OOTD

This is such a mix of outfits because our weather has been insane lately. One day it is shorts weather and a couple days later we need a sweater. It's been kind of nice in some ways because you get to wear a variety of clothes. 

The top in my picture below is kind of a pink tie dye. I just bought it from Gap. I really like Gap tshirts, but I hate how they lose their shape after a few washings. My Havaian flip flops are on their last leg. I love them! I go through a pair every year. I wear them around the house all summer long. I will have to keep my eyes out at Nordstrom Rack for a new pair. Amazon carries them too. I buy them from both places. 

Tshirt: Gap

Shorts: Old Navy

Flip Flops: Havaians
Sunnies: Old Navy (last year)

I link Gap white jeans below. Gap jeans fit me really nice. I also don't feel they lose their shape. The butts don't start sagging on them by 10am. This is my second pair of Lucky leopard flats. My cousin bought me a pair of them when I had one of my MS attacks. I wore those suckers out until they had holes in the bottom of them. I had to buy another pair to replace them. They are my go to shoes to wear with almost every single outfit I own. They are worth the price and super comfy! I usually size up 1 size in Lucky shoes. 

Sweater: Nordstrom Rack

White Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Amazon Lucky's

I have been loving my Gap boyfriend distressed jeans again lately. They have been stuck in the closet for the past few months. These just fit me nice and are comfy. I bought the top I am wearing from Target in black and white. This is super comfy! Goes great with jeans and skirts. I like the little cap sleeve too. My sandals are very old from Target. I bought them on clearance for like $3. I am wearing a pair of Nickel & Suede earrings I bought ages ago. They are a lime green color. I think I bought these earrings back when Nickel & Suede was still on Etsy. They now have their own website and such cute stuff! These earrings look huge, but they super light weight! You don't even feel them on! 

Top: Target

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Target

Earrings: Nickel & Suede

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post OOTD appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.

My Skin Care Routine

As many of you know I sell BeautyCounter. I love the majority of their products! I really love that they are safe for everyone and non-gender products. When I used products in the past I felt I had to wash my hands or not touch G until I was sure the product wouldn't transfer onto him. Now why I didn't think well maybe that isn't safe for me I am not sure. I don't worry now if he gets into the products at all. He has been known to put some cream on his face or neck. 

I have always been very simple when it comes to a skin care routine. I didn't use anything other than soap on my face until the past year. I would wash my face and that was it. Now I have a routine I follow morning and evening. It is quick and simple. Sure I could spend lots of time using different products, but honestly I don't want to spend the time on that stuff. I want something that is light weight, simple and quick. That is how this routine has come into play. 

Morning Routine:

Foaming Face Wash

I make my own face wash. I think I started using this early last year. My sister made me a batch and I fell in love with it. Lacey bought me the foaming soap container I think at the dollar store. I just use the same one. I make the face wash and refill my container. I keep the extra in a glass Mason jar in my bathroom cabinet. You can find foaming soap containers on Amazon. 

1/2 cup unscented Castile soap
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 cup of water

I make a double batch at one time. I put it all into a mason jar, shake it up and then fill my foaming soap container. You can add essential oils to the mixture if you would like scented soap. I don't like a scented soap, so I don't add any. If you don't like almond oil you can always use aloe vera gel, witch hazel or jojoba oil. I looked for an organic oil on Amazon, so that is how I ended up with almond oil.  I like the almond oil best for my skin since I feel it also moisturizing. If I skip applying a moisturizer I don't feel like my skin feels dry at all. 

I have tried BeautyCounter face washes. I have nothing against them. They work great for my skin. I just choose to make this one since it is so reasonable and easy to make. If you are looking for some safe nontoxic cleansers go HERE. 

Day Time Moisturizer

I use BeautyCounter Nourishing Day Cream. I got my cream in October and I am still using the same bottle. I use it at least 6 days a week. I have given samples out of it too. It lasts a long time! I am going on month 8 using the same bottle. Some people may feel that $43 for a moisturizer is a lot to spend. If you break it down that is only a little over $5 a month. I only use one pump for my entire face. A little goes a very long way! My face doesn't feel greasy either. It soaks into my skin very well. 

Depending on how my skin is feeling I use the No. 3 Balancing Oil by BeautyCounter. I maybe use this a couple times a week or at night. In the winter this stuff is amazing when the cold weather zaps the moisture out of your skin. I don't suffer with dry skin in the winter very much since our temperatures doesn't get bitter cold. When there is changes in the weather my skin does change a little. I have found I reach for this more in the summer. When I have gotten more sun on my face than I like it's great to hydrate it.  Yes, this does seem pricey. Again I am still on the same bottle since October. I had some people take massive sample out of my bottle one time. I think 3 people took over half my bottle. So essentially I have been using half a bottle for 8 months. I use 3 drops to on my entire face. 

I do not put sunscreen on my face or use a moisturizer with SPF. If I am going to be outside I will use the BeautyCounter Protect Stick Sunscreen. I had a long talk with a friend who has melanoma about using sunscreen on a daily basis. He told me to only use it when I am going to be out in the sun for a lengthy period of time. He suggested not using it daily and exposing your skin to additional chemicals. I trust him, so I have gone with his advice.  

Eye Creams

My very first product I bought from BeautyCounter was the Nourishing Eye Cream that was being sold by Target. I am STILL using the same one. I use a tiny little bit under each eye before I apply my concealer. I notice such a difference when I apply my concealer. It blends in so much easier. 

I have used the Rejuvenating Eye Cream on and off for a few months. This stuff really helps reduce dark under eye circles. I can't use this product every day or I tend to get some dry spots. Some people have a reaction to the caffeine and algae in the product. I don't have any issues if I use it every other day or even once a day. Again I just use a little tiny bit. I have found it works best for me at night instead of layering it under my concealer. 

So that is my morning routine. After I put on these products then I apply my make up. I usually give my face a minute or two to absorb everything before I start putting on my make up. 

Evening Routine: You will find my evening routine is almost the same as the day. 

Eye Make Up Remover

I use coconut oil to remove my eye make up each night! I keep a little container of it in my bathroom next to my foaming face wash. I take about dime size amount out, melt it between my fingers then I gently rub my fingers over my eyes to get the eyebrow, eyeliner and mascara to come off. I look like a raccoon after I have put the coconut oil over my eyes. I gently wipe it off with a wash cloth. 

I buy a huge container from Costco every few months for $20. I keep the big container in my kitchen cabinet.  No harmful chemicals in this stuff. It also moisturizes around my eyes as I take off my make up. 

I wash my face then with the foaming face wash from above. 

Night Time Moisturizer

I use BeautyCounter's Nourishing Night Cream. I use one pump all over my face. I will use the No. 3 Balancing Oil by BeautyCounter more at night than I do during the day. Again all depends how my face is feeling. The night cream runs $47 a bottle. Again I have been using the same bottle for 8 months and I have given samples of this product out to numerous people. I have also let a few friends use my moisturizers for a few days to try them. 

Then I follow the same eye cream routine as I mentioned above. 

Once a week I will also do the No. 3 Balancing Facial Mask. This product is the same as the charcoal face mask I have talked about a lot on social media. I love this product! It really helps breakouts and blackheads just disappear! You can get 30+ masks out of one bottle. Have I said I love this stuff?!?! If there is one product to try I highly suggest trying this one first! 

This is my simple skin care routine I follow on a daily basis. I wash my face every morning and evening. I don't ever go to bed with make up on my face. There have been times I have fallen asleep with G with make up on my face, but I end up waking up and I must wash my face. I just don't like the feeling of eye make up on when I am sleeping. 

I rarely have breakouts anymore. I use to have a lot of breakouts prior to starting this routine and skin care products. I started selling these products only because of the great results I had after trying them out! If there are any products you would like to try, please let me know and I would be happy to send you some samples. 

Below are the products I use along with the links. I have linked the products above too. 

Nourishing Day Cream

Nourishing Night Cream

Nourishing Eye Cream

Rejuvenating Eye Cream

No. 3 Balancing Face Oil

No. 3 Balancing Face Mask

Protect Stick Sunscreen

Website for All BeautyCounter Products

Monday Thrive June 19

Happy Monday! 

1) I hope all you father's had a special Father's Day yesterday! I am so thankful for my amazing dad! The older I get the more I realize just what amazing parents I had growing up! I was closest to my mom growing up. I remember a change in my relationship with my dad  when I was about 18. 

I had left Michigan where we lived to go to college in California. I went to college about 30 minutes from where I live now. I remember the second day I was at school l became horribly homesick. I had asked to come home. I didn't want to be there and so far away. I cried so much in those 2 weeks. I am not sure if i had ever cried that much in my life. lol My parents said I had to finish the semester. At the time it sounded like the end of the world to a 17 year old. I had no friends, was in a strange place, and I was almost 2,000 miles away. Back then I didn't realize I needed to stay because 7 years later I would end up moving right back there! I didn't know this until later, but my dad told my mom to let me come home. My mom was the strict one this round and said NO. If I had known my dad was the softy in this situation I would have talked to him more about coming home. lol 

My dad told me after I came home at some point that I was the first person he missed so bad and how hard it was on him when I went away to college. This past summer he told me that story again. I dread the day G goes away to college. 

I have spent a lot of time with my mom over the past few years. She has come to CA to take care of me when I've been sick and when I had G. She stayed with us for a few months when I went back to work, so she could take care of G. Last summer I stayed in ND to help take care of my dad after he had open heart surgery. I really cherished that time that I was able to spend with him and my family. We spent a lot of time watching the Olympics. I told him I will be coming back every 4 years during the summer Olympics, so we can spend some time watching it together. He is less than thrilled to spend time watching the Olympics. lol He said he never would have watched it if he hadn't been recovering. 


2) G started preschool last week. The first day he barely had time to even tell me good bye. When I picked him up he ran to give me a big hug. I asked him did you like school? He enthusiastically said YES! I asked would you like to come back tomorrow? Again I got a loud YES! He really loved it! He had to tell both sets of grandparents all about his day. He played with trucks, had cheese sticks and crackers for snacks and there were lots of dinosaurs. He was a little clingier the rest of the day. I asked him did you miss momma? He said yes, then gave me a tight hug. I told him it was ok to miss me, but I would always come to pick him up. 

They do lots of crafts, play with toys, play outside, have snacks and read stories. When I picked him up I loved how calm everything was in the room. It is a room with about 8-10 two year olds. Everyone is playing or reading stories on the bean bag chairs. The teachers are really fabulous! The staff is all so friendly too. I am so happy that we found such a great place. 

3) I recently bought these earrings from Mia & Mac. I follow her on Instagram. She posted these adorable gold hammered earrings on her IG story the other day. She was selling a few different designs of earrings for different price points. I loved the plain hammer gold hoops. They are about the size of a nickle. The perfect size! They are lightweight, dainty and simple. Just the perfect touch for all my gold jewelry. I am always looking for earrings to go with different necklaces. I need a plainer type of earring because sometimes I just wear my G Silver Wren tag necklace and other times I will wear a big statement necklace. I have been tending to lean more to more simple pieces since I stay home with G. 

4) Heather from My Life Well Loved started a series called Holy Grit. She talked about it on her IG stories. I was like meh I don't know that I really want to do a 30 day Bible series. I decided to sign up for the emails on it. I need some Holy Grit in my life. I am soooo glad I signed up for this series. It is so amazing! Each day I take the time to read the emails and read the verses. It has been such a blessing to me and helped me so much. There is still time for you to join in. I highly recommend you join in if you need some encouragement, positive influence or just are looking for a new type of devotional to do. 


5) We are planning some water activities this summer. I decided to buy G a puddle jumper. I keep seeing kids wearing them on social media. I am hoping he likes this and it works well for us. We have a small pool in our backyard. He is cautious in it. He would rather just stand in there with no one else and splash around just a little bit. What type of flotation devices do you use for your kids? 

Weekly Menu - Paleo Friendly

I mainly use coconut oil or ghee for cooking. I buy both of them at Costco in bulk. The container of coconut oil lasts me a couple months and runs about $20. I use this to cook, take my make up off, lotion, bullet proof coffee and whatever else I might need to use an oil. It does take some getting use too. Art isn't a big fan when the coconut oil flavor is prominent. I have noticed if I use salt it helps to mask the flavor a lot. I honestly don't even notice it anymore. When other people use other types of oils to cook with I don't really like them now. I can taste the difference, but the coconut flavor doesn't other me. I love chicken fried in ghee! That is just the best taste to me.

Main Dishes:

Hamburgers - I love hamburgers on the grill. I bought some butter lettuce to wrap burgers in this week.

Shepherds pie - I will try to share the recipe I use for this. I buy some frozen veggies, make my own gravy, make some mash potatoes and throw it all in my cast iron skillet in the oven.

Cracklin Chicken - if you haven't tried Nom Nom Paleo's cracklin chicken you need too!!!!!!!!!!! It's the BEST!!!! Use some ghee to fry this chicken. Ok I am craving this now!

Buffalo Chicken Soup - this is a new recipe I want to try.

Chicken Curry - I haven't made curry in ages. I usually just throw in whatever veggies we have and put it over cauliflower rice.

Sausage - This is an easy meal. Throw some sausage on the grill!

Happy Menu Planning!

Mommy & Me Zoo Fun

I am so glad that we bought our Oakland Zoo membership. We have used it numerous times just in the month we have had it. G and I went one morning as soon as the zoo opened. It was such a nice fun relaxing morning just the 2 of us at the zoo. We took our time seeing whatever animals we wanted. We probably only saw half the animals. It was just a perfect day at the zoo.  I packed lots of snacks and drinks. 

We rode the train and carousel. 

G just started riding on animals on a carousel. In the past he would only ride on the bench seat. He picked out the elephant and just love it. 

We picked up our zoo keys on our way out. I kept forgetting to claim the keys until we left this last time. G thinks these are his keys. The next time we go we will have to use them in the boxes. 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Mommy & Me Zoo Fun appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.

Pallet Headboard DIY

Last summer when I was at my parents taking care of my dad Art made 3 pallet headboards. One was for our California king bed. I love it! He also made 2 additional queen size pallet headboards he had planned to sell. He didn't end up selling any of them. We decided to put one in our guest bedroom. I picked the darker wood. It really looks great against the gray and white striped wall. 

Back in 2010 I decorated the spare bedroom. You can find the original blog post HERE. The room is now a guest bedroom and my craft storage area. I need to decide what to do with all my craft stuff. Each year I get rid of more and more stuff. I just don't craft like I use too. Birthday parties are my crafting time. I am hoping to get some sewing in while G is in preschool this summer. 

I really love the pallet headboard in our guest bedroom! We are debating about making a pallet headboard for G's room too. Although I am not sure if I want every bedroom to have the same headboards, but then again it would be nice to match. You can find lots of pallet headboard ideas and tutorials on Pinterest too. 

Monday Thrive June 12

Happy Monday! Today G start's his first day of preschool! We are so excited! I can't wait to hear how much he loves his first day. I am sure I will pick up a crabby kid who has played like crazy and started learning new stuff already. I am planning to go to hot yoga today.

1) We have been on the hunt the past week to find a recipe for paleo pancakes. I buy the Birch Blender's Paleo Pancake Mix from Sprout's. We are going through a package a week. G has been on a pancake kick lately. I decided I needed to find a mix that would be a little cheaper to make. I don't have an issue buying the package for $5-6 when it lasts a month, but for each week I find it a little expensive. I am going through all the recipes I have pinned on Pinterest to try to find that we like just as much. When I find a winner I will let you know. Right now I haven't found one I like. G has been eating them with no problem. He is awfully picky these days, so I am glad he likes all my recipe testing. If anyone has a paleo pancake recipe they love let me know!

2) At the end of last summer I decided I was going to give up caffeine. I had read how it helped your adrenal glands if you don't have caffeine. I love coffee!!! I love the way it smells! I love the way it tastes with and without creamer. I drank half caff for a few months. Then I gave up caffeine completely earlier this year. I went from February through June with no caffeine or I would have a cup of green tea. The other day I decided to drink half caff again. I decided that was it. I am not giving up caffeine anymore. I need it in my life. Even a little bit of it. It just helps my mood. I am going to have 1-2 cups of half caff coffee each day. I REALLY love it with coconut milk.

I LOVE Aroy-D coconut milk. This is the thickest creamest coconut milk ever! I have tried a lot of different coconut milk over the past year. If you add this to coffee it is AMAZING! I have been known to bring my own coconut milk in a little container when I get a black cup of coffee.

3) I have started a new routine for G. We have to leave the house early to get him to preschool each morning. That means I need to have him up, fed, both of us ready and out the door by 7:50/8am. I have decided I like getting up a little earlier in the morning. I get more done. I don't feel like the day is as long if I get up before 7am. I know that is weird, but I just feel like the day goes by faster when it starts earlier. Maybe it's all those years of getting up early for work. Anyhow I set an alarm in my phone, so at a certain time every night the alarm goes off to give him a bath. He then gets 30-45 minutes after bath time to play or watch 1 show. Then we go to bed. I also limit the amount of time he sleeps during his nap. This seems to be working much better for us. The past year I haven't been strict with a schedule as I was when I worked.

4) We love potato salad around here. Art I think would eat it every day. Sometimes I am like I don't have time to make that stuff. Boiling potatoes, boiling eggs, peeling everything, waiting for it all to cool, mixing it up, letting it sit in the fridge. Ugh just typing that out sounds exhausting. Well Instant Pot to the rescue here folks! Put the metal rack on the bottom of your IP. Place your eggs on top. I usually do about 3-4 eggs. I use 2 eggs for the potato salad and have 2 deviled eggs for us. G LOVES deviled eggs. Then I peel my potatoes, cut them in chunks and place them in the IP. I then put the IP on high pressure for 5 minutes. I let it do it's thing. Once the timer goes off that it is done I release the pressure. While the pressure is releasing I get an ice bath ready for the eggs. I use my rubber gloves to pull out the eggs. I put the eggs in the ice bath while I use a spoon to remove the potatoes from the IP. I let the potatoes cool in the fridge. I slice up the eggs and add them to the potatoes. Then I mix in my mayo and other seasonings once the potatoes and egg have cooled. This really works great. In about 1 hour you can have potato salad. It's better if you make this around lunch time, so it can all cool for dinner. Or even the night before works best if you want it for lunch. To me it's just much easier and faster.

5) Last week Art and I went thrift shopping. I ended up really only looking in the kids section of clothing. G has had a growth spurt and a lot of things won't fit him for the fall. He has worn the same shorts for 2 seasons. The kid is so skinny he has been able to do that. I like to grab nice stuff when I find it at the thrift store. I bought all the items below for $30. I spent about $1.50-$2 per item. The one item I spent more on was a pair of Burberry jeans. They were in excellent condition for $11. I did check on Ebay what I could sell them for if I decided not to keep them for G. Everything I bought was Gap, Gymboree, Cherokee, Shaun White, Children's Place, Guess and Burberry. The black jeans I am not sure if they were even worn. They were in great condition. 

I would really like to buy the majority of his clothes from thrift stores going forward. It saves the environment and it saves a lot of money too. At this age he doesn't care where his clothes come from. I like him to wear nice clothes, but I don't ever spend a lot of money on clothes for him. I will spend more on a special outfit for Christmas, but it has to be a functional outfit he can wear more than just one time. 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Monday Thrive appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant. 

Weekly Menu - Paleo

Our menu this week is nothing fancy. Some weeks I just need something simple, easy and quick. It also depends on my mood when I am making my grocery list. If I am feeling lazy then the easy stuff gets put on the list. Apparently I was feeling extra lazy when I made this list.

Main Dishes:

Breakfast - I usually do eggs, bacon and my own version of breakfast potatoes. I will cut up potatoes and roast them. I have a paleo sausage gravy recipe to put over the potatoes I would like to try.

Pork loin - I buy these at Costco. I use my grandma's recipe for roast that is just amazing! I will have to share the recipe on here sometime in the near future.

Hot Dogs - these are my favorite hot dogs. I buy them from Amazon Fresh for $1-2 less than the price at Sprout's. These are really good flavor plus they don't have any garbage in them.

Fish - I make it different ways all the time. I will fry it with almond flour or bake it with lemons.

Pizza - I love to make this because we have lots of leftovers. It makes a big cookie sheet. There is plenty for dinner, Art's lunch, G lunch and some for the freezer. I love to have this in the freezer to grab if I need something for mine or G's lunch.

Taco Salads - I use whatever we have for this. Ground meat, cherry tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, Daiya cheese. It all depends what we have on hand and feel like eating on our taco salad. Gone are the days when Doritos use to be on top. lol I did find some plantain chips with a taco seasoning at Sprout's recently that were really good on top of the salad. I can't remember the brand of the chips. I will have to see if I can find them again.

What is on your menu this week?

Homemade Sea Salt Spray!

I have been straightening my hair for the most part since I cut it back in February. Once in awhile I will curl it with big loose curls. And a lot of time I just throw it back in a ponytail. Ok let's just be honest it's in a ponytail the majority of the time. The shorter my hair the less I do it.

I have been wanting to make my own sea salt spray. I have seen recipes on Pinterest how to make your own. I can't handle the sea salt sprays from the store because of the fragrances in products. I will get an instant headache and sometimes a migraine. If you don't want to make a sea salt spray BeautyCounter and Honest Beauty each sell one. I didn't want to spend $18-26 for a spray I felt I could make at home. I also wasn't 100% sure I would like the spray, so another reason I didn't want to spend the money.

I had a travel size spray bottle that wasn't being used. I put a little under a tablespoon of sea salt and BeautyCounter kids conditioner each into the travel size spray bottle. I filled up the rest of the bottle with water. I shook it all together really well. I let it sit on my counter for a couple days. The mixture doesn't stay incorporated very well while it is sitting on the counter. Before I used the spray I shook it really well, so everything mixes again.

I washed my hair in the morning, left a towel wrapped around my hair while I put my make up on, brushed it out after I was ready, scrunched the ends and then I sprayed it with my homemade sea salt spray.

Here are the results from the spray after my hair had dried.  I really like the results. My hair isn't stiff like when you use hair gels hair spray. It was very easy to make! I can't imagine it cost me more than a $1 to make. I already had all the items in my house, so I was using things I had. 

Recipe:

2.6 ounces squirt bottle

1 tablespoon conditioner

1 tablespoon sea salt

Fill bottle with water once you have added the conditioner and sea salt. 

Shake to mix all ingredients prior to each use. 

You can also use this mixture to help bring back hair you have curled the day before. Spray it lightly after you have combed your hair. Scrunch the ends and revive your loose curls. 

Let me know if you make your own sea salt spray and how it works for you! Have a great weekend! 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Homemade Sea Salt Spray appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.  

Father's Day Gift Ideas

A few years back we started Amazon wishlists around Christmas time to share with family.  I really love wishlists because you can put all different price points on the list. I also love them because it takes the guessing out of what to buy people for a gift. People don't feel obligated to buy a certain thing and can pick what fits their budget. 

Art's wishlists usually have some of the craziest things on them. I usually have to ask him to clean up his wishlist before his birthday and Christmas. Right now he has some fake black birds on his list. I am sure he wants them to try to scare us. Thankfully he is very easy to buy for and never complains about gifts. He is always happy even with the smallest gifts. 

Here are a few gift ideas I came up with for the father's in our lives. I really love my stainless steel tumbler. It keeps my liquids cold for hours without sweating. I hate cups that sweat. Most men can use a good grooming set and a nice watch. Daniel Wellington watches are so classic and timeless! 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 

You can find the gift ideas on the links below or also on Amazon. If you click on the numbers above the links will take you to Amazon. I shop on Amazon because their prices are great, no shipping and Prime gets it to me in just a couple days. 

Bey Berk men s gift sets kit
gilt.com

T shirt
etsy.com

Daniel Wellington water resistant watch
jomashop.com

Stainless tumbler
boxlunch.com





Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Father's Day Gift Ideas appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.

Monday Thrive June 5

Happy Monday! 

1) This is our last week before preschool starts and vacations begin. G is enrolled in preschool for 2 days a week this fall. They suggested to enroll him in a session of summer school, so he would get use to things. Summer school is every day for 3 hours a day. I was hesitant to enroll him at first. Every day is a lot to me, but it is only for 4 weeks. Then we will be going to my parents for a month. When we come home we will have about a month before preschool starts up 2 days a week. 

I have plans to paint the trim in our house and go to hot yoga while he is in school every day. I am going to feel lost, so I felt I needed to find some activities to keep me busy. We will have our afternoons free to go to the zoo or other activities. I think we are both going to like the little change for a month.

2) Cinemark is offering $1 movies or $5 for 10 movies in select theaters near you. Click on the link to see if any movies are playing near you. G loves The Secret Life of Pets. They are playing that a couple times at different theaters new us this summer. I am planning to take him to a couple of these movies. I figure if he sits for 30 minutes for $2 it's no big deal. It will be something fun for us to do together and with friends. I am not sure how he will like a dark theater. 

3) Later this week I have a gift guide for Father's Day posts. My sister and I usually go in on a gift for our dad together. If you ask my mom what to get my dad she will say get him black jeans. If you ask my dad he will say DO NOT BUY ME BLACK JEANS I HAVE 100 PAIRS. It's a running joke between Lacey and I now. Hey it's dad's birthday do you want to buy the jeans or should I? He does have a ton of them! I need to figure out what to get him and have it sent, so it doesn't arrive 2 weeks after Father's Day. He is an easy person to buy for since he likes almost anything other than black jeans. lol

4) I recently read an article about a mother who started parenting like a Danish for a week. I really loved the article. I try to parent partially like this. I don't hover around G. I have always felt it was important that he should play independently. I also will let him run around the house without me following him around. I keep doors shut to rooms I feel he could get hurt or I put things up. I have noticed lately that he is playing better alone and his imagination is really growing. He was playing with his pets the other day with different voices pretending they were putting out fires. He is REALLY into fire trucks, fire poles, putting out fires etc. He still loves garbage trucks, but firemen/trucks are right up there with them now. What do you think of this article? 

5) Tomer Kosher recently sent me a variety pack of their beef jerky. I love jerky! The problem now that I am Paleo is trying to find jerky with ingredients that I don't cringe over or make me sick. They sent me the original, pepper, Cajun, hot and jalapeno. When I see hot jerky that is what I go for first. I love spicy things! My palette for spicy things is high I guess because this didn't seem hot to me at all. I have tried the original and Cajun. Art and I both really liked the Cajun. It has a kick to it! 

I really appreciate Tomer Kosher sending me the jerky. We have only ate 3 of them. I am trying to enjoy them as we eat them. lol I will purchase these in the future. These are something I would much rather my family eat then others on the market loaded with questionable ingredients. G loves jerky! Tomer Kosher mini beef sticks would be awesome because G would love them. =) 


Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Monday Thrive appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.  

Weekly Menu - Paleo

I try to only go grocery shopping once every two weeks. I make a list for Costco and one for the grocery store. Lately I have been using Amazon Fresh. The things I can't get at Costco I have Amazon Fresh deliver to me. Amazon Fresh does have a service charge they charge you on a monthly basis. I have been debating if I should continue with the service or not. I love that I can order $40 worth of groceries for a free delivery fee and pick when I want them delivered. I can get things from them cheaper than going to the store. Sometimes I feel I have to go to numerous stores to get things. There are certain things Sprout's carries that my regular store doesn't carry. I can get things cheaper at the regular store then Sprout's. Amazon Fresh just helps me eliminate running to 2-3 stores. You can get some great deals from Amazon Fresh too. Sometimes they offer $.25 or $1.00 items. 

I buy most of my veggies at Costco. They will last us two weeks. Things like celery, potatoes, onions, and carrots last us a lot longer. I go through usually two packs of the kale salad, cherry tomatoes, 5 heads of romaine lettuce, and cauliflower each week. There are a lot of other things I go through on a weekly basis, but those veggies are always on the list. 

Main Dishes:

Cobb Salads 
Beef & Broccoli
Tilapia Fish
Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets
Meatballs
Enchiladas

We will have similar side dishes from last week. I have also been putting a bowl of raw veggies on the table with homemade paleo ranch dressing. G likes to dip, so this is a hit. It's also a way to get everyone to eat more veggies. If I need a crunchy snack I will grab a bowl of carrots and broccoli with ranch. 

What's on your menu for this week? 

Our Potty Training Experience with a 2 Year Old!

I thought I would write a blog post on how I potty training G at 2 years and 5 month old. I tried to potty train him around 22 months. It was a horrific 6-8 hours! There was pee all over my entire house. I couldn't handle it and put him back in diapers. I then mopped my entire house and disinfected everything. 

It was around Christmas time G started to say he had to go potty or wanted to go. He would pee in the potty before he took a bath every night. He was showing interest. I was worried if we didn't try to potty train him while he was interested he would be 5 before he showed interest again. I was scared to death to try this whole potty training thing again. I knew at some point I was going to have to do it. Not only was he showing interest, but also talking great. When he was 22 months I taught him the sign for potty. He couldn't say pee or poop even at that point. 

I decided to do the 3 day potty training. I let him run around naked for almost a week. I put the potty chair in between our family and living room near where his play area was. I wanted him to have easy access to getting to the potty as fast as possible. I felt it was important he make it to the potty than running all the way to the bathroom peeing all the way there. We didn't have anywhere to go that week. 

Monday morning we woke up and started. He just wore a tshirt. I turned the heat up in the house. We played with toys. I was right by him. He peed on the floor. I just told him you need to go to the potty. Within 4-6 hours he got it. He was able to run to the potty when if he started to pee a little. We were in the kitchen cooking. He jumped off the chair saying pee pee and ran to his potty. What a relief! 

I will say pee was the easiest when he was naked for the first month. If he wore clothes, was busy playing or we were out he would just pee. When we went to the store I took him to the bathroom right away and before we left. At home he did great wearing underwear. It was too hard for him to wear pants and go to the bathroom alone. We went through A LOT of underwear each week. A lot of times he would leak some then run to the potty. I kept putting underwear on him because he needed to get use to wearing clothes. 

Now poop was a whole different story. I guess he was just so use to going in his diaper he thought he could go anywhere. The first week I was in tears a few times. I am going to spare the details of this. There were times I felt I had an animal living in my house. Once we were a week into potty training I got an idea to make some surprise eggs for him. He loves to watch this kid on Youtube Ryan opening these surprise eggs. I decided to make him some surprise eggs with plastic Easter eggs and little boys I found at Target. I told him if he pooped in the potty he would get a surprise egg. That did the trick. We rarely had anymore issues with poop. 

The first two months were a little difficult when we went out or he was preoccupied playing or watching a show. Month three there were very little to no accidents at home. By month four he was telling me when he had to pee. We left him over night with my friend when we went away for our anniversary. I was really nervous with leaving him for so many reasons. One we had been potty training and I was going to leave someone else deal with all that. I just decided hey she has done this before. She offered. She is fine with all this, so go have some fun. After that weekend he rarely had any accidents. He didn't have any with her at all. Maybe that was the trick he needed to see he could do it all on his own without me. Or have someone else praise him. 

I used pull ups for nap time and diapers for bedtime. I think the 3 day potty training instructions say to not use any diapers at all. I wasn't willing to wash sheets constantly. He was still filling up a diaper completely at night. Sometimes the diaper even leaked that is how much he was peeing in the night. Within 3 months he no longer wore a pull up for nap time. I would say half the time he was dry. I stopped using anything at nap time. Night time we still use a diaper. He has only woken up a few times to pee in the night. Lately he has been waking up with dry diapers. Once he goes for a little while with a dry diaper I will stop them. Maybe I won't need to buy anymore after this pack. 

I didn't use prizes constantly. When he first started we did lots of cheering for pee. I used the surprise eggs for maybe a couple weeks. I didn't even give an egg every time. If he didn't ask for one I didn't offer. When he seemed to be having trouble or rough days I would offer fruit snacks, beef sticks or whatever other thing he was currently into as a treat. It worked for us. I don't give him any treats now for going to the bathroom. 

There are two items I would recommend. 

1. Change your toilet seats to the child seat and adult seat all in one. You can find them on Amazon for like $20 HERE. Using the child seat you have to take on and off is a pain! This is just so easy and easy to clean. I took off our old seat and put on this new one. You will need a step stool to wash hands, so you can use the same stool to climb up on the toilet. I felt these seats help for when you are out and need to use a regular toilet. They aren't as terrified of a big toilet. Thankfully G hasn't had any fears of falling in or of public toilets. 

2. If you are potty training a boy get one of these little urinals. I bought ours on Amazon for $5 you can find it HERE. They are freakin hilarious, but also fabulous for a boy! Boys are TERRIBLE with their aim! I first trained G to sit down and pee. One day he told me "no, momma me pee like da da". That was it! He stood to pee after that. The night thing when we are out is I can just hold him up to a toilet and let him pee. He very rarely sits on a seat in public. 

I had talked to a friend who had potty trained her little girl 6 months before G. We were 2 months into it. I said does this get any easier? When do the accidents stop? I was feeling a little discouraged one day. She said by month four she stopped carrying extra clothes and her daughter started telling her when she had to go. I am so thankful for her encouragement because I would think month four month four month four during rough days. I have to agree by month four things were soooo much easier. 

Hopefully our experience will help someone who is getting ready to start the potty training journey! 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Our Potty Training Experience with a 2 Year Old appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.