The Sprinkle on Top

It's been almost two months since my little wiggler joined our family. I won't sugar coat it - the first week was really hard, the next three were even harder. By the end of the first month, I thought I'd had some things figured out... and then more trials appeared. But that's life, right? Before Evie joined our family, I got a lot of really good advice from family, friends, and even random acquaintances of what would help my transition into parenthood be as smooth as possible. A lot of it worked... And a lot of it didn't. Based on my experience as a new mother, here are the absolute must-haves, nice-to-haves, and non-essential items that you may wonder if you need before you turn the page into the parenthood chapter of your life. Baby Must-Haves White Noise Machine: If you don't get one of these for a shower, buy it yourself. When your baby cries inconsolably, you don't want to have to then go find one. I love this one from Bed, Bath, &a

For the past decade I have tried my hand at writing novels. Writing, reviewing, editing, reviewing again, scrapping projects, beginning again... and the cycle continues. Over those ten years I've completed writing two books - one is still nowhere near publication, but I've sent the other out to agents as I begin the long, dreary road of attempting traditional publishing. Without giving too much away, check out The Harvest : Artist: Kristy Lender As the tide runs red with the blood of the Harvest, Iris must choose: remain loyal to her family or save the life of the human boy she loves, sacrificing her identity as a siren of the sea. When Jace Jacobsen moves to Santa Cruz, he never expects to find that ancient myth has turned into reality or find himself risking his life to protect a monster. That all changes when he meets Iris – a hauntingly beautiful girl guarding a hoard of secrets. Iris’ troubled life is too complicated to include Jace, but all too soon she’s in

While living in Charlottesville, Virginia for over two years, I worked at WorldStrides - an educational travel company that runs international study abroad programs for universities across the globe. Although I have not traveled extensively overseas, I learned a lot of tips and tricks to help the inexperienced traveler have a smooth and amazing experience in their chosen country of travel. Most of these may be common sense to the well-seasoned traveler, but for those who are just stepping into the world of travel, don't forget these 8 things to know before you head out. 1. Arrive at the Airport on Time You can really start a trip on the wrong foot by missing your flight and having to be rerouted, taking any available flight and any available seat to get you to your final destination. Travel professionals recommend arriving at the airport two (2) hours in advance for domestic flights and three (3) hours in advance for international flights . This gives your schedule a bu

With a new baby who has suffered the first month of her life with tummy troubles, we have been testing different options to try and determine what needs to change in order to help her feel better. The latest test: me going dairy free. We think she may have a dairy sensitivity so I'm trying to cut out as much as possible to help reduce the amount of gas she has so her little body can heal. Do you know how many meals are filled with milk, cheese, or butter? Everything . It's already a trick to fit lunch in daily, let alone coming up with meals on the spot that are dairy-free. So Justin and I are prepping lunches at the beginning of each week so we can just grab and go every morning. Last week we had club salads with dairy-free ranch dressing, which surprisingly was amazing and I like better than store bought Ranch. You can find the ranch dressing recipe here . This week... Apple Sausage Rice Bowl 4 Johnsonville Apple Chicken Sausage Links 4 cups of white ric

Over the past month as I've sat with Evie for countless hours mornings and nights nursing, rocking, burping, diapering, and singing lullabies, I'm amazed at how there's no end to the things I love about her. And I'm always finding more. So I wanted to write them down for her to have on her "one month birthday". I love the way you growl  when you eat, The sound of your soft snores  when you sleep. Your gassy smiles  and tickle  spots, Your burps and toots  that squirt daddy lots. Your thick, dark hair and matching eyes , Your long fingers  and toes  and overall size . You let Lucy lick your fingers and toes, And don't often cry when she gets your nose. I love the way your whole hand curls To wrap around a single finger . I love your heavy eyelids as you fight to keep off sleep, And your total dead weight when at last you give up in defeat. I love your soft coos and when you listen to me sing, I love the love in your eyes when I catc