Five on Friday

I can't believe it's already Friday!  Conor took yesterday & today off since my in-laws are in town, so we have been having all sorts of fun adventures.  Yay to only a 3 day work week!  Plus I love having all the extra helping hands around.  We have what is sure to be a busy weekend ahead with the Superbowl (we may or may not through a party) and Conor's birthday.  Let's just say I have nothing planned since we've had family in town, and that Saturday I will be a hot mess trying to get some things organized.  Here's my weekly Five (thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha)!

 

-ONE-
Megan at Willow Way posted a pic of some Valentine snack mix that just put together for her little Olivia this week.  My mouth started watering at the thought of all the delicious options!  I started scouring Pinterest for different combinations, and this one was my favorite.  We'll see what I put together this weekend.  It'll be more for me than Liam, since he's still not much of a snacker.  I'll take any reason to add a little pink to our daily lives!

-TWO-
I'm finally jumping on the Cardio Barre train!  I'm purchased a groupon for some classes with some friends, and I can't wait to start!  I've heard such amazing things about these types of workouts!  I think a little lulu lemon shopping trip is in my future!

-THREE-
We finally cut trimmed Liam's hair.  And when I saw trim, I really mean a trim!  He has such beautiful blond hair that curls in the back, so it was a tough decision.  However, I like that it's been cleaned up and has a fresh look to it.   Now that a few days has passed, it's looking perfect.

-FOUR-
Liam is now a brand new fish owner!  Conor's parents bought Liam a fish (with my blessing of course), and he is pretty excited about it.  We have yet to name him, so we're still open to suggestions... Hopefully I don't kill it, or Charlie doesn't eat it.  Fun fact:  I had a goldfish for almost 11 years growing up; that has to be a record or something!

-FIVE-
Don't forget to enter my Freshly Picked moccasins giveaway!!!  A winner be will chosen Monday morning!

Happy Superbowl Weekend, go Hawks!
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It's the Little Things

My blog friend Ashley over at Words About Waverly has started a weekly link-up about "the little things."  I love her idea to share just a brief moment that makes all the craziness & business of each day so worth it.  Life with a toddler is nonstop & hectic, so it's nice to be able to pause and enjoy those "awww" moments.

I had a rough day as a mom on Sunday.  After reflecting on the day, I'm thinking about doing a little post about it.  You know, to keep things real over here on this little bloggy blog.  Anyways, Monday morning I was back to my usual self and loving every minute of being Liam's mom.  Conor walked in the door after work that evening with two bouquets of flowers in his hands.  He called Liam over and told him to give his mama a hug & kiss and some flowers.  Melt. My.  Heart.  
(the pictures are terrible quality, but it was a quickly captured moment)

It was such a sweet gesture!  Every girl loves getting flowers, but it was more than that!  It was comforting to know, that even after one of my worst days, I was still appreciated.  I am still a great mom.  Nothing makes my day better than hugs & kisses!  

Thank you Conor for always knowing what I need, and setting such a wonderful example for our little boy!  I love those two something fierce!  Also, don't forget to enter my Freshly Picked moccasins giveaway!!!

Freshly Picked Mocassins GIVEAWAY!!!

That's right everyone; this week I teamed up with Freshly Picked Moccasins to host an amazing giveaway!  I wish I were Oprah Winfrey ("YOU get a pair of moccs, YOU get a pair of moccs, YOU get a pair of moccs!") and could give each and every one of you a pair of your very own!  But alas, I am not Oprah.  My connections aren't that good.

With my blog-iversary coming up on Sunday (2 years!), I wanted to find something amazing to give back to my readers as a big thank you!  Thank you for following along with my little family.  I sincerely appreciate all the sweet comments, words of advice, & daily humor that you all provide me with.  I never realized how wonderful the blogging community is until this past year!  I am excited about some of the new opportunities that have presented themselves.  Especially things like being able to giveaway some adorable moccasins for one lucky wee one!

So about the moccasins...  If you haven't heard about Freshly Picked, then shame on you!  They are the Rolls Royce of baby/toddler shoes :-).  They are coveted by every mama and are spotted on babes everywhere.  Even the Kardashian babies are known to be wearing their Freshly Picked moccs on a fairly regular basis.  They are made with beautiful leather and come in numerous amazing colors!  Choosing one (or many...) is the most difficult decision!  A little sizing tip:  Liam is about a 5 1/2 right now, but a size 6 were way too big.  Size 5 fits him well now with maybe even a little room to grow.  So I suggest buying a half-size down.     

Liam is sporting the swimming' with the sharks shade which is a smokey color.  He also has a pair of weathered brown to grow into, because I just couldn't resist!  These moccs are super easy to slip on a squirrely little one, and they stay on oh so well!  We aren't getting a ton of wear out of them right now, since it is still chilly & snowy out.  However, they are Liam's favorite shoes, so we wears them plenty around the house!  :-)  I can't wait for warmer weather and for Liam to rock his moccs with some shorts!  I think they bring out his inner little hipster!

So here is your chance to enter to win a pair of moccs in a color & size of your choice! The giveaway is open to US residents only, and a winner will be selected Monday morning, February 3rd!  "May the odds be ever in your favor..." (I couldn't help myself)...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the above item in return for an honest, sincere review.   All thoughts & opinions are my own.  No monetary compensation was provided. 

18 Months Old

I have a one and half year old.  ONE AND A HALF!  I just can't believe it.  Time is going by much too quickly.  I want it all to slow down so that I may soak up each & every moment that he is this curious, inquisitive, innocent little boy.  Who is also a hipster these days... I think he pulls off these leggings & moccasins, even though we stick to a preppy style most of the time.  :-)  Here's his monthly update where I get to brag, brag, brag all about Liam!

shirt//leggings//moccasins

Stats: Height: 34 inches (92%)  Weight: 22.66 pounds (11%)  Head: 18.8 inches (51%)  He's our little skinny minny!

Favorite Foods:  Cheese still reins supreme as his absolute favorite food.  He asks for it practically all day long.  More recently he has been wanting to help me shred it and then eat it off a plate; or he likes to use the cheese slicer.  Regular ol' string cheese just isn't cutting it anymore.  He has also taken a liking to Cliff Kids Z bars, although he only eats little nibbles off of them.

Breastfeeding:  Some days he's a nursing machine, other days it's only 2 or 3 times.  He still nurses throughout the night, although sometimes I will cut him off and he only fusses for a minute before settling himself with just snuggles.  We both are still enjoying the nursing relationship and so we will continue.  I've thought about implementing the "don't offer, don't refuse" mentality as he gets older, but with him being so skinny I'm not sure we're quite ready for that step yet.

New Words:  His vocabulary is growing & growing, it would be so hard to list all the new words he's learned.  However, I do want to note that he is using multiple words together now.  Not in sentences by any means, but he'll string different words together to let me know what he wants.  For example, yesterday he wanted to go outside so he told me "coat, walk, brrr."  Our pediatrician was super impressed with his speech!

Sleep:  I recently wrote a lengthy little post about our sleep journey here, in case you missed it.  Liam's has officially dropped to 1 nap, and I am perfectly fine with that.  Our days are much easier to plan out now.  He's fairly easy to put to sleep, and will sometimes even tell us when it's time by saying "night night."  He gives both Conor & I and a hug and kiss right before we climb into bed.  I all of sudden have this big boy on my hands!  When did that happen?!  

Favorite Interests:  Cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, buses, etc.  He is all boy these days!  The vroom vrooms & the beep beeps are taking over my life.  He also loves helping me with the household chores.  If I tell this kid we need to do some laundry, he squeals with delight and starts running to the basement.  He will hang up laundry on the bottom racks that he can reach.  Absolutely adorable and even sometimes actually helpful.  The kitchen counter has become his new favorite seat, where he loves to watch me prepare meals and desperately tries to help as much as possible.  I need to find or build (well, Conor can build) and good stool that will put him at kitchen counter height.  I see a little sous chef in our future.  Hide-n-seek ("peekboo") has also become a favorite game in the evenings.  Conor or I will go and hide, and Liam runs around like crazy looking for us.  He tackles us with giggles once we are found.  He continuously yells "peekboo" the whole time.  This has become one of my favorite games.

Life with Liam is different each day.  He is really turning into this little person with different moods, wants, & preferences.  Some days he wakes up perfectly happy and ready for the day, other times it's as if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  He is quite the teenager toddler.  He now knows exactly what he wants and tries to make that clear to everyone.  We have been playing musical chairs at the dinner table lately, trying to figure out which chair Liam wants everyone to sit in.  His highchair is currently collecting cobwebs at the end of the table, because he is refusing to sit in it anymore.  It's fun to watch him grow and assert himself... I'm sure I'll be eating these words at some point.

My days spent with a toddler are exhausting & exciting all the same time, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I'm sure he is going to start challenging me more, but with that comes better communication and more fun for us both.  I'm ready for all that this little boy has to throw my way!  

Five on Friday

This week was a long one.  Conor has one week each quarter that is particularly busy, and he puts in almost 12 hour days.  Those are long days for me too, which made even longer this week with Liam being slightly under the weather.  But Friday is finally here!  No big plans for us, although I am very seriously considering cutting Liam's hair.  After multiple bad hair days this week, I think it's time.  It hangs in his eyes more often than I'd like, and it's really become quite high maintenance.  We'll see if I actually pull the trigger...  Here's my weekly Five (thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha)!

 

-ONE-
I'm already starting to plan out some fun goodies for Liam for Valentine's Day (and possibly Easter too).  One can never be too prepared!  I am loving these wooden Anamalz; they are so simple and chic (did I just call a toy chic? I did).  I first heard about these from Thrifty Littles.  All you mamas need to follow her blog & instagram ASAP.  She is always posting awesome finds & amazing deals!

-TWO-
Liam was sick this week.  He rarely doesn't feel anything but his best, so when it hits him I'm always surprised.  I am always so thankful to still be breastfeeding whenever he isn't feeling like himself; I don't know what I'll do when I won't be able to comfort him in this way.  While Liam being sick isn't one of my favorite things of the week, I will admit that I just love the extra snuggles!  He loved getting cozy with me on the couch to read some books, and he actually lingered longer than he normally would have.  I'll take these moments when I can get them!

-THREE-
With Liam being sick, I was feeling it a little bit too.  Ever since I became pregnant with little L (and even now that I'm still breastfeeding), I am much more aware of what I'm putting into my body.  I try to avoid taking medicine at all costs, so I've started to explore more natural options.  I'm a hippy at heart if you didn't know!  I may not look like your typical hippy, but I'm pretty crunchy.  :-)  If I have a terrible cold, I will eat raw garlic... oh yes I will!  My newest thing is Bragg's apple cider vinegar!  I mix 2 tsps into a cup of water and add a little agave nectar to take some of the tartness away.  I'm sure there are also a gazillion Pinterest remedies using it!

-FOUR-
The other thing I have been drinking like crazy all week (I had to find something to substitute in for the wine) is tea.  I love tea!  I might as well be English, that's how much I like tea.  My sister-in-law recently gave me a canister of BijaBody Baby Mama Tea, and I am obsessed.  It is relatively mild, which makes it easy to sip on all day long.  It's safe for pregnant mamas and nursing mothers.  I wish I would have known about this while I was pregnant, because I was always so hesitant about drinking tea during that time.  And now I worry about tea possibly having a negative affect on my milk supply. I'm pretty excited that I don't have to worry while enjoying this stuff!  Also, they have a Man Tea for that male tea lover in your life! :-)  BijaBody is a Montana company, so yay for shopping small!

-FIVE-
Our new book club book has been chosen, and it is Labor Day.  It's relatively short, so I'm thinking I'll be able to squeeze in another book this month.  Labor Day was just made into a movie and is being released today I believe!  I'm thinking a girls movie night is in our future, considering the last movie I saw was What to Expect When You're Expecting...and this was when I was still pregnant.  I am long overdue for a trip to the theaters!

T.G.I.F. Everyone!
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IKEA Latt Table Hack

I have been meaning to share our IKEA Latt Table hack for awhile now.  We bought this for Liam when he was around 11 months old, and it has grown with him perfectly.  I noticed that so many of my blog friends purchased this table for Christmas, so hopefully this will provide a little inspiration!  However, first a word of advice: do not sit on these chairs while playing with your little one!  Do. Not. Sit.  I'm weighing in at less than 120 lbs these days, and my bony little butt started to crack the seat!  It took a few months of use before this happened, but I would just avoid sitting on them at all!

Moving on.  Liam's playroom has been a work in progress since we moved into our house, but I always knew that I would be decorating it with red accents.  I wanted to keep the table simple & gender neutral but add a pop of color, so we decided to paint only the chairs red.  The table is white to match trim, and the table top is chalkboard.  We stenciled in the letter K (for Keenan obviously) instead of an L in hopes that this table will last for more than one child.  That is yet to be determined.... if the table will last that is.  We are most definitely having more kids!!!!
While the table is an absolute steal at only $20, the price really climbs when you start buying supplies to make it your own.  So keep this in mind; especially if you've been eyeing a play table around the $50 or $60 range, since that is about what we ended up spending on the table.  We decided to use spray paint, which if I had to do it over, I would use real paint.  We had to use two cans of each color on this little table, which seemed a little ridiculous.  I would at least use real chalkboard paint, because I can already tell that I will need to redo the chalkboard part frequently.  We Conor painted everything, let it dry, and then we assembled it.  I think this is the way to go!  This way your screws don't get all gunky & covered in paint!  As far as the exact colors go, we used: Krylon Banner Red,  Gloss White, & Black Chalkboard.  

Liam is just starting to be interested in using chalk on his table, now that he's almost 18 months.  He mostly uses it for doing puzzles, which I find to be adorable.  I love seeing his little legs dangle from the chair as he quietly sits and works away.  I see us having snack time at this table and maybe even some arts & crafts in the future.  It is just his size and doesn't take up too much space in his playroom!  We love it!
And because I can't let a chance to show off some old photos of my itty bitty (not really)  11 month old, here are some shots that Haley took of Liam using his table over the summer:

So I Locked My Kid in the Car

Just last week I was catching up on The Workout Mama, and reading about how her little boy Caden accidentally got locked in the car.  As I was reading, I thought about how scary that must have been and felt so bad for Tamara having to experience that.  It was one of those nice reminders about how we need to be so careful as parents and make sure to always be conscience of what we're doing. I read her post on Tuesday.  I even commented on her post.  On Wednesday... I locked my kid in the car.  First thought: "You are absolutely shitting me!"  Second thought: "No way this just happened." I checked all the doors.  Then I checked again, because I really just couldn't believe it!
Let me rewind a few minutes, Liam & I are were enjoying a beautifully sunny day and took a little walk to the mailbox.  Liam knows which box is ours and loves helping unlock it.  We merrily walk back to the house with him still holding onto the mail key which is also attached to my car keys.  My car has key-less entry and start, so I never need to actually have my keys in my hands.  They are usually stuffed deep in a pocket of my diaper bag or my purse.  I figured Liam could hold onto the keys, so he wouldn't have a complete meltdown getting into his car seat; which has been the norm lately.  We were going to make a quick trip to the grocery store before Conor came home from work.  So I strapped Liam into his car seat, handed him one of his current favorite books, Moo, Baa, Lalala, and shut his door.  Approximately 5 seconds later I try to open my door and it is locked.  In that 5 seconds, Liam had pressed the lock button on the key fob...
The feeling in my stomach was awful.  Pure panic had hit me.  It wasn't a particularly cold day and the car was off and parked in the garage, so I knew Liam wasn't in any immediate danger, but still...! I was separated from my child and could not do anything about it!  He was flipping through his book, while I was moving into major freak out stage 3.  First, a quick call to Conor at work to try and help me come up with the best course of action. Then, I called 911, because locking your child in a car has to be considered an emergency, and we knew they would very likely respond quicker than a locksmith or AAA.
After what seemed like an eternity, a police officer arrived.  He did not have an emergency lock out kit with him, so he called the fire department.  I awkwardly waited with the policeman, trying to not absolutely lose it, until three firefighters arrived in a paramedic truck.  At this point my neighbor Mark runs out of house thinking something awful is happening (which it was, just not to the extent that Mark was thinking).  I was so happy to see him;  finally someone I know that can help me through this awful, awful moment.  He asked if I was okay, and I just started bawling!  My baby was locked in the car!  I locked my baby in the car!  
Liam was perfectly fine and just checking out all the people around him.  If he had been upset, it would have made the whole experience ten times worse.  I thought that once the firefighters arrived it would only take a few minutes and Liam would be back in my arms.  Well, apparently my car is incredibly difficult to break into...  All four men were trying for about 30 minutes with no success.  Liam had been holding onto the keys the whole time,  but he finally dropped them onto the seat.  Ultimately, the firefighters were able to snag the keyring with a hooked pole and pull them out while the door was wedged open a bit.
I was so relieved to hug Liam as tightly as possible, and I never wanted to let go!  The whole ordeal took 40 minutes.  40 MINUTES! My heart could finally stop pounding, but I just felt awful.  I felt like a terrible mother.  I know that Liam was unharmed, and honestly, he probably enjoyed all the commotion and getting to see the police car & paramedic.  But it was one of those moments that I just felt like I failed as his mom.  That whole evening and the next day, I was a little rattled. Liam quickly forgot about the event, so I figured that I needed to as well.  I know that as parents we need to forgive ourselves for the mistakes we make and move on.  I also know this isn't the last time I'll mess up, but hopefully I have learned just a bit more from this experience and will be more careful in the future.  Also, wine.  Wine helps just a little bit!
And since I dare not write a post without a picture of the little man,  here he is in one of his favorite cars...the one attached to the grocery cart! Thankfully.. this one doesn't have locks! "Vroom vroom, beep beep!"

Tortilla Soup

During the colder months, I like to a make some type of soup at least once a week.  Scratch that.  I make soup all year long!  Who doesn't like soup?!  I have a few favorites that are in constant rotation, but my absolute favorite... go-to...can make it in my sleep...know all the ingredients off the top of head soup is Tortilla Soup!  It's so hard for me to share recipes, because I'm stingy like that.  And if my friends knew all my recipes, then they wouldn't have to come to the Keenan house for tasty little treats.  However, this soup recipe is just too good not to share, and I'm feeling generous!   For those of you crazy ones that are already dreaming about Cinco de Mayo, this would be the perfect dinner with margaritas of course!  Now I'm gonna have to share my marg recipe, but that is for another day.  Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

4 cups beef broth

4 cups chicken broth

½ cup tomato juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 jalapeño, chopped

10 dashes of Frank's hot sauce

(You can add the seeds or not, depending on how spicy you want the soup)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp worchestershire

(I like to do a little extra of this)

2 cups shredded & cooled cooked chicken

1 large tomato diced

1 avocado peeled and sliced

1 can black beans, drained

*Optional:

Monterey jack cheese

Fritos (chili cheese)

Sour Cream

Instructions:

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil

Add chicken and beef broth, tomato juice, cumin, chili powder,

 jalapeno, hot sauce, salt, & worchestershire

Bring to a boil

Simmer uncovered for 1 hour

Add chicken, tomatoes, beans, & avocado

* This soup is generally healthy, but then I like to dump a whole bunch 
of cheese, chips, and sour cream on top!  It's best enjoyed this way! :-)

~Also, I finally added a recipe tab at the top, so check that out!~

Weekend Recap

Congrats to Keely Henry for winning the Woolzies giveaway; I will be emailing you shortly!   I hope you love them as much as we do!
There was nothing on our "to-do" list this weekend, so it was all about relaxing and enjoying time together.  While I love being productive and checking things off any and all of my lists, it was wonderful to have no plans.  Friday night my book club got together, which is something I look forward to literally all month!  I treasure time spent among other women/moms without constantly being interrupted or tugged at by the little ones.  We tossed back lemon drops & some lemon meringue pie and toasted to our kid-free night!
Saturday morning I snuck out of the house for a pedicure, which was much needed.  I treat myself to this once a month and highly recommend all you mamas do the same.  That one hour of being pampered is so refreshing; good for my toesies (yep, I just said that) & my mind!  When else I am going to have the opportunity to catch up on my People magazine?!
Then the afternoon was all about Liam!  We try to do one thing a weekend that is solely focused towards him and something he would enjoy.  This weekend we finally checked out the children's museum downtown.  The place is huge and completely interactive!  Liam was busy running around and checking out all the other kids.  He was so enthralled with all the new things in every direction that Conor & I sat back most of the time and watched our little boy discover the world around him.  Our favorite part aside from the sweet smiles he flashed us as we caught his eye while playing was the "copter" on the roof!  This boy is all about different planes, trains, and automobiles right now!  Liam wanted to stay in there forever, but it was a bit chilly out!  We all loved it and will be back soon, probably on a weekly basis now that we are members!

Sunday morning we all slept in!  I may have a terrible sleeper, but at least I was blessed with a boy who can appreciate staying in bed til 9 or 10!  He used to jump right out of bed and want to instantly play, but lately he has been cuddling more and slowly greeting the day.  Again, I am thankful!  Mama needs coffee before she can perfect her car & truck sounds!
The afternoon & evening were spent with a group of our neighbors watching the Seahawks game!  Hello Superbowl!  Liam is obsessed with his jersey and gets so excited to put it on, especially when Conor is wearing his!  He also says "Seahawks" and "football" very clearly; we couldn't be more proud parents! ;-)  Next we'll be working on "beast mode"!

To finish out our weekend, Conor & I snuggled up on the couch and started Season 1 of Breaking Bad!  We are a bit behind the times, but excited nonetheless.  Getting to bed at a decent hour may be difficult over the next couple weeks...  Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and the 'Hawks win just as much as we did!

Five On Friday

I'm so happy Friday is here!  Liam has his very 1st swim lesson this morning, and then I have book club (something I look forward to all month) tonight!  Saturday I plan on getting a pedicure for a little "me" time, and then the Seahawks play on Sunday.  Perfect weekend coming my way!  Here's my weekly Five (thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha)!

 

-ONE-
I'm still obsessed with lemon poppy seed pancakes, but it's time I explored some new pancake options...  So tomorrow morning, I'm going to whip up a batch of these whole wheat, buttermilk, & orange pancakes!  I spotted this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine, which means they have to be just a little bit healthy right?  I think I'll wash them down with a mimosa, cheers!

-TWO-
I finally added an "about me" section to the tab at the top.  So for all of you who just can't wait to hear more about me, rush over and check it out!  :-)  I loved looking back over old photos and deciding which ones to include.  My maternity photos are some of my favorites; they are only adding to my baby fever!  Even though we moved into our new house a year go, I have yet to hang up many pictures.  This needs to change immediately!  I really want to do a gallery wall, but I'm not quite sure where it would look best yet.

-THREE-
In other blog related news, don't forget to enter my Woolzies giveaway which ends Sunday night!  I have been loving our new dryer balls, and so has Liam!

-FOUR-
Liam hates... I repeat, hates being put in his car seat!  It was never a problem until a week or so ago.  He's fine once we are driving, but trying to put him in has become miserable.  And it's breaking my heart!  I literally have to start trying to distract him as we are approaching the car, and then battle him once he sees it until I finally have him strapped in.  It is absolutely exhausting, and it has prevented me from running numerous errands lately.  I sometimes just don't have the energy for it.  I'm hoping this phase passes soon!  This little cartoon is all too realistic or only slightly humorous; Liam is a combination of the Twister & the Rod!

-FIVE-
I am so thankful for all of my followers and of the blogging community as a whole!  I have been looking for fun ways to say thanks and "give back" to all of you, so.....  I have a big surprise that will be coming your way towards the end of January / early February.  I love surprises, so you will just have to wait!

Enjoy the weekend friends!
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