I currently have a 5 month old {my favorite age in that first year} so I thought for this week's 'Friday Top Five' I would share my favorite picks for the 4-6 month age range. At five months Naomi's reaching with both hands, grasping things and holding them using all fingers; like fistfuls of her sister's hair {they are none too please with this development}. She's mimics the sounds that we make and Aaron swears that she's already making the 'dada' sound; she doesn't but I'll let him think that.  Is there anything that you just love for your 4-6 month old? Feel free to share them with me!

1.) OXO Tot Sprout High Chair 
Not only does this high chair carry your child through infant, toddler and youth it also features tool-free adjustments for seat and tray. It has a 5-point harness, promotes good posture, easy to clean with removable cushions and a tray that helps keep messes contained while featuring a large button that makes one-handed tray removal a breeze.

2.) Skip Hop Explore More Baby's View 3-Stage Activity Center 
Now, not only is this activity center great for this age but it also has a grow-with-me feature and turns into a sturdy table for toddlers to play at, it has a discovery window that allows them to watch their feet as they play with the piano and 360-degree rotating seat. 

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," they say; but is it? To a certain degree, I'm inclined to agree – but often times when we look at someone else, what we are seeing is only one dimensional. We see exactly what they want us to see. Whether we imitate another out of admiration, or simply because we think they have it together more than we do; and maybe, if you do it their way, then maybe you will appear to have it all together too.

We all know the image well – a pretty picture, perfectly staged, the natural lighting is on point – and suddenly we want to emulate that. It’s human nature. But honestly, would someone really want to imitate you or me if they saw the real 'us'; the real me that truthfully isn't polished and perfected. {FYI: I haven't even been close to polished or perfected for nearly five years. I'm in the trenches folks, just tryin' to survive three children 5 and under} Would you want to replicate the person behind all of the filters and layers? Would someone honestly want to imitate me when I'm raising {yelling, let's be real} my voice because I'm just plain tired of asking for the toys to be picked up for the billionth time? Or, would anyone want to imitate me when I have five piles of laundry on the floor, one in the washer that's still wet and one in the dryer that needs to be folded, but the baby is hungry, and my three-year-old just found a red pen {yes, red} and has started to give herself an arm tattoo? All of this while I'm wearing the same shirt I wore yesterday, and last night, and still haven’t made the time to shower or change. And, would you want to be like me when I put on "Spirit" or "Magic School Bus" for the girls in the morning so I can complete a task {such as drink a cup of coffee in peace}. I'm usually thinking to myself that I should probably have set them up with a craft like other moms do, BUT then I would have another mess to clean up and add to my already extremely long list of things to do. Would someone want to imitate me when I put my kids to bed at night, and instead of missing them like I feel I should, I breathe a huge sigh of relief instead?

Having been on both sides of the imitation, my question is... it’s it listening – not imitation – that is the sincerest form of flattery? Think about it for a minute…

We see these other moms and everything they are doing to live what appears to be a beautiful life, but do we hear them? Do we hear what's really being said? Maybe something more flattering would be to let that person be unique in who they are, and you be unique in who you are. There is no one quite like you, and there is no one quite like me. We are all different, and we are all special in our own way, and that is probably the way it was intended to be. And, if we listen to each other instead of simply observing, or imitating or even trying to one-up each other, I truly believe we can learn from each other.

Ever since having our third child, I feel this need to be real and raw, to show the true us, to exemplify who I really am – who we really are as a family, and I feel obligated not to pretend I’m something that I’m not, that we are not. Yes, I do like to take pretty pictures; and have beautiful experiences with my family, and obviously, I usually leave out the mess that's on the other side of the kitchen. Yes, I'll bake a loaf of cranberry orange bread for fun during nap time instead of fold a pile of laundry, and then take a picture of it {the bread, not the laundry, obviously!}, but friends – that doesn’t mean I have it all together {see: dirty clothes are still on the floor}. It’s just something I enjoy doing, something that makes me feel like… me.

As a person, as a wife, and as a mother, I’m personally committing to more listening to others and what their pictures or images say, and less imitating. Because that person needs to be them, and I need to be me.


“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”
― May Barton

xo - Tiffany

This week has flown by, like most weeks in the summer tend to do. Our oldest will start kindergarten in the fall {Well, 65 days..yes I'm counting down. I'm that mom.} This will make our schedule much less carefree; while at the same time I crave the regiment it will bring it will also be an adjustment. Something that helps me currently and will be really beneficial in the fall is 'meal planning'. The planner {see: list maker} in me loves to strategize weekly menus, we don't always stick to them 100% but it does help me feel little less, well...insane. I really enjoy it, carving out a bit of time during naps or after bedtime to comb through my recipe books, tried & true family favorites, and new ones that I have pinned to my Pinterest 'Culinary Inspiration' board that I would like try out. Another reason I love to meal plan, often times I'll find myself I'm standing in front of my fridge around 4 pm willing it to give me answers because my brain is fried. It helps if all of the ingredients are in there & ready to go. We also do some themed nights, like Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, and Soup-y Sunday. Don't get me wrong; we do order in some evenings {who doesn't love pizza night, and not the homemade ones although they are great also.}

My process for meal planning is usually the same each week. First, I pull out my agenda/calendar to see what we have going on for the week, what nights we are home, which nights we are away and when it looks like it will just be kids and me for dinner. On those nights I still make wholesome meals but I definitely don't go all out with an intricate and time-consuming meal. They couldn't care less how much time and effort I put into the food in front of them, they just care if it tastes good. Secondly, I take inventory of what needs to be consumed in our fridge over the next few days. I haven't always done this step but it has made the biggest difference over the past two months. We no longer waste as much and it usually gives me my starting ingredient to plan a meal around. Next, I write that all down and try to find recipes to accommodate. For example, if I have two zucchini's that need to be used and corn in the freezer all I need is a frozen pie crust and we have a zucchini corn pie for Meatless Monday. Or if I have red potatoes starting to sprout I'll whip up a pot of Ham & Green Bean, serve half for lunch and freeze the rest. Also, to make things easier some weeks I will buy a rotisserie chicken, clean it and bag the meat separately for quick meal prep. Usually, one rotisserie chicken gives us enough for two different recipes. Additionally, I've been cutting up all my veggies & fruit during meal prep time and storing them for quick access. I as well try to make meals that use a lot of the same ingredients so nothing is wasted.  Here’s an example of what a typical week of meal planning might look like:

Monday:

– cheesy garlic parmesan spinach spaghetti squash (use up wilting spinach || recipe )

–  garlic bread 

Tuesday:

– chili lime chicken tacos (use up limes|| rotisserie chicken || recipe)

– homemade corn salsa

– cilantro lime rice (use up cilantro)

Wednesday:

– hamburgers or strip steaks on the grill

– watermelon, mint & feta salad (use up the watermelon)

Thursday:

– chicken fried rice (use up veggies || rotisserie chicken || recipe )

– steamed broccoli 

Friday:

– lasagna roll ups or baked ziti

– spring salad with strawberries, mandarins, sliced almonds, feta & poppy seed dressing

Saturday:

– out to eat or pizza

Sunday:

– zucchini corn pie (recipe)

– tomato basil bisque (recipe)

 Once my list is made I jump online and start adding to my list {yes, I order my groceries online}. I've found that having a plan combined with ordering online has really helped me to not be so frivolous with my grocery shopping and it totally cuts out impulse buys. I started using grocery delivery about two years ago and it's been the best decision ever. I select my groceries, choose a date and time for delivery, they pick it, pack it and bring to my door and right into the kitchen. So easy and so simple! They accept manufacturer coupons and can double them up to $.99, they recycle bags and have awesome communication with you by sending alert texts when you are the next customer delivery in your driver's route. The best thing is I don't have to drag three kids out to the store, forget half of the things on my list because I'm distracted and buy things just because they are placed at exactly the right place to grab my attention. I can monitor my running total as I shop; they also offer weekly specials and delivery discounts including FREE delivery – for all new customers. Also, they have a program called PodPass – I'm a VIPea with PodPass and pay one low annual fee for unlimited free deliveries. They are expanding all the time to try and reach new areas for delivery! I highly recommend grocery delivery, young kids or not, no judgment here! It makes life simple and leaves more time for family or fun. 

Follow the link below to see if they are delivering in your area give it a try!