Summer Must Haves for Baby (and Mama, too!!!)

Summer is officially here! And I am already wishing it to be over. I'm so not a fan. When I was a kid, I couldn't WAIT for Summer. But that's probably because it meant we didn't need to go to school for a whole 3 months. Which also meant we could go to the beach every single day. Because we lived like 5 minutes away from the nearest one. But that's just it, if you don't live near the beach, it's no fun. And I currently live far, far away from the nearest beach. So trips to the beach requires planning.

And driving.

In traffic.

And then fighting for parking once we get there.

*sigh*

You'd think I'd be used to the heat since I grew up in Hawaii and all... but nope. The humidity in Hawaii makes it worse. I'm more of a 70-degree weather kinda gal. Occasional 60's is fine. But I don't do well with freezing temps for long periods of time. Lately, we've been experiencing temps in the 90s and it's just going to get hotter. Triple digit kind of hot. And because we hate being cooped up indoors for long periods of time (cabin fever is real!), avoiding the outdoors at all cost is not an option. And yes I'm fully aware that being out and about when the temperatures are extremely high can be dangerous. So on those days, mama's got some arts & crafts and indoor games planned. If they babes are not interested in that then we'll try to get our outdoor fix in the mornings and/evenings when the sun isn't so blazing hot.

So to kick off this Summer season, I wanted to share my 5 Must Have items to help endure hot weather in general... since we experience heat waves pretty much year round in Southern California. While it doesn't reduce the miserable heat, it does make life a little bit (just a smidge) easier to have these items on hand when you need to go outside with the kiddos.

Must Have #1: A Water Table

We live in an apartment complex and don't have a backyard for Ella to play in. We have access to a pool but I don't trust myself taking 2 babies to the pool without another adult around to help me out. So I figure the next best thing is a water table. We have a kiddie pool too but filling that thing up without a hose is a lot of work and I'm not tryin' to sweat more than I have to when it's hot. In case you were wondering how I filled this thing up with water... let's just say it took a huge stock pot and 3 trips to/from my kitchen sink. Anyway, my kid loves Paw Patrol so when I saw this, I just had to get it for her. There are many different options to choose from - some with all the bells and whistles. This one is a fairly simple one... it came with just the right amount of accessories and it kept Ella occupied for hours once I set it all up for her.

Must Have #2: Stroller Fan

My babes and I go to the park/playground 2-3x a week for exercise (mama), play (Ella) and naptime (Everly). These fans are the best. They are flexible, can clip onto the stroller, are battery operated and the blades are made of foam so it's safe for babies/children. Especially the curious ones who like to touch everything in front of them. It keeps the babes cool, it serves its purpose...AND it's not that expensive. They also come in a variety of colors and prints. I'd say that's winning ALL across the board, no?

Must Have #3: A Hydro Flask

We've been using this one since Ella started drinking regular milk. It keeps the beverage of choice cold until you need to refill their sippy cup or if they know how to drink with a straw, that's always an option, too. And they come in various colors and sizes!

Must Have #4: Sunscreen

This one is definitely a necessity year round. Gotta protect these babies' skin and keep it nice and soft for as long as we can! There's so many different kinds of sun block lotions and potions out there to choose from.

I'm not going to preach which ones to use because I'm no expert but right now we are using Baby Bum. My only advice is to look for one that suits the needs of you and your baby. I like this one because it doesn't smell like or isn't greasy like all the other ones out there. On the plus side, it's contains safe minerals, doesn't have all the yucky chemicals and it's plant based.

Must Have #5: A Cute Hat

This one's actually for me. It can't always be about the babies, right? It's both fashionable and functional. Perfect for when I'm lounging outside while the babies play, or going to the farmer's market, or to the beach, or going for a walk.... you really can't go wrong with having a nice floppy sun hat as part of your wardrobe.

Items mentioned in this post can be shopped in the links below

Water Table / Stroller Fan / Hydro Flask / Straw Lid / Sunscreen / Floppy Sun Hat

What are YOUR Must Haves for this summer? Comment below! I would love to hear all about them!

Disclosure: That Plain Jane Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including Amazon.com.

This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I use and love.

Tags: #summer2018 #summermusthaves #summertoys #summerfashion #summeraccessories #bestbabyproducts

Is Father's Day Really This Weekend?

This year is seriously flying by and I feel like I just cannot keep up with life! I don't know if it's because I'm getting old. Or if it's because I'm a parent now. Or if I'm still feeling the aftershock of the newborn fogginess that came with having my 8 month old in September. Maybe it's all of the above, I dunno.

What I do know, is that Father's Day is literally right around the corner... like this weekend! And I have totally failed as a wife and mom in planning something special for Daniel (sorry, Bubs!). I know it's just a regular day and that we should always be celebrating each other as husband/wife and mom/dad every single day. But let's be real, parenthood ain't always full of unicorns and rainbows. And on those not so pretty days, you really don't feel like celebrating anything but maybe having a drink of wine or two (or the whole damn bottle). So it really is necessary to have designated holidays to celebrate us. As parents. And the fact that we have separate holidays? Even better!!! I can't be the only one that feels this way, right?

Ok so I've decided to change things up a little for this post. It's a new blog and I've got followers who don't know me that well. And part of getting to know me means getting to know the people in my life. Since Father's Day is on Sunday, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to shine the spot light on the most important man in my life. FYI this post is NOT sponsored and ALL opinions expressed are mine and mine alone. Just had to put that out there. This is indeed a pure, genuine, bottom-of-my-heart review coming from yours truly. I make no apologies for being a wee bit cheesy up in here, so if cheesiness is not your cup of tea then well... too bad. But I do promise to keep this short and sweet.

So without further ado... Let me formerly introduce to you... *drum roll*… my hubby!

AKA Bubbies, AKA Instagram Husband, AKA Baby Daddy, AKA Daddy... AKA you get the idea.

But in the real adult world, he goes by the name Daniel. He is legit the only person in this world that can drive me crazy - crazy in love, crazy insane, crazy angry you name it!!! Which only makes sense why he is probably the only person who can tolerate my crazy. Right?

Some fun facts:

1. He has an identical twin brother. Yes, I can tell the 2 apart and No they've never tried to switch places on me.

2. He's a year younger than I am and our birthdays are 2 days apart. What can I say? I like 'em young. (Kidding!!!!)

3. Once upon a time he wanted to be a professional football player and tried to make it happen until we were in our late 20s (he played semi-pro, arena football, and even played for the junior college he attended).

4. He has a Bachelors and Masters in Public Policy.

5. He hates seafood - which sucks because I loooooove it. Who doesn't love sushi?!

If you've read my About Me or my first blog post, you know that we met when I was in college. But what you don't know is the story of how we met. He didn't attend the same school as me, so it's kinda crazy how our paths crossed. When I came back from spending my summer break in Hawaii at the start of my junior year, I learned my roommate had started dating someone. And she wanted me to meet him and a couple of his best friends but didn't really tell me much about them. So there was no reason for me to believe she was trying to play matchmaker. When I finally did meet them, I thought we were all just gonna hang out. Nope. They came over to try and recruit me into their multi-level marketing business that my roomie had invested in over the summer. Anyway, long story short, I gave them my money because it sounded fun and it allowed us to get to know each other better and then 2 months later we became a couple and the rest, as they say, is history. Pretty romantic, huh? Not exactly the "love at first sight" kinda story people wanna hear but it's our story and one of my favorites.

Now here we are, almost 17 years later still driving each other bat shit crazy but I could not do this whole parenthood thing without him. He has been my rock through it all - the pregnancies, the labor & delivery, and going from 1 kid to 2... I am beyond blessed to have him as my partner in crime for the rest of our lives. And did I mention how great he is with kids?! He is super patient and kind and kids just looove him. I'm not even exaggerating. This is one of the main reasons why I fell in love with him in the first place. I love watching him interact with our daughters. And they absolutely adore him. It just gives me all the feels, you know?

Daddy with Ella Juliet

Daddy with Everly Rose

Anyway, I promised short & sweet so I'm just gonna end this right here. He's an awesome father and that patience I mentioned he has will come in handy for sure, he's in a house full of girls! Bless his sweet heart.

Great. I guess this means I need to take my butt to the mall and get him something good now, huh?

Any suggestions?

Tags: #fathersday #happyfathersday #fathersday2018 #girldad #parenthood #fatherdaughter

TIU Bikini Series - 4 Weeks Down, 4 More To Go

Now that Everly is past the newborn stage and is becoming more and more mobile and independent (as independent as an 8-month old can get - her favorite place is still in my arms), I've decided to finally get back to workin' on my fitness. And this time I'm determined to make it stick. I attempted at the start of the new year but 2 weeks in, I just couldn't keep up with the meal preps and workin' out in between meeting the demands of my 2 year old and nursing infant. So on Monday May 7th, I committed to doing the 8-Week Bikini Series Challenge with the rest of the Tone It Up community.

The goal of this challenge, for me, was to get back into the groove in finding that balance. It was difficult for me after having my firstborn back in 2015 especially when I went back to work 6 months postpartum because my commute to and from work was almost 4 hours roundtrip daily. So by the time I got home to relieve Daniel of his daddy duties so he could go to class (he was getting his Masters at the time), I really only had a couple of hours to have Ella and I fed and ready for bed. And sure I could have worked out on weekends, but I made the sacrifice of not working out because I wanted to spend time with Ella since I missed so much of her during the week. I did, however, try my best at eating clean and meal prepped as much as I could. Anyway, what was the point of my story again? (Mom brain strikes again) Oh yeah, that's right. So this challenge was meant to get me to get back into the groove of working out again. And meal prepping.

I wanted to get used to working out 4-5 times a week. My pre-baby days, I worked out 6-7 times a week. I lifted weights at the gym. Sometimes I did 2-a-days when I incorporated HIIT cardio workouts. I did have "rest" days where I would take a break from the gym but I'd do something outside - like bike riding or hiking or taking my dog on long walks. Now, the only gym I have access to is the one in my apartment complex. It consists of 2 treadmills, 1 stationary bike, 1 elliptical, and 1 universal weight lifting machine that lets you do lat pull downs, chest press, peck flyes, etc. I wish there were more equipment to work with (like free weights and a squat rack) but at least it's a good start.

Weeks 1 and 2 kinda went like this: On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I did HIIT cardio on the treadmill. A jog/sprint combo for 30 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cooldown. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I took my girls to a park nearby to walk for 30 minutes. May not seem like a lot, but the paved walking trail has some pretty good up and downhill grades which makes for pushing a double-stroller a bit challenging especially for someone who is NOT in shape like me. The stroller weighs approximately 29 lbs, Ella weighs about the same, and Everly is about 20 lbs now. So it definitely is a great workout. Then after my 30 minute walk, I let Ella run & play on the playground. But wait! I'm not done yet. On top of these cardio sessions, I also did home workouts. Tone It Up has an app that gives you access to free daily workouts and also LIVE studio workouts on the hour every hour. But you have to pay for that one. Each day is a different workout that targets different areas of the body. The workouts may look easy, but they're really not. And they are soooo very effective. I was sore (and still am) for days.

Weeks 3 and 4 weren't as intense but I still worked out. I had to take it a little easier because somehow, I managed to injure my knee. To the point where it hurt for me to walk or even just get out of bed. I couldn't do a jog/sprint HIIT cardio combo on the treadmill without almost eating it. So instead I did a walk/very brisk walk combo instead. We still did park walks AND neighborhood walks. And I continued to do the daily moves.

Now, as for the eating clean and meal prepping part. I haven't been super strict with this one. For the most part, it's been clean. But throw in a Mother's Day celebration the first weekend after the challenge started, then a family member's birthday BBQ the following weekend, and then Memorial Day weekend where we attended a Gender Reveal party... well you can safely assume I did have a little bit of not-so-clean meals. But totally in moderation!

So far so good. This is the most consistent I've been with both working out AND eating clean in the last almost 3 years. It's still a struggle to find the energy to get a workout in, but at least I have a little more time in the day to play with since I no longer have a job with a long commute. And Daniel finished his Masters program a year ago so now he's able to hang out with the girls when he gets home from work so I can go to the gym.

The pressure we put on ourselves to get back into pre-baby shape can be ridiculous and sometimes unrealistic. I struggled with that disappointment for a long time but I know if I can just commit to staying on this path without huge expectations, I know eventually I will get there. I don't want to be skinny. I want to be healthy and in shape and to just look and feel great in my postpartum skin. I've accepted the fact that I may never have my rock hard abs again. And that's okay because I'm so proud of what my body went through to bring my 2 babies into this world. So I'm not paying attention to the number on the scale. My progress will be monitored by my pant size. I haven't stepped on the scale since my 6 week postpartum checkup back in November so I don't know even know how much I currently weigh. But I do know that I'm wearing clothes that are waaay bigger than I would like to be wearing. I just want to feel confident again. You know?

How long did you wait to start working out again postpartum? Was it difficult? Was it easy? Have you reached your goal? Let's talk about it in the comments below!

Tags: #fitnessjourney #healthyjourney #fitfam #tiubikiniseries #TIUteam #toneitup #postpartum #momlife #fitmom #postpartumfitness