Follow me on @inspiralizedkids to see Luca's plates everyday!
Our general philosophy about feeding Luca, our almost-17 month old toddler is this: nourish him as best we can, while having fun and exposing him to all types of foods.
For the most part, we try to eat as healthy at home, because we have the time and resources to do so. We can shop for the right ingredients, prepare meals in advance, and control what's in our fridge and thus, what's in our bellies. This is our opportunity to eat our best, so that when life happens, it's okay if we all need to grab pizza (those are our favorite types of meals anyway!) We want to teach Luca how to...
Continue reading Our second child is due at the beginning of the summer, at the end of June. The closer and closer we get to my due date, the more and more I think about what I want to do similarly and what I want to do differently. We feel very blessed with Luca - he slept through the night on his own (no sleep training necessary) around 9-10 weeks, he's always been a playful and happy baby who rarely cries (he whines for sure, but rarely ever cries!), and he's extremely affectionate and loves to give kisses and hugs (without being provoked to do so!)
While we hate to change anything, because Luca is such a wonderful boy, there are certain actions...
Continue reading I receive a lot of questions about my workout routine. If you follow me on Instagram, then you've noticed that I workout pretty regularly and consistently. Working out gives me energy, clears my mind, is healthy for my heart and body, and most importantly, feels good - there's nothing better than an endorphin release!
Long before I became pregnant with Luca, I always used to think it was shocking when women worked out while pregnant. It looked "wrong", like these women shouldn't be pushing themselves in their delicate state. Then, when I became pregnant with Luca, I realized that there's nothing delicate about pregnancy, ha! All jokes aside, our bodies are strong and are meant to carry children. My OB-GYN put...
Continue reading Buying toys that are appropriate for your child can be overwhelming - at least it is at times, for me! Not every child develops the same and not every child is interested in the same things that other children their age are. For example, one of Luca's friends LOVES toy trucks. While Luca shows some interest, he is by no means obsessed. And while Luca is obsessed with anything kitchen or cleaning related (I think because he spends a lot of time watching me cook and clean!), this same friend has zero interest.
Luca is also a very physical player. He loves climbing, moving, and doesn't love many toys that require you to sit and do something with focus. His attention...
Continue reading For reference, my son is 16 months old at the time of this post, so he's a young toddler. When children are older, there are more tactics for facilitating travel, but these tips are based on my experience traveling with my son. He's taken 18 total flights since he's been born!
Before you review my Toddler Tips For Travel, check out my post on our very first flight with Luca, as well as a what to pack for a beach vacation with a baby, which may be helpful for you as well.
From my first plane trip with Luca and this post, these tips still remain true in toddlerhood:
have your hand sanitizer and baby wipes close: I've lightened up about this,...
Continue reading like I did with baby boy Luca, I’ll be doing monthly pregnancy recaps to document the progress of this pregnancy and hopefully relate to some of you who are pregnant as well or interested in becoming pregnant! in this week’s recap, I’ll be recapping week 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant.
the recap, weeks 13 - 18
I knew people used to say that you "pop" more quickly with the second pregnancy than you do with the first, but I guess I didn't really think much of it, until I became pregnant for the second time. WOW. I was comparing photos of myself at this stage with Luca and what they say is true. my belly is growing...
Continue reading if you followed along to my monthly challenges series last year, for each month of last year (I started in March 2018), I set a monthly challenge, where I practiced something new for the entire month (about 30 days). I didn’t want to preselect all the challenges for the entire year, because I’m always changing and there are always areas of my life that change and some need more help than others at certain times. ranging from taking daily walks outside to reducing my paper towel usage, I set a challenge and did my best to stick to it. It was a great way to stay focused on a particular goal and it was attainable, as it was on a...
Continue reading It all started with a shower.
Seriously. It did. But first, let me talk about what we were going through with Luca before we trained him off cosleeping.
Luca's sleep story
Luca started off a great sleeper - on his own, he started sleeping through the night by 9 weeks, from 7pm to 7am. We thought we were the luckiest parents ever! Then, around 6 months, he started teething real badly and would wake up all night. The only thing that would work was nursing him in the middle of the night. Instead of sitting in the rocking chair a la the newborn days, I took him into bed and side-lay nursed him and we'd all fall asleep peacefully until 6:30am. And then,...
Continue reading surprise, surprise, we're pregnant (again)! as one of three children in my family and for Lu, as one of four children in his family, we always knew we wanted more than one child, if we were blessed enough. how many children? let's get through #2 and see how it goes!
most of my friends who have more than two children say that going from 1 to 2 is much harder than going from 2 to 3 or even 3 to 4. they say you go from knowing how to handle a child and you've nailed down your routine and schedule and then the new baby just throws everyone for a loop. we're definitely nervous, but like with the first baby, we're...
Continue reading Well, technically, he's not 15 months old yet - he'll be 15 months on Christmas day!
My husband and I debated whether or not to even get Luca Christmas gifts (especially after reading this.) He has so much already, and the last thing he really needs is more toys! But, alas, we are having two Christmas celebrations - one in New Jersey at my apartment and one at my parents' home, where we'll all actually be for Christmas. Since Luca actually loves unwrapping things and general excitement, we couldn't resist getting him a few gifts.
When thinking about what to get him, I tried to think of development toys, toys he plays with when he's not at home and loves (like at...
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