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Health + Wellness

Summer Glow.. But Make It Fall

This blog is sponsored by Centrum and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Living in South Florida generally means one thing, year-round sunshine and very warm steamy temps. We only get about a 2-3 week period of “cool” weather and a lack of humidity early in the year and that’s really about it. Right now, in the “fall,” it’s 90 degrees, sunny-ish, and basically bikini weather.. not exactly the autumn you see in Hallmark movies. So, that means we “glow” all year! However, for those of us sun safety nuts, we don’t find our “summer glow ups” by tanning and aging our precious skin. Want my not-so-secret “secrets?” Keep reading!

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Travel

Tips For Navigating Disney World During The Covid19 Pandemic

*This blog post was written as a collaboration between myself and my friend/business partner, Keri, who also has two toddlers!*

Let’s just get this out there.. 2020 has been WEIRDDDDD and we are ALL way overdue for some magic. More specifically, THE magic of one place and one place only – DISNEY WORLD. While we were, of course, hesitant to plan this trip, it is 100% what we all needed. We needed to see our kids so happy after 8 long months living in a quarantine bubble and that made any potential risk all worth it. The not having to cook or plan “covid safe” activities for a few days didn’t suck either!

We know that these times are strange and you probably have a lot of travel-related questions so we’ve complied a list of new Disney protocols you need to be aware of and some of our personal tips when planning a trip anytime soon (we’re told things will probably stay the way they are now well into 2021).

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Health + Wellness, Motherhood + Baby

How I Manage The Daily Multi-Tasking Mama Grind

Not that long ago, I put a question box up on my Instagram Stories asking what YOU would choose as a career for me (besides full time mommin’, of course) and I wasn’t surprised that most of the answers included “something with food” and “nutritionist.” I guess I’m pretty transparent! As many of you know I like to dabble here and there in all things I’m passionate about and food + living a healthy lifestyle have ALWAYS been at the very top of my list. So, I decided to do something about it and further my education on the subjects – more to come on that another time. But, it’s not only “back to school” time for my kids, it’s my turn too!

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Motherhood + Baby

Favorite At-Home Activities

Here’s my biannual blog post! Will gladly accept the award for World’s Okayest Blogger this year. All jokes aside, 2020 has been a DOOZY. Since everyone is spending more (& more & more..) time at home these days, I figured now was a great time to share some of the activities and items that have kept us busy, sane and somewhat entertained in case any of you need some new ideas (far from an expert!). I broke the categories up by my two kids’ age groups and whether the activities were more educational versus purely play. If you have any favorites, be sure to let me know!

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Motherhood + Baby

Evie’s Lemon Themed First Birthday Party

“Why’d you choose a lemon theme?” is a question I’ve been asked over and over. It’s a vision I’ve had for a long time, something out of the “norm,” and a super fun concept to work with and curate items for! Gotta love a good challenge, right? I knew I wanted a lemon themed first birthday party, cutely coined “Evan’s Lemons,” before she was even born. I originally wanted a lemon themed nursery, but didn’t really feel like that could grow or transition into a “big girl room” down the road. So, birthday party won! Anytime I saw something that fit the theme during Evan’s first year of life, I hoarded it away in my closet until the big day arrived. You can imagine how my closet evolved over the year..

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Motherhood + Baby, Travel

Tips For Going To Disney With Small Children

Ahh.. the happiest place on Earth. It’s pretty ironic that they call it that when it can feel totally overwhelming and stressful.. even from the beginning stages of planning your trip. I’m here to help. I’ve always lived in Florida & traveling to Disney has been a part of my life since my early childhood. Now that I have a couple trips with children under my belt, I wanted to share my experience and tips to help anyone in the midst of planning their own trip.

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In the Kitchen, Motherhood + Baby

My Favorite Easy & Healthy Snacks With FAGE

This post is sponsored by FAGE; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own and I only work with brands that I truly love.

If you looked up “crazed mother of two” in the dictionary, you’d most likely see a photo of me with a messy bun, pump on, & obviously a portable snack in my hand because obviously I’m always hungry. Since I started exclusively pumping, the relentless hunger has returned with a vengeance and I love spending time in the kitchen (when time allows) prepping little snacks & meals ahead of time so that I won’t be reaching for something processed and full of less than ideal ingredients when I’m chasing a toddler with a baby on my hip. After all, I’m truly eating for two! I love sharing my meal & snack ideas with all of you, because it’s often the community I’ve found on Instagram that I, myself, find helpful ideas & tips. Below are some of my favorite healthy snacks that you can throw together in a pinch and are easily eaten on the go with your family.

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Motherhood + Baby

How I Was Able To Induce Lactation

Relactation.. did you know that’s actually a thing? I wouldn’t have known that it was really physically possible for your body to produce breastmilk (and ENOUGH milk) after being completely dry or never even pregnant if I hadn’t been in the right place at the right time. A couple of years ago, at a “mom’s night out” dinner, I was sitting next to a very special mama to a baby born via surrogate who had been able to successfully give her child breastmilk.. and her dedication had always stuck with me in the back of my mind since that night.

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Motherhood + Baby

Evan Rae’s Birth Story

Evan Rae Ginzler // December 10th, 2018 // 6 lbs. 14 oz. & 19 3/4 in

I had been dreaming about a VBAC for my second baby since Henry was born – literally Googled them incessantly while sitting on the couch with him as a fresh week old newborn. I felt so “robbed” of my dream birth experience with him that I was determined to “make up for it” the next time around (that feels so silly now!). I even switched OBs to a VBAC-friendly practice but when I asked him about my chances of a future VBAC, his response was, “your stars would really need to align.” When I got pregnant with Evan, I suddenly didn’t care how it went down and scheduled a c-section for December 20th (my due date was December 23rd) but kept the VBAC option open in my mind just in case. I liked that the c-section was planned and that I could arrange for Henry to be with my in-laws and do it around my husband’s patient load/the holidays (EYE ROLL). At the same time, I wanted to experience a more natural birth so I figured I’d let fate handle it & just leave my options open to whatever might come. Continue Reading

Styled

My Favorite Hair Products Ever!

It took me a LONG time to learn how to style my own hair – about 30ish years to be exact! Luckily, after lots and lots of focus and practice, I’ve finally been able to nail down what works for me & my hair type. I’ve been growing my hair out for two years now and really only get it trimmed every few months – and I only wash it once or twice a week (depending on what’s on the schedule that week). I have some layers in my hair, but really nothing fancy when it comes to the cut/style. Continue Reading

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Motherhood + Baby

What’s In My Hospital Bag For Baby #2

I am totally guilty, like every other first time mom, of overpacking my hospital bag when I went in to deliver Henry. Some lessons we just need to learn for ourselves the hard way.. ya know? I read the countless blog posts, Pinterest infographics & app articles about what to bring, but for some reason thought I’d have way more time on my hands and be in the right frame of mind in the hospital to do leisurely activities like read a novel and accomplish work on my laptop (I’m LOL’ing at myself!). So, with some seasoned experience, I have just packed my bag for round TWO and am here to share what you actually need when you’re finally ready to meet your baby! Continue Reading

In the Kitchen, Motherhood + Baby

How I Find Time to Cook with a Toddler

I get asked this question A LOT.  More than a lot, really. When I post a food snap to my Instagram stories, I always, without fail, get asked how I make it happen when I have a wild toddler at home. I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not always easy (Henry doesn’t always cooperate aka allow me to cook without crying at my feet, 🙄) and I definitely don’t cook every night, but cooking is a passion of mine, and the reward is always worth it. So, today I’m sharing some of my tips AND some of my foodie bestie, Dani’s, tips on how we get dinner on the table with kids in the house. Dani has TWO kiddos, a two year old boy (Henry’s partner in crime) and the cutest baby girl.

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In the Kitchen, Motherhood + Baby

Our Favorite Toddler Snacks

This is one of the most common questions that I get and I receive so much positive feedback when I post Henry’s meals & snacks on my Instagram. I’ve always loved being in the kitchen and whipping up stuff for Henry was something I always dreamed of even before he was born. While I do try to make most of his meals, his snacks are a mix of homemade and healthy pre-made items. AND, to clarify, I say “OUR” favorite toddler snacks because these are snacks that Henry likes and snacks that I like and feel good about giving him. So, here’s a list of some of our favorites in hopes that it gives you a few ideas for your own little ones (or for yourself, no judgement here): Continue Reading

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