Fun Friday/ Blog Challenge Day 2 (Where would you like to be in 10 year?)

Hey guys,

(https://thattgirljenn.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/30-day-blogging-challenge/)

The next blog challenge is "Where would you like to be in 10 year?"  In simple words, I want to be happy. I'm not saying that I'm not happy now but I hope I continue to be happy.  I'm going to group all of the aspects of my life and list where I hope I will be happening in 10 years.

ME-  Like I said above, I want to be happy. In life you can't always be happy 24/7. You will have ups but then you'll also experience downs and hard days, but in general I hope to be happy. I hope to be doing what I love . 

FAMILY/FRIENDS- In 10 years, I'll be 39 (wow, I'll be old).  I hope to be married and have one or maybe even two more kids.  I hope my family and friends will be happy. I know ten years is a long way away so I'm sure I'll gain but also lose friends, but I have learned that not all friendships lasts.

WORK- If I'm not a SAHM (I don't know what the future holds), I hope I have a carer that I love going to everyday and loving my boss and coworkers. I also hope that whatever career I'm pursuing that I'm impacting and inspiring others.

HEALTH- I hope my family and friends all have good health. If something occurs, I hope there continues to be healthcare in the future. I hope we are on a way to find cures or even new medications that helps decrease the severity of diseases. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

<3 Amanda

First Easter Basket 2020

Hey guys,

While we are dealing with the Coronavirus all around the world, my viewpoint is that although right now is rough you always have to look towards the future and things that makes you happy. I don't recall who said this quote but "Be strong now, because things will get better. It might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever." This quote has helped me a lot in the past,especially in past relationships. Before I show more close up pictures of the items in my son's (he'll be turning 9 months shortly after Easter) 1st Easter basket, I want to have a disclaimer. I know he's young and can't consume candy quite yet but I wanted to keep a tradition of what I put in his basket each Easter (and I'll just eat the candy as that's parents' jobs right?!).

This is his Easter Basket for this year. I might keep using this one and get a more structured one that I could use each year in the upcoming years but this one is okay for now since he won't even be one yet, so he won't mind. 

I think any kind of "egg" shaped with candy in it is needed for an Easter Basket. There doesn't really need to particularly be jelly beans inside. I just chose Sour Patch Kids, Starburst and a KinderJoy, although I thought I read previously that KinderJoy eggs were banned somewhere.

Chocolate is always a good choice so I chose a cookies n' cream bunny, a chocolate sucker and I'm pretty sure the chocolates that are in the bunny (lying down) are just Hershey type m&m's.

If I recall correctly, these were the chocolates that we had in our baskets growing up. Hershey's and Reese's are always a yummy treat!

Cotton candy is a nice extra treat. You can choose which color container to get. You can give your child(ren) their favorite color or just give them a random color as it taste the same anyways. Giving them their favorite color,tho, lets them know that you pay attention and notice what their favorite color is.

I, of course, had to include some snacks that my son loves. He loves his Puffs, Yogurt Melts and Lil' Crunchies. As the years go on, I'll add his favorite snacks that he has at that time so his basket is unique to him.

<3 Amanda 

Fun Friday/ Blog Challenge Day 1 (Write some basic things about yourself)

(https://thattgirljenn.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/30-day-blogging-challenge/)


Hey guys,

As I was searching on Pinterest, I came upon a 30 days blog challenge. I thought the challenges looked fun and interesting to blog about. I am going to make my own twist tho. It's called "30 Day Blog Challenge" but I'm going to post one each Friday and call them Fun Friday. The first challenge is "Write Some Basic Things About Yourself".

Honestly, if you have read my other posts then you would already know some basic things about me. So I'm gonna dig a little deeper and write some things that you may or may not have already known about me with a mix of things I have already shared. Enjoy!

1. My name is Amanda and I'm 29 years old. I'm a mom to one son who's almost 8 months old. I love being a mom
2. In elementary school,I don't remember what grade, there was one word on my spelling tests that I had for several weeks because for some reason I could never spell it correctly. That word was Particular.
3.I haven't drank pop in I don't know how many years.
4. Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood are my favorite singers
5.Before I was pregnant, I was not a fan of spinach or orange juice but now I like both of them
6.Years ago, I had a YouTube channel but I deleted it as I don't like how I look/sound on camera
7.I don't like popcorn
8.I am very hard on myself when it comes to my penmanship. If I'm making a card or just writing something, I will either erase it until I like my penmanship or I will completely start over.
9. Favorite TV shows: Castle, Manifest and Fuller House
10. I don't like kool-aid that comes in the little packets but I don't mind the Kool-Aid Burst


<3 Amanda

Things I Learned After Giving Birth

Hey guys,

When you become pregnant ,you (at least I did) start googling things about being pregnant and actually going through the birthing process and after. If you have done that or currently doing that, it's okay. It's good to do your own research but if you're really worried about something, the best person to ask is your OBYGN. I'm just gonna tell you what I have learned after giving birth to the current. I only gave birth to one baby vaginally, so what I learned might be totally different to a woman who had a C-Section or a woman who had multiples.

1. Every woman and pregnancy is different.  There are different types of births: vaginally, C-Section, home birth, water birth, unassisted, unmedicated. etc.  But I want you all to know that no matter how you deliver your baby, you are strong and you did it. I know the pain hurts, but in the end it's all worth it seeing your cute baby!

2. The epidural wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. I'm the type of person who hates getting poked by a needle/getting their blood drawn. That's something that I have improved with after my pregnancy because you are going to get your blood drawn more than just a few times, and then when you deliver most likely you'll get an IV in your arm. 

The worst part of getting the epidural is that I had a contraction right when he was putting it in my spine but I had an amazing nurse who helped me breathe through the pain. And also after giving birth, the tape that they used for the epidural has to come off one way or another. I think them taking the tape off my back was worse than getting the actual epidural (probably because I wasn't paying attention to it as I was breathing through the contraction). One thing that I highly recommend, and this is what I didn't do because I would be more freaked out about the epidural is do not look at the needle.

3. I tore during delivering my son, and I read that if you get the epidural and tear during delivering then the epidural will help numb that area a little bit so you won't feel them stitching you up. Well, I have to say that I felt them stitching me up even though I did get the epidural. I remember laying there holding my son on my chest and crying, for (1) I was really happy and blessed that my son was here and (2) because the stitching hurt. Everyone was asking me what I was wrong because I was pretty much sobbing. I was just really happy and I told them that plus I was saying "Ow" when she was stitching me up.

4.If you're like me, you might pass out after delivery. They have you try to go to the restroom after having your baby and I remember pulling the "help" string and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a wheelchair surrounded by like 10 nurses. I'm glad I was smart and pulled it alerting them and not them finding me on the floor. I was told that it was most likely due to losing more blood than my body was used to as this was my first pregnancy. If I'm ever blessed to be pregnant again, I'm definitely going to mention this to my obygn so that they are aware of what happened when I delivered my son.

5. I learned that there was an ultrasound machine that can tell if your bladder is full or not. I kept saying that I didn't feel the need to go but apparently the ultrasound machine was telling the nurse that it was full. True fact- I almost had to get a catheter and I'm really glad I didn't have to get one after delivering my son.

6. Everyone talks about the postpartum underwear and how they aren't really a fan. I honesty liked them that I asked for extras to take home. 

7. I read that after you give birth you still get contractions especially if you breastfeed. I thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't get any "contractions" after giving birth but I was told that some women get them and some don't.

8. I didn't realize that there are so many people coming in your room throughout the day. You get your nurses, doctor, social worker, Birth certificate worker, breastfeeding consultant, photographer, the anesthesiologist, your baby's pediatrician (or at least the hospital's),and probably more that I can't name off.

9. The doctor who delivered my son gave me some prescriptions. But I didn't go get them because I never needed them. The only pain I had was if I walked too much or if I was on my feet to much during the day and then I would be sore down there, but I just took Tylenol and it seemed to help.

10. The hospital food was actually pretty good!

<3 Amanda 

Easter Basket Ideas For Babies (Newborn-1 year)

(http://clipart-library.com/easter-basket-clipart.html)

Hey guys,

I'm really excited for Easter this year and that's because it's my son's first Easter. I'm excited to put together his first Easter basket,which I will show in another blog post. Since babies are so little and can't have much candy-wise, I thought it would be fun to give you all some ideas that you could put in your baby's Easter Basket.


1. Summer items- Things for the beach or possibly for an upcoming vacation
2. Books -Could either be books to add to baby's library or bath books
3. Toys
4. New bottles/sippy cups
5. New outfits
6. Some Puffs
7. Teethers
8. Snacks- Like goldfish,crackers, cheerios, rice cakes,apple sauce, etc.
9. New pacifiers
10. A new blanket
11. Bows
12. Shoes/ Sandals
13. Utensils- Forks/spoons
14. Plates/Bowls
15. Bibs
16. Diapers/wipes/formula- Babies won't care about getting the necessaries for Easter, they'll probably like the boxes more
17. Candy- Yes, babies can't eat candy yet like chocolate but that's one of the joys of having children. Until they can, you (as the parent) can eat the candy they get for holidays

What are you going to be putting in your baby's/child's Easter Basket?

<3 Amanda

Wal-Mart Grocery Pick-Up Haul

Hey guys,

I like grocery shopping but I don't really like actually going especially because when I go I tend to throw random items into the cart and go off my list. When I heard of the Wal-mart pickup, I decided to give it a try. For one, I wouldn't have to go grocery shop.They would do all of the shopping for me. And two, I wouldn't be able to go off of my list and come home with things that weren't on my list. This past Thursday, I did a Wal-Mart pick-up and I decided to do a grocery haul. Are there anything in my haul that you also purchase? *DISCLAIMER: This probably looks like a lot of food for just me and my (almost) 8 month old, but I live with my mom and younger brother, so I share with them for the most part. I'll be posting a haul of food and snacks for my son soon*

FROZEN ITEMS

Some staples are chicken, ice cream , hot pockets, bird eye and vegetables. You can make so much with chicken (chicken, chicken wraps, chicken salad and more). Hot pockets, pizza rolls and Bird Eye Voila are easy lunches and dinners.  I'm not really a breakfast person but I decided to pick up the Great Value Pancake/sausage things like corn dogs. They are okay. I think I say only okay, because like I said I'm not really a big breakfast person. 

I forgot to include these in the frozen items picture. I picked these up for my almost 8 month old since he's starting to try out new foods. 

REFRIGERATOR ITEMS 

I ordered a good amount of greens and cheese this month (salad, spinach, shredded lettuce, sliced cheese, cheese cubes and two different kinds of string cheese). I also chose two types of lunch meat and what I normally would do since they come in a two pack is put one in the fridge and the other in the freezer.  You can never go wrong with some chocolate chip cookies!

SNACKS

I know that this looks like a lot for 1 month but you have to remember that I live with my younger brother and mom and for the majority I share with them. Do you have a favorite flavor of Oreo's? Mine is birthday cake. I added goldfish to our list this month because I'm curious to see what my son will think of them.

BREAKFAST

Again, I won't eat all of the pop tarts this month or yet by myself. I only had strawberry and cherry flavors so I needed to stock up on the S'Mores and Chocolate Fudge flavors, so they most likely won't be on my grocery list for next month. The muffins are little so it's a good treat for my son. I never had the strawberry donuts before. I tried them and they aren't bad.

BREADS

I have been liking the Flatouts mainly just because it's different from bread. I also got two loaves of bread and hamburger buns which I put in the freezer since we already had a loaf of bread open. 

CONDIMENTS/ETC

I like having ketchup on hand especially because it's my favorite condiment. I haven't bought Velveeta Mac/Cheese lately so I chose the four pack; they are good for a quick lunch/dinner, along with soup and ravioli. The packets of mashed potatoes are really quick and easy to make,just heat up water and then pour the contents in and stir!

DESSERT MIXES

I probably won't make all three this month, so I'll have them on hand for next month!

BEVERAGES

Again, all of this won't be drank by the next time I do the grocery pick-up. The water will probably be the only thing that will be gone because I try to drink at least one a day, and tend to drink more than that a day. I like having Powerade on hand because sometimes I'll get headaches and drinking powerade will help it go away.

<3 Amanda 

Learn About Amanda

Hey guys,

I don't think I've done a post that I just answer random questions about myself in awhile. I thought of these questions for you all to learn more about myself. I think it's interesting for YouTubers, Bloggers and others on social media to do these types of posts/videos to allow their readers/subscribers to learn more about the person who wrote the blog post/filming the video. You can ask your readers/subscribers to ask questions or just make up your own questions, like I did. Here we go :)


1. How old am I? 29

2. What's my favorite color? In order: Pink, Turquoise, Purple and Orange

3. What's my favorite TV show?  I don't think I have a favorite but some of my favorites are Manifest, Castle (not on anymore) and Fuller House.

4.What's my favorite movie? Again, I don't have a favorite but I like "Stepmom", "Instant Family", and "The Blind Side"

5.Who is my favorite singer? Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride

6. What kind of music is my favorite? Country and then pop

7.Do I like being a mom? I LOVE being a mom!

8. What is my favorite animal? Dog

9. Why did I begin blogging? I was going through some personal struggles at the time and I also really loved writing

10. What is my favorite number? 7

11. What was my favorite subject in school? English (Math was my worse subject)

12. Who are your role models? My dad and the brother that I'm closest to.

13. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? This time in 5 years, I'll be 34. I hope to be married and have at least 1 more child.

14. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Somewhere warm

15. If you could eat dinner with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be? My 7th grade science teacher. She was one of my biggest motivators and encouragers in middle, high school and even my early college years. She sadly passed away at a young age ;(

16. What's your favorite food? Hmm.. chocolate to be honest. But if meal wise then chicken tenders and fries (ever since I was younger)

17. If you could only get one thing at the gas station, what would you choose? Probably Reese Peanut Butter Cup w/ Reese Pieces

18. What's your favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni

19. If you could go back to any time in your past, where would you go and why? I wouldn't go back to any time in my past. The past is the past for a reason and made me who I am today

20. What's your life motto? Be kind to everyone you meet. You never know their story deep down.

New YouTubers March 2020 Pt. 1

Hey guys,

One of the things I do to relax either when my son is taking a nap or down for the night, and I just allow myself to have time for me, I watch YouTube (especially moms' or family channels). These are just some new YouTubers I started watching recently. You should definitely check out all of these YouTubers and their channels.

Life As We Gomez: This family consists of parents: Marcos and Chelsea, and their four children, Ty, Hallie, Livvy and Stella. They posts videos like: vlogs, about holidays,grocery hauls, recipes, cook with me's and more. You can follow them at their other social medias; Facebook and Instagram.

Putting Them First: This YouTuber's name is Lauren and she's a first year first grade teacher. In my opinion, she looks like a pretty fun teacher to have. If you're about to become a teacher, you should check out her classroom set up videos, and she also does week in my life vlogs as being a teacher. Check out her Instagram as well!

The Arnold Sisters: The Arnold sisters consists of Lindsay, Jensen, Brynley, and Rylee. I personally only knew of Lindsay and Rylee because of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), so it's nice to learn about their other sisters as well.  I like how close they are with one another and if I had a sister I would hope that would be us as well.  Throughout their videos, you can see all of their different personalities.  They post challenges, Q and A's and much more. You should check their channel out!  Also as well as their other social medias:

Lindsay: Instagram Twitter

Jensen: Instagram Twitter

Brynley: Instagram Twitter

Rylee: Instagram 

Our Life In Holland: This family consists of parents: Justin and Lindsay, and their children Turin, Ashton, Landon and Ava. They post challenges, vlogs and more! They are apart of the Bingham family and like their other family members' they also have a YouTube channel. You might have heard of their families' channels (This Is How We Bingham, Jared and Britt, Dan And Chelle, and Sean Bingham). You should check out Our Life In Hollands' other social medias: Instagram, Facebook and Blog.

Alexa Paige: Alexa is a young YouTuber who I have been enjoying learning more about. She's currently engaged and going to school to become a teacher. I can see how dedicated, determined and motivated she is to become a teacher. She looks like she would be a fun teacher to have. You can follow her through her Instagram and Pinterest as well.

<3 Amanda 

Current Favorite Songs March 2020

Hey guys,

I thought I would do a blog post of my current favorite songs. If you have a favorite song, leave it in the comments and I'll check it out! :)

"First Man": Camila Cabello

I have been listening to this song pretty much repeatedly because I'm a daddy's girl and I'm my dad's only daughter. I hope I can experience what this song represents one day when he gives me away.

"Slow Down": Caleb And Kelsey

This song means a lot to me because I just became a mom and I feel like he's growing up way too fast! Time needs to slow down. He's going to be walking before I know it. 

"You'll Always Be My Son": Caleb And Kelsey

The main thing that I want my son to know as he grows up that I'm always here for him. I want to teach him to always be proud of who he is. I will never judge him and I hope he knows that. I'm his number one fan!

"Hostage" : Tiffany Woys

My brother introduced me to this song. At first I'll be honest and say that I wasn't a fan but the more that I listened to it, I started to like it. I like what the words are about and the beat of the song. 

<3 Amanda 

Baby Toys Favorites (Almost 8 Months)

Hey guys,

I'm loving being a mom to my little boy who will be 8 months in such a short time. One thing that I love doing with him is playing with him with his toys. These are some of his favorite toys.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Puppy

$14.99 (at Target)

https://www.target.com/p/fisher-price-laugh-and-learn-smart-stages-puppy/-/A-52137613

I got this for him for Christmas. He really likes the music and that it makes noise. I was surprised how much it actually does. It has 3 different levels.  His ear, both hands and one foot has a ton of different music/sayings. The other foot lets you change the levels. 

Nuby Ice Gel Baby Teether Keys

$3.89 (at Target)

https://www.target.com/p/nuby-ice-gel-baby-teether-keys/-/A-13361102

Since he has been teething, but currently has no teeth yet, he loves chewing on these keys. I think they are soft enough that it feels good on his gums. I haven't put them in the freezer tho.

Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Nursery Rhyme Keys

$10.26 (at Wal-Mart)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Brilliant-Basics-Nursery-Rhyme-Keys/14904090

Just like the puppy above, my son loves this toy because it makes noise. On the different keys, there are different things that he can play with. He loves it when I press the button and the music plays.

Toy Box Clip Clop Horse Activity Rattle Baby Stuffed Animal Playgro

$4.98 (at Wal-Mart)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Toy-Box-Clip-Clop-Horse-Activity-Rattle-Baby-Stuffed-Animal-Playgro-0101145107/139525545

My son wasn't a huge fan of rattles but this one he definitely took to. I think it's because he can easily hold it, and that each "leg" has a different kind of texture. One has a mirror with tiny balls inside that makes noise (which he loves looking at himself), one makes noise when you crinkle it, one is just soft to hold, and the last one has little bumps on the bottom plus the tiny balls inside. On the handle of the rattle, there are also small blocks attached that he can move up and down. 

Lamaze Octopus Activity Toy

(Link for a pupule one: 

https://www.amazon.com/Lamaze-Octotunes-Purple-Octopus/dp/B01B5M8530/ref=sr_1_25?keywords=crib+toy&qid=1583175877&refinements=p_89%3ALamaze&sr=8-25 )

This toy has different textures/toys that my son enjoys. You can squeeze the octopus's head and make noise, there's a mirror on one leg, a teething toy and more. I think it's supposed to go on a crib, stroller or a car seat but he just plays with it as it is.

Teething Keys

I don't know which brand these teething keys are as they don't say any brand on them. My son got these from a cousin as part of hand-me downs. He loves chewing on them!

<3 Amanda 

Q and A About My Pregnancy, Labor/Delivery, Postpartum and Life Now

Hey guys,

As you might have known from my previous posts, I became a mom in July. I did what all of the first time moms do and that's google everything pretty much. I also asked friends if this or that was a normal thing during pregnancy. They were a big help. When you google things you tend to get a little flustered/confused because there are so many opinions out there from professionals and just normal people like myself.  For this post, I asked through Facebook what could some questions be that I could answer from my perspective and what I recently just went through almost 8 months ago. I hope these questions and my answers help you prepare and relax easier during your pregnancy. 

Q:What were things you didn't know or expect through your pregnancy/labor/motherhood journey?  
A:  Since I have never been pregnant before, there were a lot that I didn't know/expected, so I did a lot of googling, asking friends who are moms and especially sending messages to my doctor as well. One thing that come to mind that I didn't expect during pregnancy is nose bleeds. I didn't have any crazy nose bleeds. I would feel like I would have to blow my nose and then see that my nose was bleeding. 

Labor was similar to being pregnant, I didn't know what to expect. I thought my son was going to come early but then he decided to be late and we had to kick him out (be induced). I was prepared in case he decided to come during the night and had our(mine and my son's) bags by the door way before I even had him.  

The main thing about motherhood that I didn't expect is the time goes by really really fast. I can't believe he'll already be 8 months in a few weeks. When you meet your little one for the first time, your heart literally explodes because you look down and you're like "I made this".

Q: What to expect those first two days after delivery? 
A: This answer varies from mom to mom. For me, I think I got lucky. I didn't have no cramps (that felt like contractions) afterwards that some moms get. The thing that I remember is if I walked too much or was on my feet too much during the day, I would be sore but I would just take Tylenol and then it was better. I also might be different in this case as well but I didn't mind the postpartum underwear.

Q: "How will my body change after pregnancy?"
A: Every woman and labor/delivery is different. For me, I was 125lbs pre-pregnancy and I went right back down to 125lbs after having my son because I was all baby (a lot of people told me that during my pregnancy).

Q:How or did you set boundaries with people wanting to help and/or visit once you were home?
A: I didn't have that many visitors at first when we came home from the hospital. When I did, they would message me to see what time/day worked for us because they knew that I was my son's primary caregiver and myself just had a baby so I was taking care of a newborn and myself. 

Q:How or did you set boundaries with visitors while in the hospital?
A:For me since I went through the majority of my labor alone until at the end, it was nice to have visitors plus I wanted to introduce my son to my family and friends who came up to visit. I would say if you want to know ahead of time who will be coming to visit is to have them text you to see if that time works for you because there will be nurses coming in/out of your room checking on you and your baby. Also, if you're not comfortable in breastfeeding (if you're planning on that) in front of others at first, ask them to go in the waiting room until you're done feeding your baby.

Q:Must haves that aren’t the most common thing
A: Wow, so mom brain is coming out tonight. The only thing that I can think of are snuggle-buddies. My son loves his.

I hope this post helps you out at least a little bit. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll answer them :)

<3 Amanda