For the love of blankets...and saving dollars

roses // navy stripe // traffic jam // poppy

Our linen closet could be a mini showroom for aden + anais. I have been purchasing their cotton muslin everything since before Isla was born. We even have two of the adult sized blankets that I snuggle with every night. Isla is now sleeping in a queen sized bed, but she still wants "Isla's blanket." We have a ton of swaddles, but those are becoming too small to keep up with her ninja night moves. They also don't provide a ton of warmth in our 68 degree house at night. This means I have been stocking up on the dream blankets as they are much thicker and extremely soft + cozy. At $49.50 a pop, this is getting to be quite an investment. 

I recently started following Little Unicorn on Instagram and absolutely love the prints on their version of the dream blanket. Best yet? They are available at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $39.99 after 20% online coupon. I just received Poppy on my doorstep and am in love. I also used Ebates to receive cash back. If you're an online shopper and not using Ebates, then you're missing out on hundreds of dollars a year. You live in crazy town if you don't take two minutes to sign up and use it for every online purchase.  

I will never stop loving aden + anais, but I have found a new love that is $10 cheaper with the same quality and packaging so luxe you'd think the blanket cost twice as much. We often gift aden + anais products as baby gifts, but these are going to replace them. I'm picturing a complete woodland friends gift basket for either a boy or girl with this quilt as the hero. I would include a few themed extras like these: wooden fox teether + jellycat bunny + this book and this book, 

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Always Cool Towel // Tegu Blocks // Headphones

Birchbox Man // Book // Copper Mug

I often struggle when gift shopping for my Baby Daddy. He has hobbies, but none that really lend themselves to creative gift giving. This year, I went searching and was delightfully surprised that I was able to put together the above options.

We live in Florida and it is already hot hot hot! We saw these Always Cool Towels at Costco recently and laughed over the absurdity of owning one....then we were at Disney the following weekend. Enough said.

I have recently fallen in love with Tegu brand magnetic blocks. I ordered a couple kits for my nephew so when I saw this new desk accessory I knew it would be a perfect addition to Victor's office.

Why have I never thought to buy the man some headphones?! He typically uses mine or the cheap and uncomfortable set that comes with the iPhone. He would never buy these for himself, but I know he'll be happy to have them.

The book appeared in my recommended items email from Amazon. I saw it, dropped my jaw, and scooped it up. I have serious concerns about Victor and his promise to give Isla everything she wants, needs, and perhaps doesn't deserve. Don't get me wrong, I never want my child to go without or feel the crushing weight of credit card debt that I felt after college. BUT, I also want her to learn the importance of hard work and learn to appreciate everything she is given or has earned. I don't want to just hand her a car, a degree, an iPhone 200... I want her to understand the value of these things and know what it takes to be able to afford them and care for them. I'm hoping this book will help us with these future decisions.

The Birchbox Man subscription is the perfect gift for someone like my brother. I think his Sephora Beauty Insider status rivals that of mine and my SIL's combined. I have tried for years to push my love of fancy products on Victor, but he still leaves the Art of Shaving tube under the sink and reaches for his crusty Gillette pump. I have come to accept this and appreciate the surplus funds going towards my French skincare addiction.

Have you had a Moscow Mule? No? You're welcome!

xo

Review // Munchkin Miracle 360 Cup

I am shakin' my tail feather over here! I have finally found a spill proof, easily cleaned, modern designed training cup that Miss Isla will actually drink out of - milk too!

When it comes to parenting, everyone has an opinion, even those without children of their own. As parents, we are already judging every decision we make and if you're like me, your main goal is to keep these tiny humans alive at all costs. Tips + tricks are always welcome, but I will roll my eyes and "whatever" you under my breath every time you say "I ought to // I should do // she's too old for a paci // Ice cream before dinner?" Well, this will blow your mind...my almost 2 1/2 year old still drinks from a bottle. I know. Your mind has been blown. You want to shake me and warn me of oral problems and future ortho estimates in an amortized (and laminated) schedule. My response? It's not a battle I'm willing to fight. She drinks out of a straw at restaurants, bottled water at the pool, regular cups at school, but insists on having her milk and water at home in a bottle.

Believe me, we have tried every cup out there. I have sat on the floor and cried along with her after she threw every single cup on the floor. I have gone through a gallon of milk in 30 minutes trying one cup after the other; all ended up cracked and spilling on the floor around us. Isla is one tenacious little shit when she wants something.

However, I always hit up the feeding aisle when shopping to see if there's any new miracle cup that will get this punk off the bottle. Enter the Munchkin Miracle 360 Cup. Miracle. Ha! No pun intended.

They make one with handles for younger tots too!

I offered this to her and not only did she drink the entire cup of milk that first time, but she has since requested it!! I am in sippy cup love!! I think she likes it for two reasons 1. You have to kinda suck or sip to get the liquid to flow. 2. She calls it her mommy cup because it resembles the Tervis Tumblers I always use. This cup is also completely spill and leak proof. There is a seal that only opens when you put your mouth to it and sip. I highly recommend this cup for every picky tot out there! They are kinda pricey - one for $7, but worth it. I will never buy another transition cup again.

Anyone need a box of 20+ random sippy cups?

You never know, until you know

My husband and I recently went away on a much anticipated trip of Munich and Prague. It was truly the best trip we have shared together in the past five years. I plan to post the deets of that trip very soon (I'm still editing photos).

I looked at my iperiod app (yes, there's an app for that) and saw that my monthly cycle was set to start the day we arrived in Europe - oh for eff's sake, really?! That's what I get for not checking dates prior to booking the flights... I stocked up on the necessary arsenal and off we went.

On the last day of our trip, we found ourselves outside of a pharmacy with an extra 2 Euro to burn, so I plucked it down for an I-know-I'm-not-but-we-got-this-extra-2-euro pregnancy test, took my change (yes, it was that cheap!), and headed to the hotel to grab our luggage.

My husband was off downing some free booze before our car arrived and I made haste to the nearest public bathroom - fun fact: I find myself armed with pregnancy tests in more public bathrooms than I do in my own at home.

The test said negative. Anyone who has ever peed on a stick will tell you that even when hoping for a negative result, the sight of one still stings and makes you wonder if you wasted all your good eggs on college and birth control.

The test was a twofer, so when I hadn't started a few days later (now 9 days late) I took the second test. Negative. Well shit! I guess I should call the doctor because I obviously have cancer!

Later that night: "why is there a pregnancy test in the bathroom? Are you still late?" asked my husband

"Ew, sorry, I'll just go throw that away."

Ummm, my previously negative result was now positive. Now, had this not happened one other time I would have thrown it away per package instructions, but I knew. I just knew it was right.

Pregnancy confirmed. Bank account less $14 - the Europeans know what's up with $1.50 price point! $14?! 

We were scared shitless! I had started to rethink my want of a second child due to the horrific attitude of my first - a girl can only get smacked in the face and screamed at so many times before she starts to empathize with China's one kid policy.

First thing out of Victor's mouth? "Is it mine?"

What the eff effity eff?! Did he just ask me that?!?! I swear he loves me... I swear we're happy... I just laughed and told him to get his wishful thinking in check.

Fast forward a week - I started what I knew in my heart of hearts was a miscarriage. I knew because I'd been down that road before and it ain't pretty. All of a sudden I knew. I knew we wanted this baby and we were meant to turn our threesome into a foursome. Unfortunately, it just wouldn't be with this baby at this time.

I had just went through one of the worst weeks in my professional career and came out of that stressful week with a face of acne and a miscarriage. A month went by and I no longer work for Chloe + Isabel. On my last day there, my husband left work early to be with me and console me. We spent the day talking, laughing, and eating candy in bed. As we were on our way to pick up Isla from school, he looked over at me and said, "this may be the first day of the rest of our lives." 

Wink wink ;)

As much as the loss hurt, I was so incredibly happy + grateful that I already had one back-talking, shin-kicking, hair-pulling monster of my own. I love you, Islaboo, and I am so happy I'm your mother and you're my daughter. You were the light of those dark days and I am forever grateful that I had you to snuggle and smooch on as I came to terms with the loss of another Fernandez baby. 

My heart goes out to all of you who have lost a child or never had the chance to. 

xo

Valentine's Day Shopping @ J Crew

Oh man, my J Crew shopping cart runneth over... Here are my top picks for Islaboo and moi for Valentine's Day.

Victor has said multiple times that he wants to get me a locket. I've never really had a want for one until I saw this beauty. Now I agree - I want him to want to get me a locket :) And that baseball tee? Isla needs it. She neeeeeeeeeds it! Being the DIY enthusiast that I am, I'm hoping Isla will be one as well. I can't wait to build a snow globe with her with this DIY Kit. She is going to love it!

The diaper cover is from PB Baby and it is sheer perfection! I love baby butts and I would love a baby butt with a big 'ol heart on it! I eat it - nom nom nom :)

tights // dress // sunglasses for mama // locket for mama // confetti glasses for mama // diaper cover // gold crown headband // barrette // jams // baseball tee // shopper // build your own snow globe

Questionable Parenting

 

Isla has become an absolute mess during her tantrums. There are times when I have to walk into the garage and let out a primal scream just to keep from effing losing it. You don't do that? Oh. Well, gold star for you.

Isla has an insanely wild and curly mullet. I use a spray bottle with water to mist her curls in the morning so she doesn't go to school looking like a hot mess. A couple nights ago she lost her shit because I wouldn't let her wipe her nose with the same tissue she just used to wipe her ass! I'm pretty carefree on most helicopter momisms, but HERE is where I draw the line! We've had too many cases of pink eye in the last two years to go willingly wiping our faces with feces! She was screaming, thrashing, hitting me, throwing everything she could reach...and then. I. Snapped. I silently snatched up that water bottle and sprayed that little monster right in her grill - yup, I did it. I sprayed my sweet baby in the face with a light mist of water. I think we were both shocked. She stopped crying and just looked at me - and then she laughed.

Fast forward to this morning. Victor was trying to wrestle her into her socks and she wasn't having it. Enter complete meltdown. I grabbed the spray bottle and pumped a nice dose of shut the eff up at her and...she laughed. Victor looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Maybe I have, or maybe I've found that water training my toddler will instantly stop manic meltdowns - time will tell...however, after screaming "I potty" for 30 minutes tonight during dinner, my husband looked at me and said. "Where's the water bottle?" Welcome to the dark side my love.