Post Florida & Easter.

Finally back home & settled from our little tour of the east coast! Kadence and I had a great time visiting St. Augustine, Florida & Jacksonville, NC. We spent 5 fun filled (but chilly) days in St. Augustine. Much to my dismay, Florida isn't 80 degrees all the time, or maybe this just happens when I arrive, who knows. But I did not pack accordingly for myself to say the least.

Our first day was pretty though & we did get to go to the beach! But the rest of it was still enjoyable. We spent lots of time walking around historic Old St. Augustine. I just love that town, it's my place. I've known that since the moment I stepped foot there my sophomore year. So much history, great restaurants, & maybe it's just me, but the people seem happier there!

Wednesday we went to Orlando & went to Islands of Adventure, which houses The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The 11 year old inside me (who never received a Hogwarts letter) died a little when I walked in. I plan to go back again (or like 10 more times) to visit (when there are less children on spring break ruining my daydream of really being in Hogsmeade). But aside from it being crowded, I loved it!

On Friday we left & drove the 8 hours back to Jacksonville, NC to spend Easter weekend with one of my best friends, her husband & their 2 (and a half) kids. We went to church, cooked a huge meal, egg hunted & all those Easter shenanigans. This was the first time I have ever had to "hide" eggs (another young mom first) the last time I was at an egg hunt I was the one hunting the eggs!

Were home now & will be for at least 2 weeks, until Kadence goes to meet her Dad for her visit there in mid-April. My (other) job has opened for the season, & there is LOTS of birthday planning to do! Thanks for coming along, make sure to check out the vlog of our trip.

xoxo, K&k

Florida, Videos, & Easter Plans

We arrived tonight in St. Augustine, Florida tonight ready to spend the next 6 days with my mom & brother. The trip down was crazy with the weather & all the spring break traffic ( I saw some CRAZINESS), but we are so happy to be here! I am just in LOVE with this town, we vacationed here when I was in high school several times, but I haven't been here in years. The history, the feel, everything about it I just love. I would live here in a minute, maybe it's something to look into ;)

I usually don't mix my "mom" blog with my YouTube Channel, but I know most of my followers follow both so I wanted to make sure everyone knows that I will be vlogging my trip (mostly for my personal memories & for Kadence's relatives), & also doing Outfit Of The Day (Vacation Edition) everyday! I am so excited to have lots of new videos up & I hope everyone enjoys them!

We leave from here Friday & head back to NC to spend Easter with some friends. Kadence has the cutest dress to wear, so stay tuned for Easter pics & lots of fun Easter activities. I know we for sure plan to do an egg hunt (with plastic fruit filled eggs) & we are definitely going to church (I never miss a service at this church if I'm in the area, SO good).

I am excited to be starting this week. I hope it doesnt speed by too fast! (& I hope I come out of it with a tan! LOL) Hope you all have a great week & a happy easter!

xoxo

Kadences 11th Month of Life

Kadence has been 11 months old for 8 days. I am dying that she is this old already. I know I skipped over her 10th month of life somehow but I have been out of town for quite a bit and a bunch of things have changed here as of lately! So here we are, miraculously almost through the first year of her life!

This month Kadence has mastered tons of things. She has officially started walking (when she feels like it), signing "eat" & "milk, definitely saying "momma" & "dada", waving, climbing the stairs, & she officially got rid of her bottle!

We spent most of the month in Jacksonville with my best friend Karisa, her husband Colton & their two kids, Trey & Olivia. Karisa has a youtube channel if you want to follow! I love being down there with them so much, its a shame they live 4 hours away, someone needs to move lol ;) After staying there for about 10 days we came back home for 2 day & then Kadence went to spend a week with her dad in GA & I went to NYC to visit my friend Ericka again! So much fun! Kadence came back right before she turned 11 months old, we stayed with Colton & Karisa for a few more days because a storm had kept us from coming home (as usual).

I can't believe Kadence is now in her 12th month of life! Where has time gone? Stay tuned for a special video montage of her 1st year & let me know what you guys want to see posts about!

out at the beach!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's presents from Grandma Bunny

Breakfast for Valentine's Day

First snow in Jacksonville. totally unexpected obviously!

bubbles!

hummus hands

BFF babies

sleeping on momma

My first tattoo

a day of shopping in Wilmington, NC

baby bathtime 

In GA with Daddy

"momma can I go to NYC with you?"

Back home from GA

xoxo, K&k

Recent Letters to Kadence

Kadence's 9th Month of Life

Well, it's official, Baby K has now been out in the world longer than she was in my belly. I know, I know, weird thought, but that's all I could think about when she turned 9 months old on January 11th! This past month has been filled with all kinds of firsts! From crawling, to standing, to teeth, to learning what "no" means & everything in between. I cannot believe I have a 9 month old! That, my friends, is 3/4 of a year old. WHAT?!

We did a lot of new things this past month! Christmas shopping in Virginia, trying new foods, & Kadence's first christmas happened this month which was so much fun! She's a pro (& speedy) crawler now. She has learned to open cabinets (uh oh), & she always wants to stand, even in the bath tub. She weighs about 16 pounds (her 9 month appointment isn't until next week), eats 3 meals per day (& 4 bottles), wears 6-9 month clothes, hates shoes, still loves her paci, sleeps from 730-9am (only waking once), takes 2 naps per day, has 2 teeth (as of this month), can wave (when she feels like it), understands 'no' & loves everyone. Her favorite foods are raspberries, pasta, & enchiladas & she wakes me up in the morning by screaming "MAMAMAMAMAMAMA". She got her first bump on her head this month while trying to bend down & pick something up, but I am pretty sure I was more traumatized than she was!

washing cloth diapers with momma 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

My crazy hair, happy baby

We learned to open cabinets

NYE

First bump on the head :(

yum, plastic

football paci

nom nom nom

cheerleader christmas party, they love baby K

headed to VA to christmas shop

Kadence Eats...Everything

In response to the many questions I have had about what types of food I like to feed Baby K, I figure I would grace y'all with a post detailing it! From top to bottom, stem to stern, soup to nuts if you will.

Basically, to sum it up in a sentence, Baby K eats everything, well everything that I eat that is (with some exceptions because I really like Oreos). I make everything from scratch, with FEW exceptions, & I enjoy making her food homemade. Coming up with cool new foods for her to try really is so much fun. (Apparently when you become a parent, your definition of "fun" changes.)

Right now, Baby K eats 3 meals per day. Her food & bottle schedule goes as follows:

7:00am 6 oz bottle
9:00am breakfast
11:00am 6 oz bottle
1:00pm lunch
3:00pm 6 oz bottle
6:00pm dinner
7:00pm 6 oz bottle

Below you will find the typical "go-to" foods I feed Baby K, make sure to check out links to the recipes/food websites. This is not a complete list of everything she has had, as I randomly give her stuff when we are out to eat or when I make something new. She has tried (and loves) tons of food, in fact I haven't found one that her piggy self doesn't love. As you will notice she does not eat meat or dairy, because of her allergy.

Breakfast

coconut milk yogurt

Vans Blueberry Waffles (microwaved instead of toasted so they are soft)
bananas
blueberries
blackberries
raspberries
kiwi
grapes
apples (peeled)
Tofu Scrambler 
hashbrowns
oatmeal
cheerios
Coconut Milk Yogurt
grits


Lunch/Dinner:
grilled cheese with daiya vegan cheese
pasta with spaghetti sauce or hummus
steamed veggies of any kind

corn on the cob
avocado
Vegan Enchiladas
Ziti
Lentil Loaf
canned pumpkin
mashed potatoes
baked sweet potato fries
black bean & rice burgers
Rising Moon Ravoili
baked zucchini sticks (usually with garlic powder)
Namaste Foods Say Cheez pasta
Boca Chicken Nuggets

Free to message me or leave any questions in the comments below! 

xoxo

K&k

Parenting Lesson: Nothing Stays the Same for Long

Motherhood is hard & it wasn't a subject I ever studied. I never babysat kids below the age of 5, I never  had family members with kids, & I never held a baby below the age of 6 months before they handed Baby K to me in the hospital. Kids freaked me out & it wasn't a secret I wasn't the biggest fan (aside from mine, there are still only a handful of kids I like) It's safe to say, I have kind of had to wing it thus far. However, I have learned a ton. For example: if you have never washed poop off of your kid in a Kmart bathroom & then bought them new clothes because you threw the others away, then you haven't lived properly. Or if you run out of nursery rhymes gangster rap works pretty well. Most of the time parents really love to compare their kids dimensions, & dog food must taste super awesome for the amount of times I have to pry it out of Baby K's fist. However, the number one thing I have learned, while depressing in one breath, is also comforting at 3:30 am while lying on the floor, next to a crib, thinking about how those all nighters in college might have actually taught you something about motherhood. And that little nugget of knowledge goes as follows: Nothing stays the same for long.  

Baby K's mouth has been exploding with teeth as of late & it has been a nightmare (scratch that, for there to be a nightmare I would have actually had to sleep). 3:30 - 5am is now party time & my good sleeper is now singing opera for the whole apartment complex most of the night, but I digress. I must have missed this part in the brochure. But as I said, at least nothing stays the same for long.

That's right folks, the tiny newborn who sleeps 18 hours a day will soon turn into the tiny human who wants to party the night away in celebration of their first tooth cutting through. And for my sake, the latter will soon pass too & she will eventually sleep again. (However, I may need to tattoo that on my eyelids so I have a constant reminder.) These little people won't always want to be rocked to sleep, and probably one day won't want us to hold their hand. That's the sad part of this lesson though, that without fail, our kids will grow up. But right now, this is beautiful beautiful knowledge. By the way, is it nap time yet?

xoxo
K&k

In this New Year...

Can you believe in 2 days it will be 2013? I am in shock & awe over it, this past year has been insane! I would have never believed I would be sitting here doing what I am doing right now, living where I am living, and being as happy with myself & as strong in my decisions. I am 1000% proud of myself, & I am pleased to say that as 2012 comes to a close.

I have been thinking about my new years resolutions for the past few days. I make some every year & for the most part they never come to pass, either because I don't remember them or because I don't commit myself to them. SO, this is me fixing both of those problems. Below you will find my awesome & partially crazy resolutions for 2013!

• Go on at least 3 trips. Doesn't matter where or for how long, but just go places, meet new people, experience new things, travel a bit. I don't want to give up that dream just because I have a mini me. If possible, I would like to go somewhere really really awesome for one of them, maybe out of the country if I can swing it.
• Complete something on my bucket list. There are many things to pick from on this list. I will keep you updated.
• Go back to school.  I found a great program I want to get into at Appalachian State that is completely online.
• Become AACCA certified & take some coaching classes. I love coaching cheerleading. I want to become certified to do it. 
• Throw Kadence an awesome 1st Birthday. I really should start brainstorming on this, it will catch up to me SOON. 
• Get my body to where I want to be. (BEFORE SUMMER) This is more of a springtime goal that I want to get completed before summer rolls around & I have NO time to do anything. 
• Teach Kadence to swim. I think it's imperative. 
• Get my car re-financed. My interest rate is out of this world & I need to put on my big girl panties and fix that mess. or just get a new one would be nice.
• Do big things with It Works! I really want to start making some good money off of this, even if that means taking it on the road with my friend, Michelle who also sells. I'm looking for distributors & customers, so if you're interested 2013 could be your year too! 
• Get organized. ASAP. I want to be one of those mothers that really has her stuff together. 
• Be able to do a split. Weird goal, I know, but it's something I have always wanted to do. '

Those are some; I am sure I could sit here and brainstorm about 50 more things I want to accomplish this new year, but I'm a busy mother & I don't have that kind of time. I hope you guys will stick with me in 2013 and support me like you have in 2012! I am so thankful for all of you & everything that has happened this year, good or bad! 

Happy New Year 

xoxo

A Single Mom Christmas

I remember the time I spent Christmas day working at Hooter's because I needed to make rent. The only inclination you would have had to it being Christmas at all were the Santa hats we wore. Because I don't have a huge family, once the childhood magic of the holidays wavered, Christmas was just another day. I have always longed to one day have a huge family, tons of people all around, & a Christmas Eve party with just enough dysfunction to make it funny, but that's just been a dream. Maybe someday I will have people to bake a million cupcakes for, but I digress.

Kadence doesn't understand Christmas this year & probably won't next year either, so I have some time to adjust before I pull out all the stops on the Santa thing. When that time rolls around I plan on going all out, like my parents did (though I didn't get to believe in Santa for very long at all). I'll even be that annoying mom making her believe when she's 15 because I will threaten her with no presents. It's going to be a blast.

However, this year was relaxed. Of course, I put up a tree & lights all over the front of my apartment (and the upstairs neighbors). I wrapped presents & went to christmas shindigs. Christmas eve was spent eating chocolate and watching Netflix with my roommate, wondering aloud if this was what happens Christmas Eve when you become an adult.

Christmas day was a relaxing one. In the future little fists will beat me awake at 6am, I am sure, but this year we made it til 9am. Hooray. My dad came over & we opened up presents. Kadence sat in her high chair probably wondering "WTF is going on & where's my breakfast, woman?!" while I tried to get her to rip paper off of boxes.

She got spoiled (as always) with an under the sea activity table from me; stacking rings, footie pajamas, clothes, sparkly baby boots, socks & a rattle from G-Ma; a huge stuffed ride on zebra & a stocking full of pacifiers from G-Pa, a soothing under the sea turtle & a huge story book from her Grandma Bunny, a bunch of clothes from Not-the-momma (my roommate), & even a super cute outfit from my roommates family. She is one lucky little girl with all the people that thought of her. (I seriously could not be more thankful!) I even got some good stuff. A north face jacket, yoga pants, 2 victoria secret bras, a sports bra, a charm bracelet, sparkly boots that match kadences, 2 board games, 2 pairs of leggings, a juicy couture charm, & a pair of AWESOME new nikes. 

After presents  Kadence napped & then we went to my dad's (G-pa's) for Christmas lunch/dinner, which consisted of tons of steamed veggies (much to Kadence's liking), mashed potatoes, some vegan "chicken", rolls, & vegan cheese dip. It was awesome & all good for you, so no regrets about food for at least a few minutes (which is a first). 

We hung out at my dads for a few hours, Kadence & I both took a nap & then we came home, took a bath & Kadence went to bed. I spent Christmas night at my apartment with my roommate, and 2 friends, and then went to bed at a decent hour. Nothing fancy, but I cherished the reasonable bed time more than anything. 

So there ya have it folks, Christmas for the single mom. Next Christmas will be a whole different story, as Kadence will be with her dad, but this one was successful & fun. I will admit Christmas is 
more fun with Kadence, especially all the cute pictures I get to take, all the cute clothes I get to wear, & the fact that we now have a sweet elf living on our shelf named Dimitri.