Friday Things
1. This little guy has been a ball of fun lately, especially since he has started to REALLY notice his furry brothers. Any time they walk by him, he starts flapping his arms and getting excited. We’re starting to let him pet them and it’s the cutest thing… he basically grabs at their fur, but they’re so patient. I need to get a good video of it!
I think he’s also in the midst of some teething. He’s constantly chewing on a finger or thumb and after weeks of going to bed and sleeping for 11-12 hours a night, he’s had some rough bedtimes and a couple of recent middle-of-the-night crying fits. Poor little guy, it’s so sad when he’s upset… I wish I could wave a magic wand and fix it!
(Also, can you believe how light his hair is getting?? It was so dark when he was born!)
2. So, we actually thought about adopting a Golden Retriever yesterday – we saw on Facebook that an 8-year-old was being surrendered by a family who was moving and couldn’t take the dog along (what?!)… And we really, honestly thought about it, then saw that the dog was going to be rescued by a neighbor who had recently lost their own dog. Have we lost our minds?! Three dogs and a baby?? Well, everyone says that after two kids any extras get easier… maybe it’s the same for dogs?!
3. I’ve suddenly noticed that a lot of people I know are on snapchat… is this a thing now? (please say no)
4. I just saw that some makeup packaging actually includes a little icon indicating how long the product is good for once it is opened. I had NO IDEA this existed!
5. Homemade Chick-Fil-A sauce? I am SO making this!
6. I ordered The Whole30 book because I am desperate to lose the rest of my pregnancy weight and apparently eating like I always have is good for maintaining weight, not so much for losing it, so I need a little jump-start. I plan on reading it before diving in, so I’ll keep you posted…
7. Speaking of new books, I’m checking out some cheese books in anticipation of my fourth attempt at homemade mozzarella cheese. I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) three times now; last Sunday, my aunt said she wanted to try making it, so I’m hoping to master it sometime soon!
8. This list of the 50 Best Burger Joints in America is getting bookmarked for the next time we hit the road. Astonishingly, I’ve never eaten at ANY of these places… what’s your favorite burger place? I think I’d go with Cheeburger Cheeburger – I ate there first when my husband (then-boyfriend) was living outside of DC; they’ve since opened one not far from where we live now and they have FANTASTIC burgers!
9. I couldn’t stop reading these, beautiful and heartbreaking >>Â Love Letters Tell of WWII Couple’s Romance and Tragedy
10. TGIF! Do you think these two could handle another furry brother?!
Have you read Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy series? Those love letters reminded me so much of the books and supposedly they are making a series out them (a la Game of Thrones). When and if you have time to read again, I highly recommend them. I’m on the last book and can’t put it down.
First off, I love your recipes. They are the bomb! For the teething thing my mom gave me and my brother frozen silver dollar pancakes from the grocery store. Since they were frozen, it would help to numb the pain and once they thawed, we got to eat them. Hope this helps!
LOVE whole30 and i became full time PALEO after that. It is not necessary a weight loss book more about healing your body with good food. But it could be weight loss for many. My biggest benefit is I never thought i could get rid of sugar cravings and i did – it was a rough 3 weeks with NO SUGAR but glad i did it and will never look back! No more cravings and that is amazing. Been Paleo for over a year and 6 months. My advice is clean your kitchen and then prep a few days – they say if you don’t prep you will have cravings and slip!!
While your baby is clearly adorable, I will skip right over him to warn you that three dogs is way harder than two dogs. I’ve been in both situations and have almost succumbed again because they are just so hard to resist, but believe me when I say you dodged a bullet when your neighbor took the dog you were considering. I’m happy for you and happy for the dog.
I am a bit concerned about 2 things here…first, medical professionals suggesting the use of alcohol to put babies who are teething to sleep. (I’m a pediatric nurse). Second, the Whole30 Book. I had a look at it on Amazon and it says the primary purpose isn’t weight loss. It also excludes large groups of food like dairy, grains and legumes. If you are still breastfeeding, diary would be quite important for calcium and protein for both of you. Far be it for me to tell you what to put into your mouth, I will be interested in hearing your opinion of it.
Hi Michelle! I don’t know if you’re interested in fitness trackers, but if you are, I highly recommend picking up a fitbit. It has helped me lose 20 lbs so far. It really helps to see the activity you are doing throughout the day and maybe it could work for you :) hope you and your beautiful family have had a wonderful weekend!
Whole30 is difficult. I have tried it, but had to stop after about a week and a half – with my ED history, the super restrictive diet and the (yes) weight loss, even a couple of pounds, was too much of a trigger for me. If you have a good history with food, you might have better luck than I did. I’ve found that just focusing on getting whole proteins and veggies in my diet every day is far more effective for me. Don’t forget about regular exercise too, especially for weight loss – it will kick up your metabolism! I Crossfit (and LOVE it) but running, biking, yoga, Zumba, all of those things are effective – whatever you enjoy and can stick with is what works! :-)
My heart goes out to the family that had to give up their dog. We recently moved overseas and it cost over $6,000 to ship our labrador and pay import fees. Six THOUSAND dollars…that’s almost as much as it cost to ship all of our household goods! Thankfully we could afford it, but not everyone can. So happy there are families willing to step in and adopt them, but my heart still would have broken to have to give up our girl.
First off, your little one is adorable! Oh, and of course your dogs are too! Unfortunately, my fiance and I don’t have any dogs (yet), but if he gets his way, we’ll end up with 2 or 3. I actually wrote a post about makeup packaging after reading that same BuzzFeed article! You can check it out here if you’re interested: http://sweetpeaafternoontea.blogspot.ca/2015/06/beauty-products-expiration-dates.html
Great post! Have a lovely weekend!
Please share any good Whole30 dishes that you create and would love to hear about your experiences with it!
Joseph is tres’ adorable and I would spend my whole day hugging and kissing his cheeks! I really think 2 dogs is enough with the baby and Duke and Einstein have been with you through the pregnancy and bringing home baby so they are used to and probably very protective of little Joseph and a 3rd dog at this stage that hasn’t been around him could be very difficult. I’m going to have to break down and get some Chick-Fil-A today…..lol….good luck with the weight loss
Oh and I was going to say that my sister lost a lot of her “post baby fat” by learning to belly dance and doing workout videos with it – didn’t interfere with her ability to breast feed
Thanks for the cute baby and pup photos. I always say nine months up, nine months down. Post baby, everyone is so rushed to take the weight off; but if you are nursing, your body will just cling to the weight with calorie restrictions, so as to be able to make milk. Just eat a healthy diet, with plenty of water, and the weight will melt off. Loved the burger rankings — I’ve never eaten at any of them, but might have to give one a try when traveling! Thanks for a great post!
You’re baby is so cute, thanks for sharing every week, I look forward to pictures of him his big canine brothers. On that subject, I have four big dogs (bouvier des flanders) and I have to say taking care of two or four or six (we used to have six, two died :( which was sad) is really the same thing, I don’t however, have a kid in the mix, just a cat, so my opinion probably doesn’t apply to your situation. I’m sure you’ll make the right choice for your family, so I’ll just add, dogs are so much better than people, they’ll give us all the love there is to give and ask nothing in return…as I’m sure you know ;)
First off I want to squeeze Joseph!! So sweet enjoy seems like yesterday my Matthew was a baby now he just finished 2nd grade. Ugh. I’ve had 4 kids and the weight will come off but if you want to jump start try the 21 day fix via beach body. I’m doing the workouts via on demand . Good luck and keep squeezing Joseph..
Just wanted to add my two cents and ditto the previous comments. You have a beautiful family. Thanks for the great recipes and wonderful pictures.
My guys hair got light and curl around then, when he started losing all that newborn fluff. Also, wait until he starts crawling around and chasing the dogs! It’s hilarious. Last week my son started putting his toys in his mouth and crawling around with them like the dog.
First of all, baby is adorable. He gets cuter and cuter and his hair sure is getting lighter. I have so enjoyed watching him get bigger! Another furry friend? Absolutely. They would be lucky to have you for a family!
My doctor gave me the “cure” for teething babies. Pour a shot of Bourbon in a shot glass, dip your finger in it and apply to baby’s gums. Just a drop or two. Then when Dad starts wining about the kid getting into his Bourbon, give the rest of the shot to Dad. They will sleep like, well, babies! Worked like a charm on both of them and I got to sleep, too!
Hello. I have made several of your cheesecake (all great successes) but wondered if it’s possible to make any of them and then freeze, to be served later? One in particular is the chocolate peanut butter lover’s cheesecake. I’ve made this for auctions but there’s an auction coming up that will be held outside and I’m afraid it would just melt!! Thank you!
Hi Juli, I have definitely frozen baked cheesecakes… just thaw in the refrigerator!
We have three dogs, although we never thought that it would happen! We took in my grandmother’s dog after she died, to go along with our other two, and it can be crazy sometimes, but we do love them all! And best by dates on make up? Wow, people do anything for money!
Oh my, who ever said that after two extras get easier? I have never heard that – actually have heard and EXPERIENCED the opposite. Not that I’d change anything – I love having 3, but it’s so much more work than I ever imagined. Doctor’s appointments, school plays and conferences and activities, paperwork, etc. Never mind if they play sports or have activities too. We don’t even have pets, but with working full time, it’s a constant juggling act between DH and I to cover all the responsibilities.
Has Joseph started on food yet? That’s what woke my 3 – each went through the same thing when they started needing more calories.
He hasn’t started any solids yet, but perhaps a growth spurt!
Sleep regression!! I have little girl, who is about 4 or 5 days younger than yours little Joseph, and she is going thru the same thing. Its a bit early for teeth but she will wake up crying or spend a lot of time at night crying lately. Some nights are ok and some are horrible. I said I would not let her sleep in my bed for safety reasons, but there have been a few times that the ONLY way she would sleep was next to me. Sorry daddy, you are on the couch those nights!
So when you are up at 2 am, I am right there with you :)
Joseph is changing so much. Seems like the hair color just happened in a week. I live in Texas but several hundred miles from Austin. The top hamburger would not be something I would like.
I have the Whole 30 book on my Kindle. I think the program is most effective if you have health issues that might be triggered by a food sensitivity and weight loss is bonus. This last month or so I’ve seen lots of eating programs either for health or weight loss. There are two main things I’ve noticed in nearly all of them: 1. Eat more vegetables (and fruits). 2. Avoid manufactured foods.
I find it important to watch portion sizes (my plate does NOT need to be full).
Our pediatrician recommended a little apricot brandy on the gums for teething. He also said it was ok for mom to have some too!
Hi Michelle:
That precious little one is sure growing. Teething.
I had one and you didn’t know she was teething and the other one screamed Germany down.
Try dipping your finger in “Pure” Vanilla and just rubbing his gums with it.
Should help.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
How could that baby have gone only one week and look so grown up! He is starting to look like a toddler!
Have you two lost your minds? I know you love those goldens, but girl, your hearts are much bigger than your brains! LOL Seriously, I think the Good Lord was looking out for you with that sweet neighbor!
I’ve always wanted to try to make cheese, so if you figure it out – I may be in! Can’t wait to hear the outcome of your next try! Have a great weekend and as always, your pictures of ALL your boys are precious!
I’ll just weigh in on the dogs. I have 2 resident beagles, but I also board dogs in my home so, I ALWAYS have a new and different dog roaming around. Despite this, I decided to adopt a third beagle – a puppy this time! So, I’d say, if you’re a little crazy to have a little one and two pups, go all out! Get a third! I think the joy they bring far outweighs the initial “omg, what did I get myself into” :-) I think if it were up to me, I’d have ALL THE DOGS!
Lots of good info in this edition of Friday Things…loved the info on make-up expiration…can’t wait to show my daughter. Snapchat is very popular with the high-school age kids, but even they do not like how it disappears. One of the comments above said it could be saved. I will have to run that by my “all-knowing” teenager!!!
I have been slowly adapting to the clean eatting life-style which is harder than any book will tell you because our food world is so processed and genetically manipulated. Clean eating really helps each of us to gain control of what we buy and consume, which is so rewarding in itself! Only we can change how the government and the food industry try to feed us! I love the idea that one reader had about you creating a page on your Whole 30 journey…weight-loss is so much better shared…to inspire and be inspired! Your son is so so so cute…beyond words! Also your furry boys…don’t they look so angelic sitting side by side! So adorable! Have a great week-end!
Your son just gets cuter every week. Not sure about a third dog. I have three cats and I am overwhelmed at times, especially as they age. Currently they are 18, 17, and 14. My favorite burger was from Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island in SC. Of course, you have to be good that close to Charleston because there is such good food there.
Well, as the ‘alpha female’ to my former pack of 5 males dogs (also one rabbit and one son living with me then) I can tell you that your heart and your pack will expand to whatever it needs to. The dog pack will resort itself with the addition of whoever needs to be rescued, and your human family will only benefit. I say that because my experience is that if you let the canines figure it out, they will. Only once did I have to remove a dog and re-home it. And that was because he was an alpha male maturing from a rescued pup. As he grew into his position, the resident alpha male would not surrender his, and there was a bad fight. I won’t have that. There is no sense in it. But in all other cases, with the addition of the new dog, the alpha remained in control, and the rest of them sorted themselves out. Buddy maintained order in the pack with very little movement…usually just a look, but sometimes… an occasional cuff to the head of the offender. But they all did what he wanted. He was gentle but in control at all times. In my experience, the more dogs or kids you have the easier it actually is on you, because they self-regulate. And they self-train as well as self-entertain, so it is not all on you. But you might have to get a better vacuum cleaner…hahaha! Just pay attention to the pack. Watch them. You will be endlessly amazed. And your son will grow up with a understanding of animals that you cannot teach him yourself. It is the best thing you can do. For all of them!
Marla, thank you for posting your experiences with adding more dogs to your family. We have 1 rescue Golden/Lab mix and having him in our family has brought love, fun and laughter. I didn’t grow up with dogs and had no idea how much love I’d have for our little guy. He’s become a therapy dog and joins us on family trips, day trips, hikes, happy hour outings, etc. We’ve been hesitant to add another as ours is 5 yrs and we just weren’t sure how he’d react. But seeing so many posts of owner surrenders (what is up with that?) and hearing yours and others successes, we need to open our home to those fur babies that have been left behind.
If you ask me, there’s no such thing as too many golden retrievers! I’ve been waiting all my life to get one, knowing I want a fenced-in yard once I adopt one. Meanwhile, my 15-month-old loves playing with our Yorkie-Schnauzer mix Reese. He does the fur-grabbing as well but he’s learning to be nice! Your little one is precious!
I recommend getting the Wonder Weeks app on your phone (there is also a book you can buy). It tells you all about their mental “leaps” in development and what to expect around those times for behavior. There is also a pretty nasty 3-4 month sleep regression which could account for the waking up. It’s only just begun! Fun Fact- the salivary glands kick in at about 3-4 months which is why all of the sudden babies start chewing on things and drooling like crazy!!
good luck with the baby weight! I have a 15 month old and I am still trying to lose 25 lbs from my pregnancy!1 I’m one of those unlucky breastfeeders who hangs on to weight while bf’ing!! of course all those yummy recipes of yours may be the culprit!!
your baby and dogs are adorable!!
I love Shake Shack. It has ruined me for other burgers. As for snapchat, I have a friend who uses it but I don’t see any point to it. I know more and more bloggers/personalities are signing up for it and I feel like it’s only because it’s the ‘next thing’ rather than it being at all useful when you already have facebook, instagram, twitter, etc.
I so agree with you comments about Snapchat!
Happy Friday Michelle! Joseph is just the cutest little guy ever! I’ve been to Cheeseburger/Cheeseburger (live right outside of DC also) and Five Guys (as someone mentioned in a post) but do not like their hamburgers, they seem greasy and tasteless. My fave is Outback or Friday’s. The meat in the burgers tastes more like they are using sirloin. They are so delicious! I want one now!
Love your food, but I think I love your dogs more!!! So handsome!
To start, thanks for linking to my Chic-Fil-A sauce recipe! You absolutely must try it! I’m addicted to it. Your little boy is sooo cute! I have a 2 month old little guy with that chin dimple :) so adorable! And I can’t wait to hear about the Whole 30, I think my body holds onto all baby weight until I finish nursing though..lucky me.. Hope you have a Happy Friday!
You can also mimic the Chik-Fil-A sauce with Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold BBQ sauce and mayonnaise. Generally I use equal parts of the two ingredients.
Can’t trust that burger list … It doesn’t include Burgatory! (PIttsburgh)
Your little boy is so adorable. He’s just too cute!!! As for your doggys Love them!!! I would’ve been like you and would’ve wanted to adopt the other beautiful doggy. I love animals…the more the merrier I always say.
Sorry I know nothing about Snapshot…I’m not even on Facebook or Twitter. Not really a fan of either. That’s just me I don’t like putting my business out there,
We have quite a few “Cheeseburger Cheeseburger ” but I’ve never been. One day I have to go!
Enjoy your weekend
Debbie
I live near Cincinnati and no mention of the great burgers we have here??
I have had Yeah and Flip burgers in Atlanta–both very good.
My friend has always had 3 dogs and has 3 grown children–they all did exceptionally well.
All of your boys are so precious!! I have never been to any of the burger spots on the list. I missed a chance to eat at In-N-Out Burger last fall when I was in San Francisco but Chowder and Sourdough Bread won over burgers. However #50 on the list Bill’s Bar and Burger just opened in the Westin Convention Center downtown so maybe I will make it there some day. Locally I like Burgh’ers in Harmony and Five Guys and Smashburger for chains. With all this burger talk I obviously know nothing about weight loss . Have a great weekend!
Oh my gosh that face, he’s so cute! Somehow none of my kids have been born with dark hair, I got a red head and two blondes. Only time will tell what baby #4 will have. I personally think it does get easier with more. Not only do we have three kids but we have three dogs, 22 chickens, 2 ducks and I’m about to become the proud mama and grandma to a goat and her doeling. Days are usually fun and full of hugs and laughter! Hard sometimes for sure :-)
If you do the whole 30 is there a plan to document on BEB? Like a page with updates. I’m hoping post baby to try it, are you still nursing? Have you read if it will cause any milk supply issues? Sorry, too many questions! Happy Friday!!
Hi Desiree, Thanks for the suggestion, I might set up a page to document it if there is interest. There is a whole section in the book on pregnancy/nursing, but I haven’t gotten that far yet!
I am going to weigh in here on the 2 items, children and dogs.
My oldest sister had her first child when I was 7 yrs. old. Her favorite thing to say was “what’s one more?” Meaning children. She had 7 before she was done with her marriage and having babies.
As for dogs, let these 2 enjoy each other and Joseph. Three big dogs would overwhelm the little guy, let him grow up with these two and let them enjoy him as he grows. If you are meant to have another dog, one will “present” itself, no work on your part. Leave things as they are and your family will be a nice cohesive unit.
Joseph is adorable, we all can see that. He must really be a hoot when he starts acting excited to see the dogs. Be happy and soak in the cuteness that is your child.
OH MY GOSH all of your boys (furry and human) are just so cute! I can’t get over how light baby Joseph’s hair is getting. He’s just beautiful! Please keep us updated on how the whole 30 thing goes. I’m desperate need of losing weight.
I did a whole30 at this time last year and I didn’t lose too much weight but it transformed my body and how I look at food! For me, it helped me see the power of food and appreciate treats even more
Joseph is adorable…that chin dimple is a killer.He must bring you and your husband such joy.
I was curious about Whole 30 so I checked it out on Amazon. So many foods are eliminated from one’s diet, I wonder what happens when the 30 days is over. I do believe in clean eating and seldom eat processed food, but riding my diet of dairy…I need the calcium…legumes/beans and whole grains seems drastic. Of course one will lose weight elininating whole groups of food but I would not be able to sustain that and I assume any weight lost would return. I will be interested to see how this works for you in the long term…especially the eliminating sugar requirement!
BTW…I just noticed on my TV listings that Dr. Oz is doing a show today on The Whole 30 plan. I am not sure if you will see this post in time to watch it…it is on in my area at 3pm but I wanted to give you a heads up.
Thank you so much! I didn’t catch it, but I might be able to find a clip online.
Oh and one more thing, my husband and I did a 30 day clean eating challenge at our gym last month and we each lost 9 lbs, we did have a few cheats, but ate generally clean and had great success! Good luck!!
I have been to Gordon Ramsay’s Burger place in Vegas and it is really really good! Both kinds of fries that we tried are also amazing, sweet potato and truffle fries. I am on snapchat and I can’t say that I love it, but it is kinda nice since my iphone is iff-y on sending photos, Snapchat doesn’t let me down for this. However, the photos sent disappear. Joseph is getting so big, isn’t funny how their hair gets lighter like that? My kids hair did the same thing!
Your pups are so precious. I’m totally not a snapchat person. I don’t see the point in that app. Haha.
My high school aged niece uses snapchat, so I’m going to avoid it. I might be aging myself (mid 30s), but I don’t think I’m the target market for snapchat.
Your family is adorable!
Looking forward to what you have to say about the whole 30 book. A book that is popular in my circles is Trim Healthy Mama. From what I understand is that you separate your carbs from your fats. You can eat both but it can’t be together.
Anyway, have a fantastic weekend.
I took a cheese-making class and mastered mozzarella there, but haven’t yet attempted it at home. What issues are you having?
Hi Michelle
Firstly your son is sooo adorable and so are your gold retrievers :) Love them!
Yes snapchat is becoming the “new thing” now. It is basically instant photos that you capture and send, those pics cant be viewed again unless you save them. A few of my friends have it and that’s why i got it. It seems quite fun. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Its freezing where I am, so trying to keep warm and sip on loads of hot tea :)