Motherhood Archives - Page 13 of 14 - Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Family Weekend Trip to LA

October 12, 2016 by Katie Haller

Last weekend we went on a weekend trip to California to visit family. It was Jack’s first road trip and he did great! I always feel a little overwhelmed traveling with a baby, but I think I’m slowly getting used to it. You can’t let having children stop you from doing all the fun things that you would like to do.

On Friday morning we left our house extra early because we wanted to make a quick stop at Seven Magic Mountains. It’s a piece of artwork that is in the middle of the desert. It’s defiantly a great photo stop if you’re ever in Las Vegas. We got there right after sunrise so the sun was hitting the colorful rocks perfectly, making for some awesome pictures. On Saturday we spent the morning at the beach in Santa Monica. I love the ocean and I was so excited to take Jack to the beach for the first time. He loved watching and listening to the waves, but he didn’t love getting his feet wet. Here are just a few pictures from our trip.

I just love those tall skinny palm trees.

Family picture at the beach.

Sleeping on the drive home.

I look forward to many more family trips like this.

Baby on a Budget- Homemade Baby Food

October 5, 2016 by Katie Haller

When it comes to baby food, I always knew that I wanted to make my own when I had a baby of my own. For one, I feel like it’s healthier for the baby to have fresh food. Another reason is that it is so much cheaper! I’ve browsed the baby food aisle and what I’ve found is that it would get pretty expensive to feed my baby store-bought food every day, especially if I wanted to use the organic baby food.

Baby Update- 6 Months

August 24, 2016 by Katie Haller

It’s hard to believe that my little Jack is 6 months old. I had hoped to have this post up closer to his actual half birthday, but of course, it’s taken me a few weeks. He’s now 6 months and 2 weeks old. I can’t believe how fast time has gone. It seems like I was just pregnant yesterday. It just goes to show that you need to cherish every day during the first year because they change daily.

Currently, my little guy is trying very hard to crawl. He’s very busy rolling everywhere. He loves to play with his toys and I love watching him discover how to use them and play independently. He is very curious about the world around him. I love that about him!

6 months is such a fun age, but I’m also finding it to be challenging at times. Right now, Jack is cutting his first teeth. I’m not sure when they are going to show up, but I can tell that they must be getting closer by his discomfort. Along with the teething, our nights are long. Lately, he’s been up 3-4 times a night. He has never actually slept through the night since he was born. The doctor suggested that I sleep train him, but it’s not as easy as he made it sound. I tried it but failed. I might try again soon, but part of me is hoping that he will just magically surprise me and sleep a full 6 hours in a row one night.

I have also slowed up on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding was such a challenge for me in the beginning and I hated it and couldn’t wait until I could be done. But then after a while, I grew to love it. Now I wish that I could breastfeed longer, but it’s hard when you’re working and pumping. I knew that I wanted to start weening him around 6 months, but I wasn’t expecting him to ween himself. I was really sad at first when I started to lose my milk supply, but now I’m just trying to slowly be done with nursing. We are down to just comfort nursing at night, but it’s sometimes more for my comfort than his. I just need a little more time before we are 100% strickly bottles.

There have been lots of changes in the last 6 months, but I’m trying to enjoy every minute that I can. I’m loving being a mom and having this little addition to our lives.

Tips for New Working Moms

July 14, 2016 by Katie Haller

One of the hardest things that I had to do after having my baby, was going back to work after my maternity leave was over. After spending almost 8 weeks non stop with my baby, not to mention the 9 months I had him growing inside my belly, the thought of leaving him for 8 hours a day made me feel so sad. However, I’ve made it work and I’ve slowly gotten used to being apart from my little guy during the week. I’ve been very fortunate because my husband has a job that allows him to have a flexible schedule and be home most of the week. He’s home with Jack 2-4 days a week and the other days we have a daycare center that we use as our back up.

When my maternity leave was coming close to the end, I started to have a lot of anxiety about going back to work. I had no idea what to expect. That’s why I wanted to share what has been working for me and my baby, to hopefully help other new working moms out there.

Set a Routine- This is so important, whether you’re a working mom or a stay at home mom, babies need a routine. I have a morning routine that Jack expects each day. He wakes up super early at 4:30 am! He gets a diaper change, then I almost fall back to sleep before my alarm goes off at 5:00, I shower, put him in his bouncy chair as I eat breakfast, do my hair and make up then get dressed. After that, I nurse him around 6:30, get my stuff ready for work and then it’s already time to go at 7:15. He gets confused on the weekends when I try to sleep in. The evenings are similar to a comfortable, predictable routine for him and me. Our routine doesn’t only benefit Jack, it helps me stay organized.

Plan your outfits out ahead of time- This has always helped me when it comes to getting ready in the morning. On Sunday night, I like to go through my clothes and try to figure out what I’m going to wear that week. I look at the weather forecast and think about my schedule for the week, then plan around that. It helps me feel good about what I’m wearing at work, plus I save myself a bit of time in the morning as well.

Eat breakfast- When they say breakfast is the most important part of the day, it’s the truth. I feel much better and ready to function when I eat a little something in the morning. Usually, I have cereal, lately, it’s bran flakes topped with lots of fruit and of course my morning cup of coffee. After breakfast, I feel energized enough to start my day.

Do what works for you and your baby- I know that there are a lot of books and articles out there all about the correct way to parent. What I’m finding out is that you have to do what works best for you and your family. Working with children for many years, I use to judge parents for the things they did. Now that I have a baby of my own, I am not so judgment because I find myself doing things that I thought I would never do.

Leave work at work- Ever since I went back to work, my goal has been to not take home any work. I get 2 hours of planning time after the kids go home and I force myself to be as productive as possible so that I can be on my way home as soon as possible. I like to write myself a To-Do list every Monday. As I complete my task I cross it off my list. This helps me stay organized and on top of my work.

Do something for yourself- Life can get pretty hectic when you’re a working mom, that’s why it’s always good to still set aside time for yourself. Some moms might like to do something physical like running or a yoga class, while others might like to read. For me, I still like to set a little bit of time aside to blog. I’ve always enjoyed sharing my ideas, so I’m not ready to give that up yet.

Wear your baby- When you’re at home, it’s nice to be with your baby, but there are always things that need to be done around the house. I find that it’s nice to wear Jack while I finish up my daily chores at home. That way we can still be together, but I can also be productive around the house.

Don’t feel guilty- Every Sunday evening, I sit holding my little guy in my arms and I wonder if I spent enough time with him over the weekend. I question myself…. did I hold him enough? Did I kiss him enough? I worry that I miss out on so much because I’m at work, but the truth is, Jack knows how much I love him. He knows I’m his mom and he gets this big smile on his face everyday when he sees me walk through the door and that is all I need. Supporting a family used to be completely on the man’s shoulders, but I feel like that’s changed in this day and age. I feel like my husband and I are a team and we are working together to provide for our family and sharing in the responsibility of parenting. I’m proud of the life we are building together.

Those are my tips. Let me know what you think. Do you have any tips to make life a little easier for new working moms?

5 Free Ways to Get in Shape After Baby!!

June 3, 2016 by Katie Haller

For most women, one of the hardest parts of having a new baby is getting their pre-baby body back. It’s not easy. Every women’s body is affected differently by pregnancy. For me, my weight gain during my pregnancy was all in my belly. I remember when my baby bump first started to show, I could feel all my muscles in my abdomen stretching. There is no doubt that my baby really did a number on my abs. On top of the stretching of my abdominal muscles, having a c-section didn’t help much.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ashamed of my new mom body. I’m actually very proud of it. I grew a human in me for 9 months and I think that’s something to be proud of, but like most women, I’d like to lose the mom pouch as it’s called.

I’ve always been a very petite person and it never took me much to stay in shape, but things change after you have a baby. I think it’s important to set realistic goals for yourself. Remember that you just carried a 6 plus pound human in you. It takes 9 months to grow a baby, so it will take time to shed that baby weight. Don’t expect it to happen overnight. My goal is to flatten out my belly and get some of my ab muscles back that I used to have.

So how can new moms lose that baby weight and get back to their old pre-baby body? For me, I don’t spend money on gym memberships or expensive classes. I feel like there are plenty of ways to work out on your own. Here are some ways that I’m working out for free.

Walk/Run- I’m not a runner, but I do love to go on walks. I feel like there is no easier way to workout for free than walking or running. All you need are a pair of tennis shoes and you’re ready to go. It’s the perfect workout for new moms because you can include your baby. Jack loves his weekend walks with me.

Baby Exercises- I love finding ways to include my baby into my workouts. When I’m not at work, I like to spend every moment I can with Jack, that’s why including him into my workouts is a great way for us to spend time together. I feel like there is a big movement with baby workouts right now, so it’s easy to find exercise ideas. Here are a few great baby exercises that I’ve been trying out, here and here.

Workout Videos- If you’re like me, you might have a few workout DVD’s laying around your house. I like to use them to get a full-body workout from my living room. I have a few Jillian Michaels videos that always give me a great workout. I also like to use YouTube to search for new workouts. There are tons of great workouts on YouTube and it’s free.

Pinterest- Using Pinterest as a resource for workouts is a great idea! One thing for me when it comes to working out is that I feel like I have a lack of time to fit it into my day. That’s why I love finding quick workout plans that are easy and effective. I’ve been doing a lot of pinning of postpartum workouts you can check out on my Pinterest page (here).

Workout Apps- There is literally an app for everything. There are lots of different apps out there that will help you diet and help you get on a fitness plan. I’ve always used Map My Run to track the distance I go on my walks and it will also tell you how many calories you burned. Since I’m focusing on my core, I recently downloaded an app called Abs & Core Sworkit. It is basically like having your own personal trainer. If you’re looking to count your calories, my favorite app for that is My Fitness Pal. Find an app that works for you and use it. The great thing is that most apps are free, so you can try one out and if you don’t like it, just delete it and find another.

Those are my free ways I’m getting in shape after baby. How did you do it?

Simple Sunday

May 2, 2016 by Katie Haller

I haven’t done a Simple Sunday post in a year probably, but today I felt the need to quickly reflect on my weekend. I like to do Simple Sunday posts to reflect on the things in my life that I love so that I can emphasize on the “happy life” part of my blog.

This weekend I barely left the house, but I got to spend the weekend with my boys. Lately, on the weekends we have been trying to get out and do something as a family, but this weekend it was just nice to be home. Jack is changing so much every day and I love getting to spend the entire day with him. He’s smiling and laughing all the time now. He thinks that his daddy is hilarious and I love to watch the two of them together. Now that I’m back at work, I appreciate every moment I get to spend with my little family.