alan and steph: February 2011

Steph's Pick | Netflix Documentaries

Feb 25, 2011

For Christmas, along with our Keurig (yes - I'll never let you forget how much I love my Keurig) we were given a subscription to Netflix. Now maybe this gift isn't a life changer or anything BUT it has been a very welcomed addition to this home :)

Now a majority of what we're watching are not movies but documentaries. I know???!! I must be getting older, right?! Here's why I love documentaries:

1) They're normally shorter than the average movie in length (usually around 1 hr)

2) After I'm done viewing them I generally feel as if it wasn't a waste of my time

3) They're for the most part very informative

Before I give you my Top 5 list I must give a shout-out to those of you who suggested a number of the below items on FB or in person. Thank you!!!

So without further ado, here are 5 of my most recently viewed Netflix Instant View documentaries...

1) The Cove

2) China's Lost Girls

3) Inside North Korea

4) The Business of Being Born

5) Food Inc

All of which are VERY interesting and worth the time to watch them.

(Items in our Queue: Tapped, Babies, The Vice Guide to Travel, The Lottery, Bonhoeffer and World's Most Dangerous Drug)

Now I want to hear from YOU!!!

Comment below with your Netflix Documentary OR Movie suggestions :)

Nora Recommends | Boogie Wipes

Feb 23, 2011

Ready or not it's cold and flu season!

Introducing...Boogie Wipes. Our solution to the nasty cold season that seems to come and go on a weekly basis in this home :)

I know what some of you are thinking.... aren't Boogie Wipes just a glorified kleenex?!! Well - yes... kindof. BUT.... they are worth it.

Why? Well - these little tissues are soaked in saline which helps to dissolve the caked on boogies. Cool, huh?!

Certainly worth a try. We don't use them for every nose wipe but for the really nasty one's we pull out a Boogie Wipe.

As far as I've seen Boogie Wipes are sold at Target, Buy, Buy Baby and BRU.

You're welcome! :)

(Oh - and just for fun - here's a pic of Nora and her Baby Chloe watching a little Veggie Tales this morning)

The Belly Project (Part 2) | 27 weeks

Feb 20, 2011

Here are just a couple random thoughts about our little baby girl (2)..

- I'm certainly bigger than I was since my last Belly Project (Part 2) update. Crazy what 10 weeks can do!

- I still haven't consulted a pregnancy book during this pregnancy. (Is that bad?!)

- We're getting closer and closer to deciding on a name. There is a little in-home feud over a couple names. We'll see who "wins." ;)

- The flu has been going around our home... boo! Don't come over! It's not worth the chance of catching it. (note: I never get the flu... EXCEPT when I'm pregnant....that darn ole pregnancy immune system)

- Believe it or not I actually wore the bridesmaids dress I wore at my friend Jess's wedding last night for the Phoenix Children's Museum Gala. Joy & I were invited to attend and we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get out (and dress up!)

Now the surprising part about the dress is not because it is an ugly dress or anything. It's actually BEAUTIFUL. It's just that honestly when I had it altered when I was pregnant with Nora the thought did cross my mind "Now what is the chance I'll ever wear a bridesmaids dress that's been altered maternity style again??!" Never say never I guess! Hehe.

(Sorry about the crummy pic - it was taken on my phone)

- Cravings? Well - if sour sugary candy counts, that would be my main craving lately! So much so that for those of you who follow my FB status updates you might have seen my mentions about a certain Valentine's Day candy craving (SweeTarts Heart Gummies to be exact).

This is the story - upon returning from Cancun I went out the day before Valentine's Day to find these delightful little treats and couldn't find them ANYWHERE. I'm talking no where peeps. I went to Target, Frys, CVS, Walmart and Walgreens. Poor little Nora was probably wondering how many stores we could visit in one day. :)

- According to the latest BabyCenter.com update - this little girl is the size of a head of cauliflower.

All for now... till next time!

Steph's Pick | DIY Instant Oatmeal

Feb 18, 2011

One of my most favorite (and thoughtful) gifts someone sent us after having Nora were little packets of home-made instant oatmeal my friend Michelle S sent.

As many of you know, one of the best ways to bless a new mom is to bring food. That's easy when you live in the same city. Well, Michelle lives in Iowa. So that always makes it a little difficult, right?! Rather than throw in the towel she mixed up her own instant oatmeal recipe, divided it in single serving (snack size Ziploc baggies) portions and shipped it to AZ. How fun, right?! AND delicious!

Ever since this little snail mail delight I have been making my own instant oatmeal and trying new ways to perfect my creations.

Fast forward to present day. I was over at another friends home (Jennifer R - this is where I'd give you a blog shout out :)) and she had made me some oatmeal. It was PERFECT! Ladies (and gents) - I've found THE WAY to make DIY Instant Oatmeal!!!! So yummy.... I just had to share it with ya'll.

Here are the two "secret" ingredients....

Drum roll please....

Why are these so special? Let me tell you.

The Almond milk is a perfect way to add just a little bit of sweetness AND there are some people that say that almond milk is actually better for you than cow's milk. I'll take it!

And lastly - Sun Maid Fruit Bits. This little package of goodness is a perfect find for this mama. With two different kinds of raisins, dried apple bits, dried cranberries and dried apricot bits it's perfect for oatmeal.

Now you didn't think I'd leave you without the recipe. Here you are...

Steph/Jennifer's DIY Instant Oatmeal

1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Instant Oats

1 cup Almond Milk

Handful of Fruit Bits

Nuts (optional)

Brown Sugar (to your liking)

Cinnamon (again - to your liking)

Directions:

Combine oats, almond milk, fruit bits and nuts. Microwave (covered) for 1 minute. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Enjoy!

{cancun}

Feb 17, 2011

Aww... Vacation... How I miss you already!

This past week we were blessed to meet up with my parents and brother and sister-in-law for a week long trip to Cancun (minus Nora). I know??!! I still can't believe it - we were child-less for 7 days!!!!

Thanks to some WONDERFUL friends (Laura, Joy, Christine & Sharla - we owe you BIG) we were able to leave little Ms. Nora in great hands and get away for an adult vacay. To see a little update of what Nora was up to while we were away check out this post on Joy's blog.

Anyway... on to the recap...

Upon arriving in Cancun this is the view we were greeted with at the Westin Lagunamar

Nice, huh?!

Now...on to what we did for 7 whole days without Nora...

A LOT of this (4 books to be specific)...

A little of this....We spent a day snorkeling with beautiful fish and sea turtles in Akumal...

And LOTS of this.... eating super yummy food!

Here we are at our favorite place... Thai. I know, I know. Seems a little weird that our favorite place in Cancun is a Thai restaurant. But this isn't your ordinary place. Pictures just don't do this place justice. Our table was in a little hut (as you can see) on the water. The beautiful setting and incredible food was perfect! All of us gave it 5 stars for sure!

And of course we spent a majority of our time with the family enjoying time together.

And lastly - a pic of the two of us - belly and all!

Yes - I know. I've gotten a little slack about wearing a bikini while pregnant. Well - here's the deal...I just can't get myself to buy a maternity bathing suit. I figure regardless of what swimming suit I'm wearing people are still going to know I'm pregnant so why try and hide it :)

happy ♥ day

Feb 13, 2011

Upon returning from Cancun (more about our trip later this week) we were blessed to have pool weather return to Arizona! I know, I know... our lives are just soooo rough. :)

We went from poolside in Cancun to poolside in our backyard. And Nora couldn't have been happier.

Oh how I wish I would have thought ahead a bit more this year like I did last Valentine's Day - click here to see the super cute Valentine's we sent out last year. I guess this will have to do. Same subject... just a bit more grown up!

Here's wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day...