Hello, hello! How are you guys doing this morning? All is well over here! I meant to pop in and say hi yesterday afternoon, but I could not find a break at the gym. I’ve missed you guys a lot this week and am hoping to find more time to chat next week. Anyway… Onto better things!
After a sad farewell to my mom yesterday morning, Ryan and I welcomed more visitors to our house last night! Ryan’s family is visiting us from Sarasota through next Thursday. We’re thrilled to have them, especially since my mother-in-law wasn’t able to make it to our baby shower, so we’re more than overdue for some quality time together!
I have to teach and work at the gym the minute this post goes up, but Ryan and I are both hoping to wrap things up a little early today to enjoy some time with his family. They’ve requested lots of time out on the lake this weekend and since swimming is basically the only activity I can do outside that doesn’t make me feel like I’m going to melt away, that sounds lovely to me!
I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll see ya back here on Monday! Until then, let’s dive into your usual Things I’m Loving Friday post and share a little bit about what we’re all loving most this week…
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Pre-Addressed Thank You Notes
If you happen to be hosting a bridal shower or baby shower anytime soon, I have a great little gift idea for you. My sister took the time to address thank you cards to everyone who RSVPed “yes” to my baby shower last weekend and I cannot tell you how wonderful it has been to not have to look up addresses and all that jazz. For some reason writing thank you notes always takes me forever (I am rather wordy, as you may have guessed), so eliminating this simple step has been great! It was such a thoughtful gesture. Thank you, Leslie!
I used this 30 minute boot camp workout as the base for a boot camp class I taught yesterday. I love it because it targets the whole body but also incorporates challenging bursts of cardio to keep everyone sweating and breathing hard. It’s a good one and I am hoping to do myself tomorrow morning with some minor modifications.
- Dad-To-Be Gift Basket
My sister and her husband are the most thoughtful people on the planet. They put together a gift basket for Ryan and gave it to him on the day of my baby shower since they know dads-to-be seem to get a little left out of all the baby fun. I thought it was such a sweet idea!
If you are a fan of the whole gift basket thing, here are a few more gift basket ideas I’ve shared on the blog in the past:
Bachelorette Party Gift Basket
Considering the fact that I’ve never personally flown Allegiant Air, this is a bit of an odd “love” for me to include in today’s post, but this low-cost airline has allowed our friends and family to travel to the Charlotte area without paying a ton of money. Allegiant doesn’t come up when you search for flights on websites like Expedia or Travelocity, but if you visit their website, you can see where the airline flies (destinations and travel dates are rather limited!) and both Ryan’s family and our friends were able to book flights to see us for under $140 round trip. (Charlotte friends, Allegiant flies in and out of the Concord airport and it is a trip. It’s basically a giant warehouse!) They do charge extra for checked bags, but the overall cost is still way less than a normal flight. Just wanted to share this airline with those of you who may have never heard of them before and are looking for ways to save money on upcoming travels!
- Big Sister Shirt for Sadie
Our baby boy wasn’t the only one to receive gifts at my baby showers. Sadie received this adorable Big Sister shirt and I absolutely love it! Even though Sadie still has absolutely no idea I’m pregnant (she regularly tries to sit on top of my bump), I like to think she’s going to be a great big sister… eventually.
- Ultimate Hospital Bag
I realize I may be a bit early in thinking about what to pack in our hospital bag, but I found this image on Pinterest and pinned it for inspiration! I’m not going to lie, that seems like a ton of stuff (do I really need to bring a blanket, towels and toilet paper!?), but I suppose it’s better to be over prepared than to feel like you don’t have what you need. I have a Push Pack already on hand (it’s a pre-packed hospital bag) and that seems to take care of most of the items in the “Essentials” category of the above graphic, so that’s quite helpful!
- Yasso Strawberry Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars
These frozen Greek yogurt bars were a total impulse buy at Publix this week. I cannot get enough of fruit-flavored anything lately, and in an effort not to down an entire pint of strawberry ice cream all by myself, I grabbed a box of Yasso strawberry frozen Greek yogurt bars instead and was so impressed! They were so creamy and absolutely delicious. I will definitely be picking up another box this weekend!
Question of the Day
- Tell me about one thing you are loving this week!
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That Daddy-to-be basket is awesome!!! My husband received a Daddy-to-be toolbelt, and it was nice for him to feel included in the gifts as well.
I am by far an overpacker. Seriously it drives my hubby crazy LOL So I knew I had to downsize my original idea of a hospital bag. Yet, I still packed too much, so below is a list I feel are the essentials (or what I actually used).
~Phone Charger!
~Camera and backup batteries (or just use phone)
~ Chapstick, shampoo (and conditioner?), body wash, deodorant, face wipes, toothbrush/toothpaste, brush, hair ties
~ Socks and flip flops (to shower in) The hospital will give you slipper socks, but it never hurts to pack your own too.
~ Yoga pants that you don’t care if they get gross ; loose fitting tops, nursing bra (I had a nursing sports bra and it was awesome)
~ Sweatshirt–my hospital room was freezing!!! Tell Ryan to pack a sweater too if he is able to spend the night in your room.
~ Snacks!!!
~ I brought my boppy but didn’t use it–> my hospital bed had about 6 pillows on it haha
~ I didn’t have time to read magazines or a book once the baby arrived, but I did read a little bit during the beginning stages of labor (total time from being induced to baby was 14 hrs so we had lots of time to kill)
~ Going home from the hospital outfit for baby (2 sizes just in case- newborn and 3 months)
~ Pump (the hospital might have one but better safe than sorry).
Have fun!
We bought our first box of Yasso Greek Yogurt bars last week, and can’t. Stop. Eating. Them. They are so good! I highly recommend Salted Caramel (my favorite) and my husband prefers Coffee Chocolate Chip because it’s much less sweet.
I’m definitely going to check out Allegiant- we’re planning our honeymoon and would love to save some money!
I’ve seen people get the pre-addressed thank you cards and now that you mention it I’ll think double hard to do it myself next chance I get!
That is such a cool T for Sadie!!! Love it!!! I’m loving sunshine, finally arrived in Ireland!!!! We have Father’s Day this Sunday here in Ireland, when’s Father’s day there?
That’s a lot for a a hospital bag 🙂 definitely bring a boppy if you’re breast-feeding. ..I didn’t bring mine which was a head slap moment once I got home and realized its awesomeness. I also ended up with a c section so was really happy to have a few outfits for both me and the little one since we were there a few days.
Pack light! Packed so much stuff when I had my daughter and really only used toiletries for myself and 2 maxi dresses. And here’s my big tip…bring the nurses some food! We brought in a tray of calzones and a pastry tray and I left with a 1 month supply of diapers, an unopened bag of maxi pads, and a TON of mesh undies…I don’t think I wore real underwear for at least 5 weeks hahaha.
I agree with previous posts to pack light. I packed way to much for baby – when all we needed was an outfit to head home in. For momma…nursing tank, comfy pants (my hospital was cold), toiletries, phone & phone charger, camera and an outfit to go home in. I have heard of taking the nurses food, but I suggest taking a couple blank thank you cards too- that way you can leave them when you head home and you don’t have to worry about it once you’re home taking care of baby. Our nurses were our angels & I am so glad I was able to thank them.
As for all the extras…you won’t need them. You’ll be staring at that beautiful baby or feeding him…otherwise you’ll be sleeping.
Agree. That bag is definitely overkill. Cute suggestions though :). I’ve had two and way overpacked the first time. The second time I just had my phone, iPad, chargers and camera, yoga pants and a nursing tank, several pairs of comfy cotton boy short underwear (I’m one of the few that didn’t like the throw away underwear the hospital provides), toiletries, a going home outfit for you and baby, and a few snacks like bars and trail mix (not an entire pantry worth :)). They provide socks with grippies (or mine did anyway), all the pads and afterbirth essentials (including colace) you could possibly need as well as diapers and they wash the baby once in the nursery after birth and we didn’t again with either until we came home so no need for baby shampoos and lotions, and they also swaddle with their blankets. Rather than packing so much I’d leave room to take home what they provide. Any open pack of diapers, pads, swaddles, etc. Definitely do not need toilet paper, towels, pillows (unless you are particular about pillows) , Kleenex, or blankets.
The pre-addressed envelopes are so, so awesome!! What a thoughtful gift!
Have a great weekend!
Go Warriors! My hubs works for the team, so we’re excited they won the NBA Champs title. And because we have a new puppy, this is my husband’s first time as a FATHER on Father’s Day. 🙂 Have a great time with Ryan’s fam!! 🙂
That hospital bag made me laugh. Toilet paper and towels? I wasn’t near that prepared
I am a big fan of Allegiant, but recently while traveling to Florida I’ve seen all these news reports regarding safety of the airplane – St. Pete based flights have been cancelled 3 times mid-flight in the past 2 weeks and they’ve cancelled a lot of flights since because of maintenance concerns! That being said, they are DIRT cheap and despite the reports, I’ll be tempted!
http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/allegiant-cancels-six-flights-at-pie-citing-operational-needs/2234173
I have no idea about packing a hospital bag either, but it’s been on my mind lately. That graphic seems like a bit of an overkill (so much stuff!) but it definitely gives some good ideas. I know I’ll certainly bring food with! I’ve heard straws are a must-have too so that you keep drinking water (easily) throughout labor, including pushing time. Our midwife told my husband to bring “beachwear” (half joking) – a swimsuit or shorts, flipflops, and towels since I’ll most likely labor in the tub for a while and that way he can be close without worrying about getting his clothes all wet. I thought that was a good/easy suggestion!
What a great idea to have pre-addressed envelopes! I am definitely going to just so that for myself beforehand next time so they are quicker to write!
have you tried the mint chocolate yasso bars yet?? DEF give those a whirl, i promise they wont disappoint 😉
Aw that daddy to be basket is so cute! Not seen that idea before 🙂 x
Oh my goodness. You can read for hours about hospital bag packing. I packed pretty light for a first time mom and didn’t use anything. I just wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible and not worry about getting comfortable there! Unless you have a C section they can release you quickly. I was out in 24 hours after my daughter was born. I would have left 4 hours after Ha! I didn’t use anything I packed.
Thanks so much for the hint about Allegiant air! I’ve never heard of it, but have been flying a lot lately and will definitely be looking into it!
This week I was stoked to see Inside Out! It was so cute!
Yasso is the best!! The mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor. I have got to check out that airline, I’ve never heard of it before.
Taylor xo – T’s Spoonful of Sugar
It’s never too early to pack I’ve come to realize. I planned to pack the weekend I turned 36 weeks-and my son decided he’d make am early entrance that same weekend. Definitely pack light. I stayed in nursing tanks, a robe, & occ oversized men’s pj bottoms. I never dried my hair, just used beach wave product, & used their mesh underwear instead of my own. Baby stayed in just blankets until he came home, & my husband went home to shower/change daily.
Going to chime in about overpacking … you don’t need so much stuff! Definitely make sure your partner packs well if the hospital is far. After the third day, we checked out earlier than we could have because he ran out of underwear.
I’ve told many mommas to be this…I strongly feel that the only things you need at the hospital are a toothbrush, one going home outfit each for you and baby, any of your special must have face washes/moisturizers, and last BUT MOST IMPORTANT…nipple cream. I used Lansinoh. I didn’t need it for a long time but for the first fee days of breastfeeding it was a lifesaver. With my second I didn’t need it (maybe my nipples just got nice and calloused. Ha!)
I made an impulse buy this week, too – the Yasso cookie dough bars. Tried the 1st one last night & it was YUMMY!