Friday
You know how you know you've had a busy weekend? When you can't seem to remember what happened. That was Friday for me. If I know me, my Friday was spent trying to knock out client work before the weekend. I swear, I feel like I can never climb out of this hole that is work, and as soon as I see light at the end of the tunnel, I'm pulled back down. But alas, it WILL get done this weekend.

Saturday
Saturday morning was an early morning for me. The youngest one decided to wake up at o'dark thirty and refused to go back to sleep so I was up. Ugh. I cleaned the kitchen and did some other stuff around the house before out out to run errands. First stop was Academy Sports to buy new shoes for both kiddos.

Academy Sports came through as usual with new sneakers for both kids. Now, you may remember seeing these two in a previous post. As much as I love to shop, sometimes you just don't want to think about what to purchase so you stick to what you know. I did just that. I bought the same shoes but this time, TWO sizes bigger. These kids have grown two sizes in just a few months. How.is.this.possible?! 

After picking up shoes for them, it was off to our other favorite place: Lowes.


Beautiful weather and Saturday afternoons means Lowes to me. There's just something about it. And with Fall in the air, it was time to see what they had in store. I actually didn't get out of the car when we got there because the youngest one fell asleep for his nap so I missed the adventure. My husband and son enjoyed it because they came out with two folding tables he needed to pick up for his business. My parents were actually at the store too so we chatted with them for a bit before taking the party back home. The rest of the day was spent being lazy and relaxing before my nephew came over to spend the night.

Have you ever been in a house with 3 boys...at the same time..on the weekend? Good Lord. They are loud, will eat you out of house and home and have boundless energy. Needless to say, they had a great time and passed out some time around midnight.

Sunday 
Hubby had another shoot on Sunday so it was just me and the boys. I really didn't plan for much since I had tons of student assignments to grade and work to do. The kids entertained themselves in the backyard while I worked on dinner and meal prepping for hubby for the week.


His lunch was a hodgepodge of stuff but what I'm most proud of is the chicken. I marinated some chicken in a tomato, basil, garlic marinade with a ton of onions and bell peppers. If I had some mushrooms, they would have gone in there too. Then, the next day, I seared them before topping them with a can of diced tomatoes and putting into the oven for an hour.

Y'all, this chicken was so fragrant and tender. It was almost too pretty to eat. I made some garlic mixed veggies and macaroni and cheese from the box (ew!) and bam! This meal is husband-approved because he said it was really good.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and watching tv. I don't watch tv during the week because I'm too busy with the kids and work so I save everything for the weekend. This week is premier week and all my favorite shows are coming back so do expect tons of reviews.

How was your weekend?

via Google Images

Marty Byrde, a financial advisor, gets caught up in a money laundering scheme for his Mexican drug lord client, Del, along with his partner. Needless to say, things go South, the partner gets killed for helping another business swindle money from Del, and all hell breaks loose. To break even, Del tells Marty to get his money back ($8 million, mind you) or die. Uh ok, what’s there to even think about?
 Anyway, Marty tells Del about the Ozark mountains and how he can basically get the money back undetected and “clean” by investing in the businesses in the small resort town. Del agrees and Marty packs up his family and runs for the Ozarks. When he arrives, he realizes that swindling money in this sleepy town isn’t going to be as easy as he thinks. With a lake-based preacher, a cowboy-heroine supplier with a trigger-happy wife, a stripclub with some less-than-stellar talent and a couple of folks wanting to kill him, life definitely gets interesting for Marty and his family.

Image courtesy of Pexels

I am mom to two awesome boys (9 and almost 3). They are energy personified; constantly in motion, and will run you ragged in the span of 20 minutes. We love them dearly and they bring such joy to our lives in ways that words that can’t explain. Getting pregnant with our first son was easy, though unplanned, but it happened. The pregnancy was without any complications and the delivery was pretty smooth (despite a C-section).

Getting pregnant with Son #2 was a totally different experience. The biggest differences between both pregnancies (besides one being full-term and the other being a preemie born at 34 weeks) is my age. You see, I was pregnant with son #1 in my 20s and son #2 in my 30s. I’m here to tell you that pregnancy in your 30s is totally different than your 20s. Here’s been my experience:

Morning sickness is intense
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I know morning sickness is rough for pretty much anyone but as I’ve “matured” it seems my morning sickness became all-day sickness. As a 30-something mommy, remember that your tummy can’t handle everything like it did when you were in 20s…be gentle.

Stretch marks are likely


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I’m going to keep it real – by the time we’re in our 30s, we may have packed on a few extra pounds that refuse to go anywhere. Because of this, we may find ourselves with *gasp * stretch marks. Our skin loses some elasticity as we age and well, our bellies do too. Don’t beat yourself up too much, you’ve earned those “stripes” while growing and bringing life into the world. Be proud of them.

Yeast infections are a-plenty

Prior to second pregnancy, I had never had a yeast infection. I was one of the few to get away unscathed and boy was I lucky. My first (and so far, only) yeast infection happened during the middle of my pregnancy. Oh em gee! You hear about the itching and burning but I was not prepared. Thankfully, my doctor said over-the-counter stuff was safe and I immediately purchased it for relief. Keep this stuff handy because you might find yourself with multiple ones.


The “snapback” isn't always quick
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In my 20s, my body snapped back pretty well. I did manage to tack on 15 pounds that didn’t leave but it didn’t hurt my body. In fact, I felt beautiful and full. With baby #2, that “snapback” is still a work-in-progress 2 years later. Between balancing multiple kids, a career, a marriage, life, and a house, working out isn’t as much of a priority as it should be. The weight loss journey has been a slow and steady process and I’m ok with that!

As I continue to prepare myself for pregnancy with baby #3, I’m also keeping it real with myself that each experience, each pregnancy is different. We can't determine how our bodies will respond while we are growing miracles in our bellies, but we can do our best to continue nurturing the physical, mental and spiritual parts of ourselves in the meantime. Don’t be afraid to be a mama in your 30s; embrace it and love all parts of you!

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via GIPHY