. This little discovery set lets you sample a bunch of their unique scents!
• Cord organizer– With so many devices and cords, it’s easy to make a mess of them all. These little personalized organizer solves that problem!
• Car diffuser– I got one of these a few years ago and love it! Plugs right into your car and gives you all the aromatherapy you need to deal with the road!
• Nail polish holder– Girls, it’s already struggle enough doing your own nails, but this little holder helps eliminate some of that struggle! Wear this as a ring and it will hold the polish bottle for you!
• Amazon Gift Card– Still can’t decide?! Let your loved one pick something they have their eye on with a gift card!

Kid Stocking Stuffers

• Reindeer Farts Cotton Candy– This is such a funny little gag gift, so clever!
• Learn to Draw Animals Book– I love this idea that it acts as a guide instead of just a traditional coloring book!
• Banagrams– This game is such a classic! Great introduction to scrabble and a fun way to practice spelling!
• UNO– Uno is such a hit in our house and I love that it gets the whole family involved!
• Super Stars– I always had these on my ceiling growing up and LOVED looking at them as I went to sleep! Glad they’re still around
• Mad Libs– Now that Thomas is getting a little older and more familiar with parts of speech, Mad Libs will be such a fun activity for us to do!
• Hair Clips– This is such a fun set for girls! There are so many options!
• Twistable Crayons– For some reason, Thomas is OBSESSED with twistable crayons I have from when I was little. This will be a great replacement for when he finally goes through them all!
• Dont Laugh Joke Book– I loved stumbling across this because we used to play a game with Thomas were we would say “don’t laugh” and of course he’d start cracking up! Can’t wait to see his face when he sees this in his stocking this year!
• Jigsaw Puzzles– I love gifting puzzles! Not only do they provide endless entertainment, but there are so many options that you’re sure to find one your kiddo will love!

I feel like I ALWAYS struggled to find hair products that worked for me! When I decided to start investing in some quality products, thats when I noticed such a big difference! Below, I’m sharing the products I love and use daily!

Living Proof Shampoo and Conditioner: I try to only wash my hair 2x a week, but when I do I swear by Living Proof and their perfect day collection!

Olaplex Holiday Fix: I’m just recently playing around with Olaplex and I love it! This holiday fix not only makes a great gift, but it’s a great way to sample their products!.

Revlon Dryer Brush: If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been using this brush for the past few months and LOVE it! Hopefully you snagged one on Prime Day, but if not, you can still shop!

Biolage Scalp Treatment: My amazing hairdresser recommended this for me at the beginning of my pregnancy when I was getting tons of build up. I use this once a week to give my scalp a good refresh!

It’s a 10 Leave in Conditioner: I’ve been using this product for years now and have converted Joel into a fan as well! I use this right after my shower, not only to moisturize, but to also protect!

Amika, the Shield: I love this product not only because it smells amazing, but it’s a super lightweight heat protectant!

Living Proof Dry Shampoo: I’ve tried so many different dry shampoos and this has been the absolute BEST! Does not leave that white cast like some others do and smells so great!

Comb/Paddle Brush: I love this comb to go through my hair after I’ve curled it and this paddle brush is the best detangler for after the shower!

Straightener: I had no idea how much damage my old straightener was causing my hair! I finally invested in a great straightener and have noticed such a difference! I use this for straightening and curling!

Do you use any of these products? What are some of your hair must haves! Share with me!

This year Amazon Prime Day will be October 13 and 14. Below I’ll be sharing some tips, some deals that have already started, and what I’ll be keeping an eye out for! Let me know if there’s something you’d like to have me watch for!

Tips

• Shop on any small business shop on Amazon from now until 10/12 and you’ll receive a $10 credit to use towards Prime Day! Check out the info here!
• Your Amazon App has a Prime Day section where you can manage notifications for deals! Check out the info here!

Items You May Be Interested In

Clothing

Home

What I have my eye on

It’s my favorite time of year and with the way 2020 has played out, I will gladly welcome any distraction. Holiday decorating is doing just that! Thomas absolutely loved how soft these were and at one point, before I had finished making them, I caught him cuddling with them, haha! Today I’m sharing a little tutorial on how I made this fun little ghost garland! Also, be sure to check out how else we’ve decorated for Fall this year, below!

Ghost Garland Tutorial

Supplies needed:

• Preferred yarn
• Hot glue gun
• Foam balls (the smallest you can find, this will vary from store to store, but mine were a little smaller than an inch)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Black paint & brush
• Ribbon to hang ghosts on

Steps:

1. Wrap your yarn around some type of surface measuring 12 inches (I used a piece of cardboard) 30 times.
2. Carefully slide yarn off surface and cut a small string separate from to wrap around your loops in the center. Approximately at the 6 inch mark you will wrap the small string and tie a TIGHT knot.
3. Take your scissors and cut the loops, so that none of the yarn is connected, but hangs free.
4. Spread out all the yarn, like you see in the pictures below and glue foam ball in the center.
5. Gather yarn around the foam ball to create the ghost’s “head”, cut another small string to match your ghost’s yarn color and tie directly underneath foam ball and tightly secure.
6. Paint with on ghosts eyes and mouth.
7. String ghosts on preferred string.

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See below how I incorporated these ghosts into my Fall decor!

Not sure I’ve ever been so excited for a 3 day weekend, maybe it’s the quarantine or the cinnamon rolls I just stuffed my face with, BUT I’m rounding up for you some of my favorites that are on sale this weekend! Check it out below!

Other Sales

Old Navy– 60% storewide

Gap– 50% on summer sale styles, 40% on everything else

Target– 20% select clothing and shoes with Target Circle, 20% of one furniture item (online only), 30% off bedding (online only)

Pottery Barn– 25% $1,500 or more, 20% $500 or more, 15% off $250 or more, 10% off $100 or more

Pottery Barn Kids– 20-60% off

Crate and Barrel– 20% off upholstery, 70% off clearance, 20-40% off select kitchen items

Crate and Barrel Kids– 15% off on select items

Bed Bath and Beyond– up to 50% off

Williams Sonoma– Extra 20% off all clearance, 20% off tabletop, bar and wine

Happy finding my friends!

Fun fact, I was a Special Education teacher for 5 years prior to becoming a BCBA. I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to become a BCBA, but not so much my love for teaching. Before pursuing my masters to start my career in ABA, I decided my undergraduate degree, or degrees in my case, should be in the field of education. I was in love! There are still days where I miss being in the classroom, but ABA is my true passion. Anytime I get the opportunity to bring those two worlds together, my heart explodes!

While this time in quarantine has been challenging, I’ve found that I’ve had the opportunity to play more of a teacher role and even make use of some of my old materials. With some extra time on my hands and seeing the need for digital materials for virtual learning I got to work!

Over the last 2 months I’ve been creating materials weekly for my Teachers Pay Teachers page and as a thank you to any teachers out there reading this, my store from Tuesday, May 5th to Friday, May 8th will be having a sale, all products will be 10% off!

My products are listed on my Teachers Pay Teacher store as well as, Pinterest, and my website!

If there’s something that you’re interested in for distance learning, share with me and I’ll see what I can put together!

Happy finding my friends!

Since I started my lemon detox a few weeks back, I’ve been on a lemon kick. Trying to incorporate lemon into all aspects of things we ingest here. More notably I’ve been baking with lemon, but I just recently created this dairy free easy Chicken Piccata recipe! Check it out below and let me know what you think!

Easy chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of boneless & skinless chicken thighs (traditionally you use breast, but I don’t buy breast meat), pounded thin
• Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder to season (use as much or as little as you’d like)
• 1/2 cup of corn starch
• 5 tbsp of dairy free butter (or regular butter)
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of cooking white wine

Directions:

1. Season both sides of pounded thin chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
2. 3 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of oil in pan over medium heat.
3. While pan is heating, dredge all chicken in cornstarch on both sides
4. When pan is ready, cook chicken in pan approx 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through
5. When chicken has finished cooking, transfer to plate
6. Lower heat slightly and add juice of lemon chicken stock and white wine, mix until combined
7. Return chicken to pan and let simmer in sauce for 5 minutes
8. Remove chicken from pan, transfer to plate
9. Add remaining butter (2 tbsp) to pan and whisk vigorously for a 1-2 minutes.
10. Drizzle sauce over chicken and served over rice, veggies or pasta!

Recently, I partnered with Birds Eye Vegetables to cook up a yummy dish. Their frozen vegetables are my secret meal hacks to get our veggies in!

I find a lot of my dairy free inspo from Simply Whisked, Melissa has a dairy free recipe for almost everything you can think of it seems like! I came across this recipe for her Thai Peanut Nooldes and thought this would pair so perfect with Birds Eye’s frozen Shredded Carrots & Broccoli Florets and we even added some grilled chicken.

Birds Eye offers a variety of frozen vegetables that are easy to pair with almost every meal! Check out my version of Simply Whisked’s Thai Peanut Noodles-

PEANUT VEGGIE NOODLES WITH CHICKEN

*Adapted from Simply Whisked

Ingredients:

• 8 oz rice noodles (or you can use spaghetti/linguine)
• 1 package of Birds Eyes Steamfresh Vegetables
• 1 lb of chicken thighs (or breasts)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter (I use PB2 powdered peanut butter, mix this with water to create 1/3 a cup of peanut butter)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 for sauce, 2 for chicken
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt (to your preference for chicken)
• Pepper (to your preference for chicken)
• Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, grill or cook chicken until cooked through, dice chicken and set aside.
2. Cook Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies either in the microwave, or I like to cook the veggies on a pan for several minutes until cooked through and set aside.
3. Cook egg noodles (or pasta) according to package instructions.
4. In a bowl, whisk together peanut butter, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
5. When noodles are cooked drain and then return to pot with sauce, diced chicken, and veggies.
6. Garnish with cilantro.

Home learning Quarantine Edition

Let’s talk about home learning. The good AND the bad. Let’s get the bad out of the way though…

Teaching is HARD. Teaching is A LOT of work. There we got it out of the way. Now, let’s shift our focus because the power of thought is REAL. But out of all of this, I do hope that people stop looking at teachers like babysitters and a bit more like educators 😉

As a former special ed teacher, this quarantine has sparked my joy of teaching and I want to share some of those tips with you. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve already seen the home learning environment I’ve set up for my step-son, Thomas. All of the videos are saved to a highlights story called “Home Learning”.

If you’re going to take away ANYTHING from this post let it be that you come up with some sort of daily routine. I can’t tell you how much kids THRIVE off routine! Try to make a routine that mimics your #BQ (before quarantine) day-to-day. This looks different for everyone, so what may work for us, may not work for you. Here you can find a template that you can use to customize your own kiddos schedule! I suggest putting this template in a plastic page protector and fill out daily with a dry erase marker in case your schedule is not a fixed one!

Some tips in creating a Home Learning environment

• Set up a designated “home learning” spot, whether it be their desk, kitchen counter, etc. think of this as their “school desk”
• Your new best friends will be Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers. These websites both have ideas, worksheets activities for things to fill up your day! While somethings are paid, there are a ton of free options as well!
• Most kids learning websites are offering either reduced subscriptions or free subscriptions, a few I recommend are abcmouse.com , abcya.com , and starfall.com
• Build breaks into your child’s day. After 2-3 “school” activities, Thomas is allowed to pick a preferred activity from his “break menu” he gets 30 minutes of watching TV, playing outside, playing a game, etc. LET THEM PICK! It has to be rewarding for them, not for US!
• Establish “home learning” rules. Some rules can be raising your hand, working quietly, checking over work before saying “I’m done”, etc. Practice what these rules look like and praise your child for demonstrating them correctly!
• Praise the good behaviors! It’s easy to get wrapped up into all the things your child is doing wrong, but make it a daily effort to point out the good things they’re doing and you’ll see how this ultimately starts to come naturally.
• Give your child work they are able to accomplish independently if you want to minimize asking questions and disruptions.
• For smaller kiddos, set up “centers” such as library time, play dough time, arts & crafts, sensory play, pretend play
• Try to have your kids busy and quieter times coincide with your busy work times 😉

While I’m the first person to say how important early education is, I can’t help but to think that although what’s going on in our world is awful and scary, I’m grateful for all the quality time I’ve been able to dedicate to my family.

As a current BCBA, my work life has completely shifted from hands on in a clinic setting to remote telehealth sessions. While we’ve been able to adjust, one of my favorite aspects is that on days when Thomas is here, he helps me work on my clients social skills like playing virtual Simon says, tic-tac-toe or engaging in conversations! I wouldn’t normally have this opportunity to bring him into my world the way I’m now immersed in his. So, while I HIGHLY suggest having a schedule and routine during these crazy times, more than anything, I HIGHLY suggest treasuring all this extra time with these crazy kids

I don’t know about you, but my eating during quarantine has not been at it’s best. I’ve been craving lots of comfort foods, such as mac & cheese. So here’s a healthier, dairy free version of a classic comfort side dish or entire meal!

I’ve tried a lot of pasta substitutes, not sure why it took me so long to try out dairy free Cauliflower Mac & Cheeze. Not only is this done in 20 minutes, but it’s super filling! I updated this dish to add some sausage, but you could essentially add any protein, I’m thinking ground beef next time!

Cauliflower mac & cheeze (Dairy free)

Ingredients: Serves 3-4

• 1 Head of Cauliflower
• 16 oz. of preferred Sausage or Protein, cooked (this can be omitted)
• 1/3 cup of full fat coconut milk
• 3/4 cup of dairy free shredded cheese (I used this one)
• Garlic Parsley Powder
• Salt
• Pepper

*Note: If you’re by a Publix, I love this sausage. When I made this recipe I used Bratwurst because that’s all there was #coronavirus

1. Bring a large pot full of water to a boil. In the meantime, cut entire cauliflower head into small florets.
2. Boil cauliflower florets for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and drain cauliflower
4. Return cauliflower to pot
5. Mix in coconut milk, shredded cheese, seasoning and stir
6. If using a protein, mix in cooked protein, serve and enjoy!

Coming back from our honeymoon, despite keeping up with intermittent fasting while we we’re away, I found it hard to get back to my IF routine when we got back. Probably because our first few days back I loaded myself up with all the things I missed, Cuban food and tacos.

Pinterest has been a source of information for me when it’s come to intermittent fasting. Something that kept popping up was the benefits of lemon. But not just some lemon juice squeezed into your water, no no, the WHOLE lemon.

Needless to say I was intrigued by all the benefits an ENTIRE lemon is said to have, so I gave it a go. NO, I did not eat a whole lemon, but instead made lemon ice cubes! Check it out below! These treats take 5 minutes to throw together and so easy to pop into my water bottle before I head out for the day.

I’ve only been on the lemon bandwagon for two weeks, but WOW what a difference! Disclaimer, not entirely sure if it’s the lemons that have made the difference OR my increase in water consumption, but either way, I’ll take it!

Lemon Detox

• 2-3 Lemons (depending on your ice cube tray and size of lemons, I fill up two ice cube trays with 3)
• Water

1. Wash lemons

2. Slice lemons to an appropriate size for your food processor

3. Add lemons and water (2-3 tablespoons as needed to blend everything together) to food processor

4. Place in preferred ice cube tray and freeze.

Notes: not entirely sure how long these are good for, but mine didn’t last longer than a week and a half, because I’m addicted!

benefits

If you google search benefits of lemon peels, you’ll find endless and enldess information, and pretty much a lot of it being the same info. The peel of the lemon is rich in vitamins, specifically, calcium, fiber, potassium and vitamin C. In just a week and a half I have noticed the following:

-An improvement in my skin and it’s texture

-Less hunger throughout the day while I’m fasting (drinking lots more yummy water)

-Because it tastes so delicious, I’ve increased my water consumption! I was typically drinking about 40-50 ounces a day and now I drink a gallon or more. (This may also be a contributing factor to the skin improvement)

With any dietary change, you should always consult your doctor and see if this is something that would work for you.

It’s finally February and LiveLoveFinds is FINALLY back! January was a dream, one I will be replaying over and over for quite sometime! In case you didn’t know, Joel and I got married January 11 and on January 15 we left on our incredible honeymoon, all of which I’m sharing today! Bear with me, this post will feature all about our travel and all the details of my outfits, well, the ones I got pictures of. We visited LA, Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. You ready? Let’s go!

Los Angeles

We started our honeymoon with Los Angeles to break up the flying and travel to Tahiti. Just for reference from Miami to get to French Polynesia you need to fly to LA, LA to Tahiti and then from Tahiti you can take smaller planes to any other island you wish to visit.

Hotel

Nomad– Relatively new and located in Downtown LA, our first time in this area and we loved how easily accessible things are, but don’t be fooled, LA traffic is NO JOKE. Overall, loved the mid-century, dark vibes here! The hotel bar is gorg with yummy cocktails and we LOVED the open tub in our room. The gym was also GREAT!

looks

Eats

Kogi– literally our first stop, straight from the airport. The burrito are things dreams, hungover dreams, are made of

Majordomo– amazing food, incredible wine selection, David Chang. Turns out David Chang was staying at our hotel and I saw him in the gym, I tried to say hi, but airpods are stupid and he was rude. In case you read this David Chang, I get it you were working out and I just wanted to say I love your food :p

Petit Trois– WOW WOW WOW. Best bone marrow, best steak tartare, best bread, best service, best everything. No wonder their sister restaurant has a Michelin star. I think Joel and I have talked about this amazing lunch every single day since. One of the chefs overheard it was our honeymoon and gave us a complimentary dessert! This was one of our favorite dining experiences EVER.

Madre– There’s a lot of Mexican options in LA, shocker. Madre came up on a few searches, but their extensive mezcal seletion at their Torrance location sold me. It’s a bit of a drive from LA, but totally worth it! They had a great oaxan selection of bites and everything tasted so fresh!

Pizzana– Joel had been dying to go to Pizzana since we had seen chef Daniel Uditi on Netflix’s “The Chef Show”. Not only did we get to go, but Daniel Uditi personally made our pizza’s and we got to meet him! He completely made up for my not so wonderful David Chang experience. He was so sweet and not only did he make our pizza’s but also gave us a complimentary delicious dessert. Cannot wait to visit Pizzana again!

Everytime I leave LA I leave loving it more and more. Despite the traffic, I love the views, the food, the people, all of it! West coast is the best coast! Also, you won’t see much about food the rest of this post because French Polynesia is NOT known for the food. As foodies, this was hard for us, but the incredible views make up for it!

Tahiti

We took an overnight flight from LA to Tahiti. Air Tahiti Nui is GREAT, lots of decent food, blankets, pillows, eye masks, you know all the things you used to get in the states just for being on a plane. Oh and PLENTY of overhead storage, like enough for EVERYONE on the plane, here’s looking at you American Airlines.

Looks

hotel

We stayed at Manava Tahiti. We picked Manava based on the pool and the views. I mean an infinity pool where we could directly see our next stop, Moorea. It was such a great start to our trip. We basically didn’t leave the pool! Our rooms were great and the staff and service was also great! One of my favorite parts of Tahiti was walking to a local food truck. It was so cool to see a trend so big here also popular across the world! By the time we left the food truck hub was full of locals!

Moorea

We got to Moorea by ferry. It’s about a 30 minute trip from the port of Papeete. I highly recommend going to the roof to be able to enjoy all the incredible views!

Looks

hotel

During our stay on this amazing island we stayed at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa. The Hilton was located quite far from the ferry, but had a great property that allowed you mountain views or full ocean views. We preferred mountain views for all our stays.

This was our first over-water bungalow of the trip and what a treat it was! Our bungalow had recently been remodeled and construction was still going on on other bungalows. As a result, we were given a $50 a day resort credit.

Overall, while we loved our room and views, the Hilton had awful service and we even discussed this with a manager early into our stay. While he was somewhat helpful, overall we were disappointed with the quality of our experience with the Hilton brand. But the scenery made for some pretty amazing pictures.

excursions

ATV Tour: We booked our tour through Top Jet Moorea. Our guides were so friendly and knowledgeable. We absolutely loved this tour and getting to do things like drive through a pineapple field, stand in the center of what used to be the center of Moorea’s volcano, and finish with some amazing views of Moorea and the South Pacific.

Private Boat Tour: Surface 21’s private boat tour is a MUST when in Moorea. Dan and Perrine are an amazing couple that we felt like friends after a few hours on their beautiful boat! They were amazing hosts and this was definitely a highlight of our time in Moorea.

Bora bora

And last, but certainly not least, Bora Bora. To get to Bora Bora we took a flight through Air Tahiti which services all the islands of French Polynesia. They offer flight options which let’s you fly to multiple islands while you’re in the area. Our flight was about 30 minutes from take off to landing. Because most of the resorts in Bora Bora on not on the main island, but atolls around the main island, you have to take a water taxi to essentially get anywhere. This is certainly part of Bora Bora’s charm.

Looks

Hotel

We saved our best and splurge for last, the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa. What a GEM! We had one of the nicest bungalow locations considering we had a direct view of Mount Otemanu from our bed. I think it could only get better in a Brando suite. If you don’t know what that is, do yourself a favor.

Service at Thalasso was fantastic and very similar to the personalized service we had when we were in Tulum at Mi Amor. After going around Bora Bora by boat, we felt like Thalasso was set on the best atoll with the best views. What is so interesting about Bora Bora is that you’re actually on a lagoon!

The only downfall of Thalasso was the food and beverage department. While we were well aware that food prices would be high and that quality would most definitely not reflect these prices, what was disappointing was that because this was low season, the resort did not have all the restaurants open. This really limited our options considering to leave the hotel you have to take a water taxi to get ANYWHERE. Not the most practical, but again, that’s the charm of Bora Bora. Also, we’re not sure if they were low staff or poorly managed, although it seemed that both of these factors were at play across all our dining experiences.

Overall, our stay was nothing short of amazing, despite food and beverage being a bit of a mess. Thalasso was such a magical place and I hope we get to go back one day, sooner rather than later!

Excursions

Private Catamaran: We chartered a private catamaran for the day through Vitamin Sea Bora Bora. What a treat! Tony and Allan were our “guides” and we had such a great time with them! Everything was so well planned and they were so friendly giving us an insight into not only Bora Bora, but their life in Bora Bora.

Swim w/ Stingray & Sharks: While hesitant at first, this was one of the most fun excursions we did! Not only did we meet some great people from around the world, but we got so up close to different types of sharks, stingray, eel and even got to swim with not one, but TWO Manta Ray! Our guides from Moana Adventure Tour knew all the great spots to hit up and made our trip so fun!

If you’ve taken the time to get this far, I commend you! This was challenging to put together because I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface and didn’t do this trip the justice it really deserves! It was beyond beautiful, beyond special, and beyond memorable. All credit goes to Joel for taking the lead on planning this entire honeymoon. I’m usually the planner for just about everything and after spending months planning a wedding, this was AMAZING! It was so hard to come home, but being back only makes the daily grind more motivating to have more moments like this.

If you’re looking into visiting French Polynesia and have some more questions or just want to chat, please, reach out! I would love to share more! If you’d like some more in depth reviews of our hotels or excursions, check out my TripAdvisor profile!

On my recent trip to Napa with my girlfriends, they gave me a great idea, experience gifts! After one our amazing visit to Chappellet, my girlfriends, Colleen and Liz gifted their in-laws/parents a wine tasting “experience”. They bought a few different bottles, which most could only be bought at the winery, and surprised them Christmas morning with not only the wines, but telling them that the big part of the gift was that they would be hosting a wine pairing night for them! This means they will be making different dishes that pair with the wines they gifted! I loved the idea so much that we ended up doing the same thing for Joel’s parents. They cashed in on their gift this weekend, check it out below!

The wines we gifted were the following:

• Domaine Gassier Viognier – I tried a Viognier at Freemark Abbey in Napa and fell in love. For this wine, it paired well with buttery cheeses. I used a Saint Andre (always a go to for me), a truffle cheese on sale at whole foods, and Mimolette, not buttery, but provided a different texture and some dimension to the board! I used some spicy crackers for the cheeses and Proscuitto di Parma.
• Chappellet Mountain Cuvee– As Chappellet themselves said, this wine doesn’t need food to taste amazing! But we paired this delicious red blend with short ribs I made in the slow cooker and a mushroom orzo side dish.
• Orin Swift Mute– If you can get your hands on one of these, do it, you will not be disappointed. Dessert wines were definitely a trend when we were in Napa and this was my favorite. We paired this with a chocolate souffle which the sweetness of the souffle paired PERFECTLY with the Mute. So good, we finished the whole bottle!

Overall, everyone had such a nice time trying new wines, enjoying delicious food and spending quality time together! These last few weeks and the next few weeks coming up have been overwhelmingly busy, so to be able to take a break for a few hours to enjoy some of our favorite things was a real treat!

If you’d like to do something similar here are a few tips and recommendations:

• Plan what you’d like to cook first, then plan your wine! Unless you have a particular wine in mind. In my case, the only wine I had picked out before hand was the Mute since I had brought it back from California.
• Visit a local wine shop for good suggestions, as opposed to a big chain store. If you’re local in Miami, I highly suggest Sunset Corners. Anyone there can give you amazing recommendations and they usually have some things you may not find at a bigger store.
• Do your research on the wines your serving. You may be surprised about what you learn!

A quick change of topic…I want to thank everyone who has joined this blogging journey with me and all the support you’ve shown in the last 15 weeks or so! The beginning of January will be a little quiet for LiveLoveFinds as I will be getting married January 11th and shortly after we will be going on our honeymoon! Expect lots of amazon finds and travel suggestions following that!

Can’t wait to catch up with you all in the new decade! Happy New Year!

If you follow me on social media, you are well aware that this past weekend was my bachelorette party in Napa! For what felt like the first time in my life, I had no part in the planning process. Terrifying, yes, worth every second of anxiety leading up to the trip, ABSOLUTELY. My ladies know me well and that definitely was reflected in our itinerary, check it out below!

Thursday:

• Delayed arrival into SFO (as a result we missed a tasting, but everything happens for a reason), rented our car
• Pit stop at In-n-Out
• Arrive at our super adorable and friendliest hotel, Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa. The staff was fantastic, the rooms so adorable, and the spa and mineral pools are the perfect way to end a hard day of trying wine!
• Dinner at Farmstead. This was my ONE request to my girls when planning this trip. Joel and I had dined here a few years back based on a locals recommendation and we still talk about that dinner! Interestingly enough, anytime we asked locals for recommendations, Farmstead was always the first one!

Friday:

• Quick bite to eat at Bella Bakery before starting a full day of tasting. Their Strawberry Balsamic muffin was delicious!
• First tasting at Freemark Abbey. We were able to do a comparative tasting which was a first for me! This meant we got to try wines side by side to understand their differences. Fun fact about Freemark Abbey, it was the first Winery in the valley started by a woman!
• Next tasting at Honig. Their property and tasting room were SO gorgeous! We had a wonderful host and a whole room to ourselves which was so intimate! We all left with at least one bottle, me with two and with some honey straight from their property. If you like dessert wine and have the opportunity to try this, I highly recommend!
• We then stopped for lunch at La Luna, a taqueria and market with AMAZING (I had chorizo and beef tongue) tacos. If you don’t like spicy, ask for the sauce on the side!
• Next stop, Beringer, we got a special tour of their caves which was so fun while sipping on their wines!
• After our day of tastings, we stopped at Sam’s Social Club for a drink and snacks, the Deviled Eggs were amazing!
• We had one last tasting of the day, conveniently located in our hotel lobby! The winemaker and owner of Solorio Family Wines hosted a tasting and it was so nice being able to learn about his passion for wine making and meet his daughter!
• Finally, we finished our night with a delicious dinner at Lovina. If you have the chance to check it out, I highly recommend their oysters and their duck which was cooked to perfection!

Saturday:

• The girls planned a special breakfast for me at Solbar, this may have been one of my favorite meals. We practically ordered the entire menu, but the avocado toast really stuck out for me!
• We headed to our first tasting at the Orin Swift tasting room. If you get the opportunity to check it out, I highly recommend. Unlike any other tasting room in Napa, think rap music playing while sipping some delicious wines!
• Next we headed to Louis M. Martini, I cannot say enough great things about how GORGEOUS this winery is. They’ve just renovated and it’s like Restoration Hardware heaven!
• Finally, we had one of my favorite tastings of the weekend and not open to the public, at The Spire Collection. Here we got to taste wines from the Jackson Family Wine portfolio, but what really made this a treat was our host Dale. He took so much time in not only getting to know us, but in educating us.
• After a laborious day of tasting, we headed back to our hotel for some famous Calistoga mud baths and a dip in our mineral pools! This was JUST what we needed!
• We finished our evening at RH Yountville. If you haven’t heard by now Restoration Hardware has opened up quite a few restaurants and Younteville hosts one of them. Not only do I love Yountville, but this is arguably one of the most Instagrammed spots in Napa! It’s no wonder as your sitting underneath an olive tree with a chandelier!

Sunday:

• On our final day we had some vouchers from our hotel to use for breakfast at Calistoga Roastery. I had a delicious spinach croissant!
• Our one and only tasting of the day was at Chappallet. This was also one of my favorite experiences of the weekend! We tasted Chappallet’s amazing family wines in a private room surrounded by their wine barrels! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to tour the winery itself as it was under construction, but we did get a tour of the property which may be one of the most beautiful grounds I’ve ever seen! Lindsey was an amazing host!
• Before heading back to San Fran, we stopped at a Napa classic, Mustard’s Grill. Highly recommend anything lamb off their menu and hopefully you get lucky enough to try their Pineapple Upside Down Cake (this was a special)!
• San Francisco is not my favorite place to say the least. After some tedious driving around, we stopped at Saru for dinner. No one was hungry, but we had only heard amazing things about Saru and it was certainly not a let down! Super fresh sushi, great recommendations by our waitress as well! I would recommend getting there before their opening time as there is a line to get in! At this point our bellies were full and we were ready to head to SFO for our red eye flights back home.

This weekend was truly a dream for me. Not only was I in one of my favorite places in the world, but I got to enjoy it with some of my favorite people and share with them something Joel and I love so much, wine!

* Note, because my best friend Kamille is in the hospitality business, selling wine specifically, she was able to arrange exclusive tastings, not open to the public. While our tastings may have been different, you can still reserve tastings that are open to the public at all of the wineries we visited!

With only two weeks left until Christmas, I’ve put together some gift ideas and mainly all from Amazon to make sure you get them on time! Make sure to check shipping and availability before checking out! Happy shopping my friends!

Below some of my last minute ideas in all price ranges!

Men

1. Cable Strap Organizer – $ Super inexpensive and very practical, Joel’s FAVORITE combo
2. Buck Mason Shirt– $$ These are Joel’s favorite T-shirts right now! They’re super soft and great quality!
3. Yeti Cooler– $$$ We own this cooler and I can’t say enough good things about it. Will keep stuff cold for over 24 hours, it’s nuts! Also, it’s the best size for travelling!

Women

1. Apple Watch Strap– $ I don’t own this, but it is on my wish list this year, hint hint! And so many different options to chose from!
2. Taudrey Necklace– $$ If you are from Miami and haven’t shopped at Taudrey, RUN! Her pieces are timeless and I love that you can personalize almost any of their pieces!
3. Eberjey Pajamas– $$$ I highly suggest indulging in ANYTHING Eberjey, definitely worth the splurge! The materials they use are heavenly! You can buy these directly from Eberjey, or Amazon, the fun part of buying these from Eberjey is you can personalize them!

Kids 8 & Over

1. Draw your own Comic Book– $ I love that this is a gift that works for girls, boys, adults, kids, any one really! You can’t beat the price and what a fun activity!
2. Headphones– $$ In doing research for these gift ideas, headphones were a very popular choice for kids! These have great reviews, come in different colors, and are wireless!
3. Instax Mini Camera– $$$ I have this camera and I have to say I’m obsessed! The link I’ve provided here is a bundle package at a great price!

Kids 8 & Under

1. Smart Light Bulb– $ This light is super cool! Not only does it change colors but it links up to your Alexa or Google Home! We just got one for Thomas and he loves it!
2. Echo Dot for Kids– $$ There’s currently a sale on this, so run! This is a fun gift for the tech savvy kiddo!
3. Fire Tablet– $$$ We had this table for Thomas for quite some time and it was great! It was so easy for him to use and very kid friendly!

Babies 2 & Under

1. Photo Book– $ I think this is such a sweet gift! Especially if you fill it out with some family photos beforehand 😉
2. Octopus Music Toy– $$ My brothers got this as a gift when they were born (17 years ago) and it was always one of my favorites! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gifted this since then!
3. VTech Sit-to-Stand Walker– $$$ I’ve always loved VTech toys, we’ve had some great ones for Thomas throughout the years. This is an amazon choice purchase, won’t break the bank, and has wonderful reviews!

Coworkers, Neighbors, Stylists, Hostesses, etc.

Here are some ideas for people you may not know so well, or maybe you need to gift in bulk!

1. Cookie tins- The dollar store has cute holiday themed boxes, fill these up with some premade or homemade cookies or snacks. Who can resist a yummy treat!
2. Personalized Ornaments- Etsy is great for this, but if you haven’t already check out Kelsy at Miami Writes co. She just customized a clutch for my wedding day and her work is amazing!
3. Personalized Wine Glasses or Tumblers- If you have a Cricut and can do this yourself. AWESOME, if not Etsy is the way to go!
4. Silicone Straws on the Go– I got this at a conference earlier this year and thought it was so clever!
5. Flavored Alcohol- I did this a few years back for coworkers, easy for big batch groups. Here’s a sample recipe. I gifted mine in mason jars with a pretty bow!

I hope this list helps with your holiday gift giving! If you have any ideas to add to the list, please share!

This weekend it hit 50 degrees in Miami and it couldn’t have been more perfect timing, considering we got our Christmas tree! I know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, BUT we are having our annual holiday party this week and I can’t imagine hosting this party WITHOUT a Christmas tree. Check back next week to see all my holiday party planning tips! By the way, finding a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving was more challenging than I thought, especially in Miami.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll see some decor hasn’t changed, like the pumpkins. I love all the pumpkins we added this year!

When Joel and I had Christmas together in our first home we invested in some ornaments, tree topper and holiday decor that were timeless, the rest of our ornaments I crafted or we’ve gotten along the way. My favorite ornament we added this year was from our trip our Beaver Creek in March when we got engaged! But if you look close at our tree, you’ll see how we’ve been able to personalize and make our tree true to us.

To make these ornaments, I purchased wood chips on Amazon (holes for hooks already on them!) and I painted half the wood chips with chalkboard paint and the others I ordered our favorite pictures from throughout the years and sized them small enough to put on the ornaments! Below I’ll share with you how I created each.

You don’t have to go crazy, or spend tons of money to cozy up your home for the holidays. I have gone accumulating our decorations over the years and Michael’s (with coupons), Bullseye’s playground @ Target, and the Dollar Store have been my best friends when it comes to holiday decorating!

• Tree Topper @ Target
• Stocking (version one) @ Michael’s
• Stocking (version two) @ Michael’s
• Tree Skirt @ Michael’s
• Staircase Garland @ Michael’s
• Gold Ornaments @ Michael’s
• Wood Chips @ Amazon
• Staircase Pumpkins @ Amazon (these are similar to mine as mine are sold out)
• Fabric Pumpkins @ Target
• Felt Board @ Amazon

Share with me your holiday decor!

This post was originally going to be just an Instagram post, but then I realized, my guac needed it’s own blog post. I mean we had an entire family photo shoot centered around our guac (thank you Maria!). You can say it’s pretty important around here, also, margaritas.

Guac is a staple in our house, summer time, winter time (is there a difference in Miami?), when we’re entertaining or it’s just us. My favorite time to make it is when it’s just the three of us because Thomas’ loves to help out in the kitchen and I’ll take those little hands helping out whenever I can!

What makes my recipe different? Chipotle powder. We tend to recreate a lot of Mexican dishes around here and chances are, there’s going to be some variation of chipotle in it. We particularly love making our margaritas with this chipotle tequila! I always encourage you take my recipes and make them your own, if you’re not into chipotle, you can just omit, or try another preferred spice! Let me know what you try!

Ingredients & Recipe

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

• 3 Haas avocados, peeled and pitted
• Juice of 2 limes
• Salt*
• Pepper*
• Garlic owder*
• Cumin*
• Chipotle powder*
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/4 a cup of chopped clantro

*Note: As always, I never measure my seasoning. I go tasting as I cook/prepare and adjust as needed. I encourage you to do the same!

1. In a large enough bowl, add avocados and lime juice and mash to desired consistency. I like our guac a little chunky.
2. Add in seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and chipotle powder, onion and cilantro.
3. Mix all together.
4. Serve with chips and enjoy!