On this New Year's Eve...

I usually don't make New Year's resolutions, or if I do they are more or less the same as everyone else's: eat healthier and workout more often!

This past year, however, lots has changed and I want to make 2013 an amazing and exciting year! So, I have decided to set some New Year's resolutions and share them with you to keep me accountable ;)

1. Complete a 30 day photo challenge and blog about it- and just blog. more.

2. Learn the ins and outs of Lightroom (I already know it fairly well) and start to tackle Photoshop Elements (this one is scary, as I just received it for xmas and have been playing around. I will admit, I am super overwhelmed!). Also, to keep snapping photos and improving my camera skills. All this is in the hopes to someday call myself a "professional photographer"... that's kind of three resolutions in one,  but who's keeping track.

3. Take time to stop and smell the roses. Sometimes I get caught up in the day to day, especially now with a little one. I'm all about sticking to the routine and making sure we get things done as efficiently and timely as possible. Sometimes I forget to stop and breathe and enjoy- with her and everyone, including my handsome husband who reminds me to slow down every once in a while.

4. Be energized and motivated! As much as I enjoyed being a stay-at-home Mama, and am sad to start work next week, I'm hoping going back re-energizes me. I have been living in sweats for the last nine weeks, not being able to workout until two weeks ago, not getting a shower until 8pm when the hubs returns home, leaving the house uncleaned because I just don't have the energy or motivation and eating like crap, because I can.

5. This one kind of goes with resolution #4, but get fit and healthy! I will admit, I am not a healthy eater. I would eat carbs and sweets all day everyday if my husband wasn't around.  I also don't like working out, but when I do... I feel marvelous. Not to mention that since being pregnant and giving birth I have lost ALOT of strength, so much so that I used to be able to do 20 push-ups and at 7 weeks postpartum, couldn't even do one because my abs were so weak! I was appalled that I  had to do the girly version with my knees on the ground. Ugh. Nothing like starting from the beginning!

What are your New Year's resolutions? Let's make 2013 a great one! Cheers and be safe!!

Does chocolate make you lactate?

 Well... not exactly. However, while researching ways to increase my milk supply (I will be going back to work in a couple of weeks and wanted to have some to freeze for when I'm gone) I came across this recipe for "lactation cookies". They contain some special ingredients: Brewers Yeast and Flaxseed meal to help with lactation. I was skeptical, but who wouldn't love an excuse to eat cookies all day!?

I found the original recipe at Simply Real Moms, you can check it out here: RECIPE

My version is below, with just a few tweaks.

Ingredients

• 3/4 c butter
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 c brown sugar
• 4 T water
• 2 T flaxseed meal (DO NOT substitute)
• 2 Large eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 c flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 2 T Brewers Yeast (DO NOT substitute)3 c Thick cut oats
• 1 c Dark Chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Add eggs.
5. Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
6. Beat until well blended.
7. Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
8. Add butter mix to dry ingredients.
9. Stir in the oats and then the chocolate chips.
10. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop onto baking sheet.
11. Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

It's been almost a month!

Well,
 I assumed that with a newborn I would have plenty of time to keep up with my blog. BOY, was I ever wrong! My little sugar bean doesn't sleep all that often- about 3-5 hours less a day than the average newborn, which leaves little time for Mama to keep up with her blogging!

I also have been swamped with orders for boot cuffs. I never could have guessed how much of a hit they would be! I am still six orders behind, and feeling guilty for sitting here blogging instead of crocheting away. But, a girl needs a break, right?!

Anywho, the above picture sums up my life right now in more ways than one.

First, it obviously is in reference to my little love and the work that it takes. Being a mom is hard! For the first four weeks I felt as though my body was battered and on this planet for the sole purpose of the use of my daughter, and I wasn't even exclusively breastfeeding! I still am not exclusively nursing, in fact, I hardly am at all. I mostly pump and try to nurse her, at least once a day- usually in the form of a snack, since she loses interest after receiving a bottle so much. This is very disappointing for me, but is my own fault for not toughing it out with nursing in the beginning. Lesson learned if there is a baby #2! I mean, after giving birth naturally, I thought that would be the hardest and most painful, but I think breastfeeding gives natural childbirth some stiff competition! (mainly for the fact that labor is hours and nursing is weeks!).

We're also following the Babywise method for Everleigh. For those of you that aren't familiar, the concept is to get baby on a routine, which will lead to her sleeping through the night at an earlier time than most, or some, other infants.  It also has other great concepts, like teaching the child to be independent and able to self sooth, etc. Thank God, some friends have used this method as well! They have become my mentors in this quest to achieve nighttime sleep for all! Babies are confusing, and right as we think she's got the routine, she changes it! However, she has started to smile and just yesterday laughed out loud in her sleep, which makes it all worth it!  <3

Second, I am super excited to be getting back into photography! Obviously, after having a little one, I am taking photos more than ever. I'm so excited to continue to learn as much as I can about my camera and how to take great photos. I love nothing more than a great photo to capture a moment in time. I am so thankful to no longer be nauseous when just thinking about photography! I literally had to unlike a lot of the photography sites I liked on Facebook because if they showed up in my news feed earlier in my pregnancy, I would instantly be nauseous. So weird. I can only attribute it to the fact, that my morning sickness first started when I was in Nebraska, doing a photo shoot for my cousin's adorable little girl. Even those pictures, looking at them now, make me kind of sick.

But, now that my pregnancy is over I am nausea free when it comes to photography and continue my quest to become a great photographer! Luckily, Everleigh isn't old enough to get tired of me snapping her photo for practice... though I'm sure that day will come much sooner than I would like!

If I don't get to blog before Christmas (which is likely) I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!