Five on Friday!

Hi and HAPPY FRIDAY!  After a week that was supposed to be plan-less and ended up being nonstop, I am thrilled to welcome the weekend with open arms and a drink in hand!

O N E
I got a Fitbit!  After talking to a lot of people who have and love their fitness trackers, I spent quite a bit of time reading about and researching them.  After all was said and done, I ended up getting the Fitbit Charge, and I love it.  It really keeps me on my toes about how active I'm being, and I love the competitive aspect of it.  At the end of the day if I'm not happy with my progress, you may find me running up and down our stairs to increase my steps/calories/floors/distance!

T W O
And speaking of working on my fitness (helloooo Blackeyed Peas), I've got a few more lbs to lose and I need some workout dvd recommendations.  I'm done with Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred, and while I'm so proud of my weight loss and progress, I still have some shredding to do.  My go-to workout is always running... it keeps my brain from exploding and I love being outside.  But I know it's better for my body to incorporate some strength training.  And since it WON'T STOP RAINING (seriously, this is insane), I really need some go-to dvds to do at home.  I have some Jackie Warner, which I like, and I do have Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30, but I'm kind of sick of her.  So, any suggestions?  It can't have workouts that are longer than 30 minutes, because I only get about a 30-minute reprieve each afternoon (see T H R E E).

T H R E E
Why do I only get about a 30-minute reprieve?  Because apparently I birth kids who do not like to nap.  As a baby, CK was never a good napper.  She slept great at night, early on, giving us 12 hours before she was two-months old.  BUT her naps were always cat-nap-ish and, unfortunately, E is proving to be the same.  Don't get me wrong, I am so fortunate to have babies who sleep at night, but y'all, WHY DON'T MY KIDS NAP?!  I put them down awake, always have.  They have sound machines.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong.  It seems like everyone else is all, "My kid naps for 2-3 hours" and I'm like, "OmiGAH what do you do with all that time?!!!!"  But seriously, I am so tired by the end of the day because I truly feel like I don't get any sort of legitimate break.  Two kids who hardly nap, and whose naps rarely end up being at the same time... honestly it's a luxury if I get to pee by myself.  HELP.

F O U R
And speaking of my two little bosses, we've had a challenging week with E.  The easiest, most laid-back, happiest, most go-with-the-flow baby has been acting like - well - a baby.  Ha!  In all seriousness, though, he has not been himself.  I feel like part of it is my fault - CK was on such a set schedule by 5 months... I knew when she ate/napped/etc. to a T.  Poor second child spends most of his time being lugged around town, running errands, revolving around the rest of us.  I know the number of times he usually needs to eat and snooze in a day, but that's about as "scheduled" as it gets for him.  And honestly, I think babies/toddlers/preschoolers/kids in general thrive on and crave routine, and E is probably ready to have a day that's a wee bit more predictable.  But also, have you heard of The Wonder Weeks?  I've had a few people mention it, and after seeing my friend's IG post earlier this week and talking to my sisters, I decided to download the app.  Lo and behold, E has just started a new "leap."  (That little baby head on the chart below represents where he is now.)  So interesting!

F I V E
I feel like this post is so HELP ME, but really, HELP ME.  Anyone ever make your own baby food?  Now that I'm staying home, I really want to try to make E's baby food myself.  I hear it's easy and much cheaper.  I have a Ninja blender, so I'm assuming that'll suffice.  Any tips?  Tricks?  Suggestions?  So far we've done rice cereal and oatmeal (yay E!), but I'd like to get veggies started this weekend!  As you can see, my little butterball is pumped about some food!!

Have a GREAT weekend!