10/28/20 instastories

 Liam likes to use Miles's ipad. He wants his own. I did another pic in front of the mirror. After we dropped Miles off at school, Liam used Miles's ipad. He plays peek-a-boo barn. He loves it. I remember Ella used to use that app early on too. Ella was working on school. I did my workout. I was able to do a bunch in a row so then I loved the workout.  Liam didn't like leftover pizza and wanted my hoagie.

I ran to get my car instead of trying to coordinate everyone. It was a fun run even though it was hot. Then on the way back I stopped at Marshalls. I need clothes that fit so I bought some. I hate not having a dressing room so I had to wing it. I tried everything on at home. 2 things are a little tight. I'm deciding if I should return them or not.  Ella needed a costume for school so we took pictures in the neighbors yard instead of just at home. Getting kids to bed took forever. Nobody would listen. I ended up taking too long reading to Liam and I was late for a board meeting.

Amazon Favorites

Since I don't go to stores anymore I've been ordering some stuff from Amazon. Some things are great and some haven't been.  I figured I'd share some good things I've ordered.  I swear I spent 2 hours of research sometimes just to give up because reviews are so good and so bad on the same items. 

Medium Cereal Containers | Air Dry Clay | Large Cereal Containers

Insulated Water Bottle | Round Beads | Zipper Pouches

Blender Bottle | Athletic Shorts | Flower Crown Kit

Flowy Tanks | Visor (White and Pink) | Headphones

Notes: 

Lots of cereals get stuck in the medium containers and even some in the large. But The containers are great for snacks too. We will take off the entire lid and eat out of the container too.

We bought a few different clays which seem super similar but then this was the best deal of what we got.

I bought the water bottle because last summer someone I follow on instagram tested 22 water bottles and this one was the best. It is really good. It's better than the contigo insulated water bottles we got a few years ago. I bought 22 oz so it would fit in my running stroller cup holder. If I just wanted it for home, I'd have gotten bigger. 

I did hours of research and these were by far the best deal for beads. I bought them and a few other beads. These held up well and for the price and how the coordinate with each other and come with string they are by far the best deal. You can make many bracelets with all the supplies included for under $10! I bought these beads once and we used so many making bracelets for others that I ordered a second batch of these.  I initially paid 8.99 and that was still the best deal by far and then the second time I paid 7.99.

The zipper pouches are great for organizing paper or crafts. I used them for some games that didn't have a box and then everything is kept together. I also took some when we went swimming to put the wet suits in so everything didn't get soaked.

The shaker cup is nice and short so it fits in the top shelf of my dishwasher unlike the other shaker cups I already owned. 

I bought a few pairs of shorts with pockets. These ones don't ride up at all. They are so soft and comfortable. They are a good length. I own 3 pairs. I also bought the same brand in capri after I bought 2 pairs of other brands and did not like how I had to be tugging them up all the time. 

I got the flower crown kit for Ella and she was so happy to get creative and organize the flowers for how she wanted to create the crowns. We dropped off crowns on her friends door steps too. 

I bought the these flowy tanks when I was just pregnant (size small) and then recently I bought them again since I'm bigger now (size large). I like how they fit and wear them on rotation. I actually just ordered more. I already owned the pink, blue, purple combination but now I ordered the white, black, and gray combination. 

The sun gets annoying coming in above sunglasses so I bought the white visor. I loved it so much that I bought a pink one too. I like them better than a hat so that I can wear my hair in a bun or ponytail wherever I want it. 

I bought these headphones for the kids to try. They were such a hit. They don't squeeze Miles's head. They even fit me. I bought 2 more pairs. I have 2 in blue (since they were the cheapest) and one in pink.) 

More!!

I forgot to include my new tripod. It is sturdy and doesn't blow over like my old one. The remote dies quickly but also I don't even use it so it doesn't matter. My old tripod had a really good remote but I never use it. 

Also the best ponytail holders ever. I bought them about a year ago and the rest of this post is just stuff I bought recently. But these are so good I had set them up for the amazon delivery every 6 months but they are so good, that I won't ever need new ones. 

4/23/20 instastories

I went to the grocery store for the first time in a month. Liam climbs on the table so then Miles climbs on the table. Liam loves it outside.  Miles helped make Home Chef dinner. After I posted those stories on instagram, Home Chef contacted me asking if they could use the them as part of their marketing and promotional efforts.

Carpi Workout Pants

I have an easier time finding capri workout pants since I don't require the length that I do with pants.

I've purchased 5 different styles/brands on Amazon and they have their pros and cons. I figured I'd list them here. I would buy Small until I got pregnant and then I needed bigger.  These all have a phone pocket because who would buy pants without a pocket nowadays.

I bought deep purple capris in a large. These are so soft. They remind of me of how soft the 90 degree reflex pants. The pockets are not that deep so my phone sticks out a little bit. I feel like it sticks out too much to run with a phone in my pocket. By the end of the day the waist band was sliding down. Granted my belly is pretty big compared to a normal person since I still look pregnant.

 
I bought black capris in a large. This large is smaller than the purple large.  I like how high waisted these are. They are great for my needed tummy control now.  But when I'm thinner, I like lower pants.  These are perfect now. I will probably order more.  I definitely felt like these large fit more like a medium.

I bought some black with stripes on the side. I bought these in the middle of my pregnancy. They are the tightest of the 4. These are great to run in and my phone in the pocket all day long is great. It's a good position so I'm not sitting on it.


I bought gray capris in a medium.  These are looser than the black with stripes. For awhile I only had these 2 pairs in medium. The pocket is set further back on the leg so you sit on your phone a little  and can't get at it easier. This pocket is set a little bit further back so I feel like I'm sitting on my phone if my phone is in my pocket when I sit down so I tend to take it out. This pocket is much looser.   There is no tummy control on these pants.



They range from $17-21. The black ones were the most expensive and then they were a deal of the day on July 15 and ended up the cheapest. I just ordered a second pair because I didn't realize they were deal of the day!

ETA: I got the 2nd pair and love them too.

Workout Pants with Pockets

I posted awhile ago asking for suggestions on extra long pants that wouldn't be too short on me. I got suggestions but they were still too short. Then randomly I went to Marshalls and looked at all their pants. I looked at the entire rack and tried on the pants that were 4 or more inches longer than the standard.

I found the same pants online and then on amazon. Then the reviews on amazon were all complaining that they were much longer than the stated inseam. Now that link is unavailable :( :(  Even on the 90 degree website they seem sold out.

One pair of pants from Marshalls is Hypertek and the other is 90 Degree which is funny since they are the same brand according to the internet. So many people say 90 Degree Reflex pants are awesome. They are buttery soft. They aren't quite as long as the Hypertek ones so I guess they are better for the average person. It's hard to give a proper review since everything is high waisted and I just wear it all below my huge pregnant belly. But the fact that they work for that is amazing.  Now I just need to find these Hypertek ones somewhere so I can order a small so when I'm not pregnant and still losing baby weight I have a pair of pants to wear with a pocket.

Look I'm already wearing them so much that the printing on the inside of the pants is wearing off.

These pants I got at Marshall's but don't like them as much as the Hypertek ones. 

I had all the above written for weeks but decided to try to wait to see how they work when I'm no longer pregnant. I love them even more. Also since then I checked the one link I ordered my medium black ones and they had 1 small available when I checked back so I bought them.  I still have to wear the light purple ones. I just lack nursing tops that match so haven't worn them yet.

If you ever see Hypertek ones let me know! If you find anything insanely long let me know too!   Pretty soon it'll be capri weather so I will have an easier time shopping.

Sunglasses

I don't know how many of you out there have issues with finding sunglasses that fit your head.  All these people I know can buy any cute sunglasses they want and they don't squeeze their head and give them a headache. Well apparently I have a wide head and it's very hard to find sunglasses for them.  About 10 years ago I found sunglasses that worked. Then 6 years ago I found a pair. I was trying to find more pairs for the past 6 years and always check anywhere that has sunglasses and this year at Walmart I finally found some that worked. Dave has a very similar wide head issue. (Hmm maybe this is why the doctor told me how wide this new baby's head will be. Really wide compared to everything else.) I tried and tried and found the same ones on Amazon.   (Apparently since I started this post they became unavailable.  They were 14.99 at Walmart but I can't even find them on the Walmart website.) I own 2 pairs now. I wonder if I should order more. I have 1 pair of old sunglasses then 2 new pairs. I feel like when you have kids and they can break things and it takes you 6 years to find something that works maybe I should have another pair.  Dave even tried to buy $200 sunglasses but they were all just too narrow for his head.

The sticker on these ones said flexi-temple and I think that's what made them so nice.   That R stands for Piranha.

How many pairs of sunglasses do you have? Are sunglasses difficult for you to find?

2.18.19 Adventures Video

We decided to take the train station to Menlo Park and go to breakfast at Stack, the book store, and walk around a bit. The kids had so much fun and want to take the train again. The library was closed or we would have gone there. I made a video. Hopefully I'll post pictures eventually.

1 SE January 2019

I've included 2 videos on a lot of days so it's more than 1 second everyday and I like it better.  55 seconds for January. I'm still not perfect with having enough horizontal videos. January flew by.

2019 Week 1/52 Photo

We were at Ikea and Dave sat down for a little break then the kids were begging him to tickle.  He held both and counted 1, 2, 10 then tickled. They loved it and begged for more and more. I was looking at some side tables in the area.  They loved it. I thought they were nuts.  Then they wanted to climb on him and both sat on his shoulders.

I included 2. The second is blurry but it shows how they were on his shoulders too.

Photo Taken December 31, 2018

1SE July 2018

I love this app but now I wish there was a 2 seconds or 3 seconds every day. 1 second just seems so short. I probably used half the default videos it chose with roll the dice and updated half manually.

Socializing

I seem to socialize a lot. When I socialize a lot, I blog less. Then I don't blog about the fun times we are having with friends. :( 

So here are a few pictures just from the past week.

Monday: Susu came over and we played and then the neighbors joined us.  (July 23)

Tuesday: Playing at the park.

Thursday: lots of shopping. Not really socializing but Miles was pushing his own cart so he made lots of friends at the store.

 Thursday: Preschool board meeting so Miles was playing with the other kids.

Thursday: Concert in the park

Saturday: Friends over for dinner and playing.

Sunday: Tot Trot and playing at the park

Monday: Play date at our house.

 Tuesday: Ortega Park

Today we visited preschool for over an hour inside then some time outside. Here Ella is inside and we are outside the fence.  I took this picture to show her her curls. 

Picking Ella up, took 50 minutes. The kids did not want to leave. Miles loved playing. I had to carry him out of there.

So basically in a little over a week I didn't socialize on Wednesday or Friday. But really I did on Wednesday because we were at the DMV so Gio watched Miles and there was some socializing at drop off and pickup. 

4.2.18

Miles woke up at 7:30. I was so tired. I thought for sure he'd sleep in since he was up 2 hours past his bedtime. I was wrong.

Getting the kids ready for school went really really slowly.

This bird likes to peck the window.

Poly likes to keep her eye on it

pretty

We got to school near 9:30. Ella's class was getting ready to go outside. For all Ella talks about liking it cold, she sure hates when they go outside at school.

Miles and I went to JCP after dropping Ella off. We returned my swimsuit.  Then we went to Aldi. Miles sure makes the trip last so much longer because he won't get into his carseat.  At Aldi, I returned a few carts so I made 50 cents.  Then we went to Ross. I wanted to see if they had dresses for Ella. Miles also really wanted a Mickey Mouse outfit so he got one.  I tried to get a backpack for Miles that we could use on the road trip.

Trying to buy miles a backpack
Me: Do you want a Mickey Mouse backpack?
Miles: No. Shimmer and Shine
Me: Do you want a minion backpack?
Miles: No. Shimmer and Shine
Me: Do you want a spider man backpack?
Miles: No. Shimmer and Shine
(I finally talked him into minion backpack.) 

We got home and ate. Miles was tired but not. He was hungry but didn't want anything.

I did laundry. I made stuffed pepper soup while he was napping. I wanted to work out but I never got to that.


I finished folding laundry and then we went and picked up Ella. Miles didn't want to go and I even got some good video of it.

I was at preschool for 40 minutes. At first I was on the phone, then I went in and gave a note to the front desk of when Ella's last day would be. We talked for awhile. Then I went in to get Ella and the teacher was asking about when we were leaving and what we were doing. That took time. Then we went to get Ella's stuff and her picture she drew of a house was gone. She was so upset by this so I could not get her to leave. She kept looking over and over for it and then would yell about it.

We had soup when we got home. Dave was already home when we got there.   I got food ready for the kids. Miles was entirely done eating before I had my first bite. Dave was too. Then I go to eat it and it's entirely too spicy. I couldn't even handle it with crackers and bread. I was disappointed.   I ate a few things and got more food and then it was time for Miles to go to sleep.  After I got him to sleep I  used my laptop and watched Netflix while Ella bothered me every few seconds. I wanted to work out but it was close to her bedtime so I waited. But then we started her bedtime an hour later!  Sigh.  I didn't start my workout until really late.