20 Week Bump Update.

This is the post I would say most readers look forward to in a families pregnancy!  With Hunter it was THIS post. We posted the news about Hayden HERE. 
Sorry to burst your gender reveal bubbles but we won't be sharing that news today... or for the next 20 weeks!  However, today we did get to see our little baby at our 20 week appointment and we are so happy that he OR she is growing healthy!  It was scary thinking that we might accidentally reveal the gender but our UltraSound Tech was awesome at making sure we looked away anytime she thought the sex might be revealed.  10 fingers, 10 toes, strong 4 chamber beating heart and "tall" in fetus terms!  Our baby measured 21 weeks moving our Due Date to Jan 2nd. 

Since we aren't revealing baby's gender, I thought instead I would share my Top 5 Must Have Pregnancy Products - The 20 Weeks Along Version.
Number 1. Boppy Body Pillow.

At 16 weeks, sleep became impossible! I was so uncomfortable and tossed and turned all night. Luckily, I was able to find my body pillow, I've had since I was pregnant with Hunter, buried in the basement storage.  Usually I am a belly sleeper, so adjusting to my side takes me a few weeks.  I fell in love with the Boppy Body Pillow because within a few days my body is adjusted.  I love the head pillow and pillow that positions to go between your legs.  The contoured pillow is designed to follow your body line for maximum support on your neck, back, belly and hips. I love that the cover is removable and machine washable.  For around $55 it's an awesome investment. One that may even last you THREE pregnancies like mine!  

Number 2. Belly Lotion.

Maybe my first pregnancy I was paranoid about stretch marks but with baby #3 on the way, stretch marks have been the last thing on my mind.  However, I have loved having a belly butter that I know is giving moisture to my already stretch marked skin and helping prevent future skin damage as my tummy grows. I've been using Palmers Cocoa Tummy Butter for the first half of this pregnancy, mostly because I had it leftover from my pregnancy with Hayden, and it is more of a healing cream verses a preventative cream. With Vitamin E, Collagen and Elastin plus a soothing Lavender smell, it's been the perfect addition to my post shower routine before bed each night.  For around $5 its an excellent product for helping minimize stretch mark itchiness and appearance.   Number 3. Oat Mama Lactation Bars.

I really struggled to breast feed Hunter and Hayden and ended up pumping for only four months to bottle feed them both before switching to exclusively formula feeding. Knowing this could very well be my last baby, I've really tried to focus and educate myself on how I can increase my supply and really try to breast feed (or at least produce more milk) with this baby.  I was given some Oat Mama bars at an event I attended and fell in love with this product.  Oat Mama makes Lactation Granola Bars in several flavors that are geared and packed full of Galactagogues, which are foods known to help increase lactation.  You can find ingredients like rolled oats, ground flax, toasted almonds, cashew butter, sunflower seeds, honey, organic coconut oil, vanilla in cinnamon in all of their products. Although I'm not lactating yet (TMI??) I figured it wouldn't hurt to start pumping in some incredible super foods into my diet to help prep my body.  These bars are seriously so yummy. Who can resist Chocolate Almond Coconut or Apple Cinnamon Raisin.  Be sure to check out their website if you're expecting and get your Oat Mama Bars before baby arrives!  For around $36 you can get a 12 count variety pack.
Number 4. Gummy Pre-Natal Vitamins.

With my first two pregnancies I could NOT take Pre-Natal vitamins. They made me so nauseous and I HATED swallowing those two big pills.  When I found out I was pregnant this time around I asked my Dr. for an alternative and asked about gummy vitamins. My Dr. is really great and said to take whatever my body could handle. He said that any type of vitamin was better then none, in his opinion.  I found VitaFusion PreNatal Gummies at the store and decided to test them out. They've been awesome. No nausea. No yucky swallowing!  I've been so happy that i've been able to get the extra nutrition I need with this pregnancy with how busy our lives have been this first 20 weeks. The flavors of the vitamins are great. They are easy to chew and I actually look forward to taking them every morning.  I would definitely recommend this brand to anyone who is looking for that extra nutrition and boost, pregnant or not!  For around $10 you get 90 gummies. 
Number 5. Tums.

The answer to EVERY heartburn problem!  I have a big bottle at home and a small bottle stashed away in my purse!  Heartburn can be the DEATH of a pregnant lady when it hits unexpectedly and Tums work quickly to travel directly to the source of the burn!  Not to mention they are kinda tasty right?  DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT TUMS!  For around $4 buy 10 bottles.... you'll use them all before baby arrives. 
Well that's it friends. Really, this pregnancy has been pretty low maintenance while everything else around us has been crazy.  I'm excited for the next 20 weeks to watch and feel baby grow! 
PS. We're definitely open to any girl name suggestions... preferably starting with H because we gotta keep the pattern going right?  We have a list of potential boy names but are stuck with girl names. Gotta be prepared! 
Thanks for popping in for a read! 

Home Cooked Dinner Challenge (+2 Hr Crockpot Recipe)

This past week I made a home cooked dinner every night for my family... for nine days in a row!  I've always been comfortable in the kitchen and growing up with a master chef for a mother, I've also always felt I had a hand up on most of my newly married wife friends when it came to cooking yummy dinners for my husband.  (Not counting you Ashley N.)

However, over the last few years as my family has grown I've definitely slacked off in the kitchen arena... blaming growing human beings or raising said human beings for making me entirely too tired to have a homemade meal on the table for dinner when my husband got home from work. Now, I cook almost everyday, but there have been a handful of times it was boxed Mac N Cheese, quesadilla's, frozen chicken nuggets, or "breakfast" for dinner when I just didn't have the energy to spend HOURS in the kitchen.  That handful of times turned into weekly happenings. (Lately, I blame moving and pregnancy)
I learned several things this week as I challenged myself to have dinner made each night and I'm going to share my top 5 experiences with you.
Number 1. I did NOT save MONEY meal planning. Now, Maybe I just did it all wrong.. or used expensive ingredients, but I really thought I would save $20/$30 maybe even $50 of my grocery budget by planning ahead.  No. I spent EXACTLY what I spend every two weeks I grocery shop.  This was OK for me because it assured me I am not wasting food or money on meals. However, the hopes of saving money and not was a little tragic. Maybe I'll try couponing or price matching next week?
Number 2. I felt way less STRESS every day knowing I had a PLAN for dinner.  I challenged myself, this last grocery shopping trip, to make a week long meal plan and buy specifically for those meals. This helped me have everything bought for each dinner and a meal schedule posted on the fridge ready each day. Knowing ahead of time what I was cooking helped me to not only feel less stress, but also to manage my time better. I could know I would be spending 30 minutes in the kitchen or 2 hours in the kitchen and this is a huge deal for a mom with little kids. It was either, play in the backyard for a bit or lets turn on a movie.  When I'm less stressed, the kids are better behaved. Isn't that weird how that works out? Oh, I'm pretty sure meals taste better when their made stress free to! 
Number 3. Involving the KIDS in cooking is FUN (and educational)

I really want to teach my children to be comfortable in the kitchen and I know I learned that skill from a very young age.  I've read tons of articles about including children in the kitchen and I made a goal all week to have Hunter and Hayden help with at least one part of the meal.  Generally, Hunter is my little helper almost always, so to have him in the kitchen was familiar. We worked on counting ingredients, setting the timer and measurements. (I think 4 is still a little young to completely get the concept of measurements. When I pulled out the 1/4 cup he said "that's the one I get chocolate chips in to snack on") Hayden also did great. She wanted to help so badly when she saw her big brother and was awesome at mixing ingredients and adding toppings.  They were both great test tasters and table setters also. Kids in the kitchen = messes. So What?! Honestly... most of the time I make messes and spend an hour after dinner cleaning up anyways.  When the kids ripped open the jello pack or sprinkled cheese all over the floor we all just laughed. I could tell a huge difference in Hunter and Hayden's willingness to participate each day as they realized mommy was happy to have them helping and wasn't worried about keeping the kitchen spotless.  Plus, teaching kids in the kitchen to cook also means teaching them to help clean!  It's all part of the package! 

Number 4. HUSBAND was HAPPY. I may sound a little old fashioned here, however I've always been a big believer of ROLES in a marriage. As a wife, one of my MANY roles is to feed my husband who sacrifices his whole day in an office working his bootay off to provide our family with everything we need and want.  I like this role of mine and it's definitely been noticed this week that Kev was happier when he came home to dinner, he automatically did dishes every night and had more time to play with the children.  I may have gotten a few extra kisses this week for being so awesome!  It was totally worth it. 
Number 5. It's OK not to cook dinner EVERY NIGHT. As rewarding as it was to hear tender words of sweet affirmation from my husband each night he came home to a hot homemade dinner, it was even sweeter to hear that I didn't have to keep it up forever. Now, maybe some of you don't need to be told that but again, dinner is my role and sometimes that pressure to have dinner made every night is real. That being said, Taco Tuesday, Drive Thru-Thursday and Saturday Take Out are just as great also!  We are all hard workers. Husbands and wives equally, and some days $1 Taco's just might be the answer.  I know my children definitely don't complain when we have Mac 'N Cheese twice in a week or when Kev has to make dinner and we have eggs and french toast.  I know I NEVER complain when we go out to dinner for date nights either. 
My motto lately is "You Gotta Do You" so whatever works for you and your family is what is best! 
One of my favorite meals during this week's challenge was Sundays 2 Hour Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches.  Sometimes Crockpot dinners can take HOURS and some Sunday mornings I just want to sleep in and not get dinner going at 9am!  My mom has this AWESOME easy and quick recipe for the most delicious French Dip Sandwiches I've ever tasted.  And here it is for you all to try.  _________________________
Super Shelley's 2 Hour Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

1 lb Sliced Italian Roast Beef (from the DELI) 1 can Beef Broth 1 can Campbell's French Onion Soup 1 onion 1 red bell pepper  6 slices of Havarti Cheese (or cheese of choice) 1 6 count pack of French Hoagie Rolls
Put roast beef, beef broth and french onion soup in the crockpot on low for 2 hours.  Right before serving sauté onions and bell peppers on stovetop and toast hoagie rolls.  Serve roast beef on rolls and top with cheese and veggies. Use extra juice in crockpot for dipping.

Enjoy!  _________________________
Hope this weeks challenge inspires you to have some fun in your kitchen. Involve your kids, your husband and make dinnertime a time of the day that everyone looks forward to. 
Happy Eating Readers. 

Disney's The Lion Guard Scavenger Hunt.

One of our favorite activities is an early morning visit to the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at BYU's Provo Campus. 

Both kids absolutely love looking at all the taxidermy animals and even though sometimes it feels as if we sprint through the whole museum, we always learn something new or notice a new animal we didn't catch the previous visit. This week we decided to turn our trip into a Preschool Scavenger Hunt.  The museum has a display full of scavenger hunt sheets for every age as well as tons of Museum information.  The scavenger hunt sheet was exactly the type of hunt we were looking for, and can manage at 2 and 4 years old. As we walked around searching for scavenger hunt animals, Hunter pointed out several characters he noticed were familiar from Disney Jr.'s The Lion Guard. "Bunga is a Honeybadger mom!" "Fuli is a Cheetah!" "Pumbaa is a Warthog!"

The excitement in his eyes as he recognized the types of animals that are in his favorite show made the trip even better.  Like EVERY household in America with toddler children, Disney Jr. is a pretty big deal in our home and right now one of our favorites is The Lion Guard. The Lion Guard is Disney's The Lion King's continuance of Simba's son, Kion, and his adventures as the leader of the Pride Land's Lion Guard. It's a great kid show with adventures, fun songs and learning.  Disney sure knows how to deliver when it comes to entertaining and teaching toddlers. 
On the drive home Hunter said, "Mom, next time we go to The Bean Museum can we find all the Lion Guard animals?"  I thought, what a great idea buddy!  So I started thinking how I could make our next trip to the museum a little more Disney. Using inspiration from the great scavenger hunt sheet The Bean Museum gave us, I created a Lion Guard Scavenger Hunt. 

My kids absolutely love it!  It was created specifically for the animals I knew we could find in our local museum but I'm excited to also use it at our trip to the Zoo later this month.  Since my children are 2 and 4 years old, I kept the scavenger hunt simple by using photos of each animal so that they could recognize them in the museum. I added their names for information and the type of animal each character is so that older kids, learning to read, could try to find the animals by type.  

A trick we use in our house is to put printables that we love, and plan to use over and over, into a page protector sheet.  This way we can mark off the animals we find during our scavenger hunt and then wipe it off to use again. All you need is a page protector, dry erase marker and eraser! 

You can download the FREE printable HERE. 
Be sure to PIN the Scavenger Hunt and share it with your friends!    Leave a comment if you use the hunt! We'd love to hear how and where you hunted for The Lion Guard.  Happy Hunting. 
*Disclaimer: I do not own the images in the Scavanger Hunt.  All images were found on lion guard.wikia.com  Disney's The Lion Guard is property of Disney.*

Uncommon Goods.

Being newly pregnant and moving over the last month, I can count on one hand the number of times I've put real clothes on to brave the big bad world. My go to "little black T-shirt dress" has been my outfit of choice more than a handful of times each week.  I was so thrilled to receive the cutest little packet in the mail containing the perfect accessory to take my plain dress and make it into to a stylish summer look.  Uncommon Goods sent me a beautiful Bee Love Necklace created by Nancy Nelson.  This piece just screamed my name since I live in the Beehive state and I love sporting anything that ties me to beautiful Utah. I knew right when I saw it browsing for  jewelry online that it was the necklace for me. 
Uncommon Goods is a privately owned retailer that brings together unique, and beautiful gifts created by talented artists from all over the world. Every piece is made in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people.  From art and jewelry to home and kitchen, kids and adults, Uncommon Goods offers a plethora of handmade goods for every family. 
I sure loved browsing their user friendly site and finding so many one of a kind products that I obviously need to fill my new home. 
My necklace came packaged in an adorable wrapped gift box with a short bio of the artist. 

What I love most about Uncommon Good pieces are the stories behind their products.  Uncommon Goods does an amazing job telling the story of how every product came to be.  With the Bee Love Necklace the story tells that Nancy Nelson's friend gave her some leftover fragments of honeycomb and her creative eye caught a glimpse of one shaped like a heart.  Nancy took the piece and put it into brass to preserve its delicacy and beauty.  "The design serves as a tribute to bees' own awe-inspiring design skills and vital role in our environment" (Uncommongoods.com) I love being able to connect with the artist of my necklace as well as the story behind how the product came to be. 
The stunning brass heart hangs from a simple gold plated chain. It's lightweight and clearly made with supreme craftsmanship. It's a beautiful piece perfect for any outfit.

Even Princess Hayden loved the necklace and took off her "magical amulet" so she could try on mommy's heart necklace. 

 I literally had to fight her to take it off.

Sister knows good style. 

A big THANK YOU to Uncommon Goods for sending me this one of a kind piece. 

Your website is incredibly buyer friendly and your products offer the greatest options for handmade and quality gifts. 

Be sure to head over to Uncommon Goods to find the perfect handcrafted item for anyone in your life or for any occasion!  A few of my favorites are linked below.
Nursery Rhyme Blocks Fresh Organic Soft Fruit Toy Basket Personalized Cutting Board Hand Embroidered State Pillows
*This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links.  Uncommon Goods sent me this necklace at no cost for review of their website and products.  All opinions are my own*.

Welcome 2 My House!

After 45 days of anxiously waiting, living out of moving boxed and waiting for the WHOLE house to be painted and re-carpeted, it's time for a tour of the new FordOlogy Home.  Even with bare walls and a 3 car garage still packed with boxes to be unloaded (we really have so much crap), we're ready to let the house make its first PUBLIC appearance. 
After a quick video tour I'll do a little Q&A to answer some new house questions. 
Now grab some popcorn, a Diet Coke, put up your feet and get ready to tap your toes along to a quick three and a half minute home tour. 

(I'm still new at this movie making business... You can also watch the video over on Youtube  HERE) 
Where Is The House Located? In Utah! Provo, Utah. Kevin works in Utah County, and when we began our house hunt, we knew we were up to moving anywhere in Utah County.

How Big Is The House?  3800 square feet. Yes. It's a BIG house for 4 (almost 5) people but I've always dreamt of a home I could entertain and host and raise my babies in. It also helps that in Utah most everyone has a basement which adds a TON of square feet. 
How Many Bedrooms/Bathrooms?  5 bedrooms/3.5 bathrooms. It also has a formal living, a formal dining, a future theater room and large play room/preschool area.

How Big Is The Property? .26 of an acre which is plenty big for our little ones. The house sits close to the street in the front, which leaves tons of space in the backyard. The previous owners left a play set and we replaced our old trampoline. We have several large tree's the provide beautiful shade in the evening and 4 fruit tree's that we can't wait to harvest this first summer. 

How Much Did You Pay For The House? That's one answer I can't give you an exact number for but I will give you some details.  Both Kevin and I believe in living "within" our means, and I recognize that means different things for different people, however one major point of that for us is to have zero to no debt.  Our home is our ONLY debt.  We had a lot of equity in our previous home which helped us feel comfortable in purchasing a more expensive home, because we had more to put down. We (mostly Kev) carefully reviewed our budget and what a bigger home might do to our month to month, and together we chose a number of what our max budget was for a home at this point in our life/his career.  It also helped that Kevin was able to get a commission on the sale of our previous home and purchase of the new one.  
Did You Do Carpet/Painting Updates Yourself?  We hired out both the carpet and painting. Repainting all 3800 square feet, and carpeting 2500 square feet took a lot of work and time. Unfortunately, after our final walkthrough of the home, Kevin and I both agreed the paint and carpet were both in poor condition. Fortunately, we were able to get some cost of the updates off the price of the home.  Kevin had a business connection for a painter, and we were able to use his services which saved us a lot of money. Although it was 1 man painting the whole house and it took almost 3 weeks, it was absolutely worth it.  Our painter was so great and paid such close attention to details. We used Wholesale Flooring Inc. in Murray to carpet our previous basement before we sold the home and were so happy with their service, cost and quality that we knew we were going to use them again.  For the entire house we chose a thick carpet in a beige neutral color. It was important to us to get a carpet/pad that would last as we raised the little ones, and at $10.50/yrd we couldn't have gotten a more affordable or quality carpet. We are SO happy!  We chose the Neptune 101 carpet to help hide any messes, stains and "oopsies" we know we're destined to have with 3 small children. 

Did we use an agent? We sure did... KEVIN! Ha. Kev works in Commercial Real Estate and with his license he was able to represent us. It always amazes me how well Kevin does his job and it was so fun to watch him represent us again and fill me in on everything that was going on with our purchase. It was truly a blessing for us this time as we bought a bigger, more expensive home to have his "insider" knowledge of the market.  Good work babe! 

Thanks for watching/reading along today. We hope that answered most of your questions of our big move and home update.  Please feel free to leave any other moving/purchasing a home/budget questions below.