Two week Florida packing plan and list

Back in Florida in 2013 when Tenley was 4 months old

Some of my cute Florida family

Had to throw in a pic of us in Harry Potter World of course;)

As you now know from the title of this post (if you did not know before), the babies and I are going to Florida for two weeks in mid-February! We can't wait! We bought the tickets for cheap back in August so it's been a long wait! I'm really bummed that Dalin most likely can't come for more than a few days toward the end of the trip, but I'll be so relieved to enjoy some much-appreciated WARM weather and get out of the house for a little while. Plus we're meeting up with my New Hampshire family so that's very exciting! I'm psyched to see my brothers and mom (my dad may not make it due to work) as well as my wonderful Florida aunts, uncles, and cousins! I love them all so much.

Obviously I'm also over-the-moon excited at the idea of flying alone with a one-year old and a two-year old...(ha ha) but really, I'm not that worried because we have flown more than a dozen times in the last two years. (Here is a post I wrote a long while ago about how I do it with littles if you need it!) And with just three hours of flying time from Minneapolis to Orlando (broken up with a layover), it should be a piece of cake compared to my past six+ hour flights (those are the lamest).

But packing is another matter. I don't mind packing. In fact, I enjoy packing for my husband and children. I like organizing everything in the best way and making sure no one forgets anything (mostly my husband;). But packing for myself is another matter. Honestly, I don't know why it's such a headache for me. Who actually cares what I'm wearing on vacation?! I shouldn't, but I do. And I never know the proper amount of clothing to bring. 3 bathing suits? Or 5? Like, come on, get it together, Olivia, it's not like I'm selecting a major in college.

But I pack for myself last every time, and every time I get nervous I won't have the shorts I want when I'm sitting on a beach by the Gulf, or the shoes I'll want when I'm at a theme park in Orlando. I'm a mess...that's why I usually have my best friend and master/professional packer, Megan, pack for me (but unfortunately she and I see each other so little that this is usually an impossibility...though she did pack for me when I left for college;).

So now, in late January, I'm going to be ahead of the game. I'm going to make a list, then start packing in early February for MYSELF so I can get that sorted away before doing anything else. And I'm sharing my thought-process with you.

The first thing that I think about when I'm traveling somewhere is the time of year and the weather.

In mid-February to early March last year, Orlando had highs of 83-degrees and lows of 52-degrees, but the average was about 72. So logically, I need mostly t-shirts, shorts, sandals, and swimwear. I probably need two sweatshirts at the most, and 4 pairs of leggings or jeans (since it gets "cool" in the mornings and evening and I tend to adapt fast to Florida's weather). As for the other things, I need maybe two dresses for attending church down there.

Since we are staying with family much of the time and should have access to a washer/drier, I really should not need more than ten days worth of outfits (and even that probably is unnecessary). So my list should look like this:

2 sweatshirts
10 t-shirts (I doubt I can narrow it down further)
6 pairs shorts/capris
4 pairs leggings/jeans
2 dresses
4 swimsuits
2 pairs socks (I never wear sneakers...I don't believe in them;)
1 pair sneakers (I lied...though I really don't wear them except on...excursions...and rarely then)
2 pairs sandals
1 pair flip flops

2 necklaces (I always forget jewelry...I usually have one pair of earrings on the whole time)
4 pairs earrings

Toiletries:

1 razor
2 pairs contact lenses
travel-size contact solution
glasses
eyelash curler
mascara
eyeliner
eye shadow
blush
spot corrector
tweezers
lipstick
chapstick
Aveeno non-scented baby lotion (my favorite besides Melaleuca's Body Satin lotion...but it's $$$)
deodorant
brush (the one thing I tend to "forget" or decide not to bring for some reason)
travel bottle shampoo
travel bottle conditioner
toothbrush
travel toothpaste

Other necessities:

iPhone & charger
camera & charger
iPad (same charger as phone)
journal & good pens
wallet!! (cleaned out vacation-version)
travel-size pillow (for flights)
pull-ups/undies for Tenley
diapers for four days (I buy a package there usually)
package of wipes
snacks, snacks, snacks
gum or mints

car seats... }:[   (ugh, our toddler car seats are MONSTERS)
double stroller (if I could wear Declan I would bring the umbrella stroller, but he's getting heavy and I am going to be riding the coasters with my family so it's best to have a stroller that fits both kids...though I'm seriously tempted to buy another umbrella stroller in Florida to use because they're just SO much more convenient!)

Is there anything I'm forgetting? I'm getting so excited! I love having something to look forward to! (Even though the thought of leaving Dalin for ten days is still making me sad). And I hate to admit it but I'm reallyyy enjoying the ache in my muscles from another day of Insanity. It's nice to feel like things are happening (and give myself hope that I might see a bit of improvement a month from now). I even made what I would consider a "healthy" smoothie today (it had yogurt in it :P) and it was insanely delicious. (I was concerned about tossing the plain Greek Yogurt in there because MAN is that stuff gross--it's like curdled milk!--but the smoothie was excellent.)

What trips do you have planned this year? I'm pretty sure we'll be flying a lot this year...probably three separate trips after Florida. Gotta fly while we can before Declan turns two and we have to start paying for four of us...Yippee.

P.S. The last time I flew was with the kids to Minneapolis airport in December when I made a rookie mistake and stuck our Kindle Fire HD in the pocket in front of me on the plane. We switched seats during our stop and I forgot about it all the way until I got to the hotel. Even more embarrassing for me, was the fact that it had no case on and wasn't labeled anywhere. Plus it was locked when turned on so there was no way for someone to figure out it was ours...basically it was like a blank device. : | So even though I put in a lost item notice on Southwest's website (and even though I knew exactly where I left it), there basically was no hope of it being found and now that it's been 30 days, I'm pretty certain it's lost forever. So I had it erased and I'm really sad it's gone because I actually used to watch movies and read on it (and Tenley used it for her alphabet games). So learn from me--LABEL your devices on the outside in some way, and don't be a dummy and leave it on the airplane! It probably would have been more likely to be found in the airport even. Sigh...I'm still a little sad.

Favorite clean romantic novels

    

Here's my list of good clean romances to read. I've been really into them again lately. Many of them were read during college or even way back in high school and I may not perfectly remember how much I enjoyed them at the time, but I will do my best to provide accurate ratings. If you haven't read them and need something clean and cute to read, I'd recommend something from this list.

Quick note: I honestly like them all, so the 5-star system is kind of moot, but basically a 5-star rating means I think the book is pretty much perfection, a 4 is very, very good, and a 3 is just something to do in between finding better options.

Pride and Prejudice ★★★★★ - Jane Austen 

Sense and Sensibility ★★★★★

Persuasion ★★★

Northanger Abbey ★★★

Mansfield Park ★★★

Jane Eyre ★★★★★ - Charlotte Bronte

Wuthering Heights ★★★ - Emily Bronte (I love the classic romances...clearly from the first several books on this list)

Edenbrooke ★★★★★ - Julianne Donaldson (I LOVED this book! It is easily in my top ten, maybe even top five favorite books)

Blackmoore ★★★★ (Still very good, but I liked the first book most!)

Austenland ★★★★★- Shannon Holt (Very good book. I loved the movie, but the book is quite different and definitely better)

Midnight in Austenland ★★★ (I wanted to rate this higher, but the bar was set so high after Austenland that I felt a little let down. Also, I was very frustrated by our protagonist. In every circumstance I would hope she'd do the opposite of what she did! It was very aggravating) 

Mistress of Mellyn ★★★★ - Victoria Holt (I read this at my teacher's recommendation in high school and loved it. I just read it again recently and enjoyed it again--especially because I forgot the secrets in it)

Twilight ★★★★ - Stephenie Meyer (I don't care what people say about Twilight, I think it's a cute story between two high schoolers. Maybe I'm just too easy to please. Oh well. It makes me happy)

The Host ★★★★ (I like this even more than the Twilight series but there's only one book)

Ella Enchanted ★★★★ - Gail Carson Levine (Love this twist on Cinderella. Also, the book is way different from the movie. It's really well-written)

Books I want to read:

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell (I loved the episodes on Netflix. I hope the book is as good or better!)

Emma - Jane Austen (I don't think I've read this fully and I should probably do so at some point.)

Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale (I only read the sample and wasn't super excited by it so I moved on to something else, but I'm willing to give it another try)

Princess of the Midnight Ball - Jessica Day George
Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier

Truthfully, this list would have been QUITE a bit longer if my tabs with all the clean book suggestions hadn't crashed. So, I'll leave this as it is for now, but as always I LOVE suggestions!

Please comment or message them to me!!!!!

Our (3rd) Home Tour: The Bathroom

I feel bad I haven't blogged for a while, but with moving from Utah to Wisconsin and Christmas (never mind having no internet for a week), things have been a bit crazy around here. Anyway, a few people have wanted to see what our new home for the next couple years is like. I absolutely love it. After living in the tiny space of Wymount, our Birch Street home feels "so spacious!" (as Tenley declared when we asked her if she liked our new home). Anyway, it may not look like much, but it's home and we love it dearly (so much so that we've already scribbled on the walls in pen...I guess we'll be painting the hallway eventually). 

The front of the house is basically complete (meaning the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and even the hall closets) but our bedrooms aren't what I'd like them to be, mainly because we do not have enough furniture yet (which translates into not enough storage for our many clothes). 

I started with the bathroom because it was an easy space to tackle, so here it is (sorry for the absolutely awful phone quality photos). 

Basically, the unintentional theme became a very distinct ocean and garden theme, which I find very familiar and comforting. 

This photo doesn't nearly show how wide the bathroom is from wall to wall. There is so much space! It's like twice the size of our Wymount bathroom at least. Maybe 2.5x.

The sink area is still a bit more cluttered right now than I'd like it, but I'm continuously sorting through our millions of decorations and old containers to dump things. That thing on the left is full of makeup for me to go through, organized by eye makeup, blush, skin creams and foundation, and lip stuff. 

I love having an étagere behind the toilet. It is so helpful for storage. The Peter Rabbit bins on the middle and lower shelf contain each of our individual items that we most often use. The white towels are for guests, and the towels below are the kids. I put them there so Tenley can reach them because she's my little retriever. 

Last, a sign that reads "Beach Rules" (which Dalin gave to me one year) and our basket with literature (aka The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes comics mostly). 

I am not pleased with how poor the photos look on my screen, so I'll see what I can do about that. In the meantime, enjoy that brief tour of our ever so spacious bathroom. ;)

A couple of things I've learned about breastfeeding

My blogger friend, Julie over at A Hopeful Hood mentioned that I should do a post on breastfeeding and I finally have a little time to do so. Therefore, I am sharing just a few things I've learned (though there is so much to cover!) in the last two years of nursing two babies. 

To start, I'll just share my experience so far. Be warned that I say the word "breast" like a thousand times so if that makes you uncomfortable, I'm quite sorry. 

With Tenley, I struggled to keep her latched as a newborn at the hospital. I later learned this was because I was so engorged when my milk came in that her tiny mouth could not latch. I resorted to using a Medala nipple shield, which was so useful and comfortable for me, I used it for four months. I was SO grateful for the shield which, in my opinion, saved my breastfeeding experience. This length of time using the shield is not typically recommended as it can supposedly affect the amount the baby is taking in, but Tenley was gaining weight and I was comfortable. When I grew tired of it, I weaned her off it within a week. I had never had any nipple soreness or redness until then. Tenley had no issues switching directly to breast, but boy, did her hard sucking hurt! And she already had a tooth or two by then. Once my nipples "toughened up" (and I used lots of lanolin), breastfeeding was great. It was easy for me, and I even stopped using a cover most of the time because I learned to feed discreetly with just my shirt or a little burp cloth. I felt comfortable and the bond with her was truly a joy. I fed her on demand mostly because it was easiest, but I now realize that was possibly the key to my "success." (I was also EXTREMELY lucky that she only woke up once or twice a night to nurse, I've now realized. She was an angel baby, I swear.) My milk began drying up when Tenley was eleven months. I had gotten pregnant again when she was nine months. I had planned to try and breastfeed through pregnancy since I'd been told it was possible, but with Tenley eating solids daily, my supply quickly diminished by eleven and a half months. I was sad at first, but happy that I'd lasted so long and looked forward to having an even better experience with my next child. 

Enter Declan. Declan also had a hard time latching on my very milk-engorged breasts as a newborn. So I used the nipple shield (for about two months this time) until he could handle nursing without it. My experience nursing Declan has been about the same. At ten months, I still feed him on demand (including at nighttime, which stinks because he loves to nurse way more at night than Tenley did) which makes breastfeeding a real sacrifice. I still go out without him occasionally, but I make sure to nurse him beforehand and I can't go longer than about three hours before I need to nurse him (for both of our sakes). He's ten months! I thought (or maybe hoped) we'd be slowing down by now. That said, he is also eating fewer solids than Tenley was at this time because I've realized it's just faster to feed him milk and I know he's getting the nutrition he needs. I will also add that breastfeeding Declan is certainly less of a sacrifice for me as a second-time mom who also stays at home, but if I were still in school or working, it would be an incredible challenge. 

Now onto my little tidbits of advice: 

• We've all heard that "breast is best," whether you believe it or not, but did you know that your body is capable of making exactly the milk that your baby needs? Besides being nutrient-rich, your milk will adapt to your individual baby! I read this great article about how your baby's saliva actually alters the composition of your milk! If your child is sick, the saliva also helps create antibodies to help fight the illness. Our bodies are simply incredible. 
• Once you get past the initial discomfort or pain that breastfeeding can cause (read: major soreness and dryness for some women) one of the biggest struggles I hear from other nursing moms is the complaint of not having enough milk. While a mother's milk can easily dry up from certain medicines, with pregnancy, and other causes, low supply is not all that common. Often around two or three months, nursing moms notice a "dip" in their supply. Usually, this has nothing to do with the baby's weight gain or number of wet diapers, but solely with how full their breasts feel. They also might be judging their supply based on the amount they are pumping, but pumping is not an accurate way to measure milk supply! Direct mouth contact with nipple is much more effective at procuring milk than most any pump. What many women do not realize is how effectively our bodies regulate our milk supply. Babies that feed on demand may seem to be feeding at random, but our bodies adjust to their unique pattern and supply milk as needed. This can result in a less "full" feeling breast, but it's actually just producing more efficiently. Babies also learn to nurse more efficiently as they get older. Some can drain a breast in five minutes and still have received all the nutrients their body needs. Other babies nurse slowly and the mother's body accommodates that. 
• Low supply can also be caused by pumping, scheduling feedings, and supplementing (among other things). I read another great article about why moms should stop scheduling their baby's feedings or worrying about how often they nurse. The average baby will nurse when he or she needs it. For some, that's every couple hours, even at a few months old. For others, they can go long stretches (like Tenley used to at night) and be perfectly okay. Expecting a newborn to feed on your schedule is not the way to keep your supply up. There is nothing wrong with trying to plan feedings to some extent, but if your "ideal" spacing of feedings is interfering with your baby's need to eat, then that will affect your milk supply and most likely your baby's weight gain. Which brings me to my next point. 
• Breastfeeding is a huge sacrifice. Having a baby in general is a sacrifice of course, but breastfeeding is a truly BIG sacrifice if you're determined to continue past six months. There are rules you have to follow. Feeding on demand is key (this part is purely my opinion--I haven't done research but it makes sense to me). Your baby doesn't eat for pleasure at this point. When they get older, they may enjoy nursing for comfort but your baby, especially in the beginning, should eat what he or she needs. 
• Breastfed babies tend to be longer and more slender than formula-fed babies. This is not always the case. Some moms have super amazing fatty milk and their babies have rolls to spare, but both of my babies were on the lower end for weight-gain. Tenley was in the 10th percentile or less for a while. Declan has been consistently in the 30th percentile. If your doctor is concerned about your baby's weight-gain, recognize that they are going by national averages and charts. Tenley never looked skinny. She was very proportional and even a little chubby. My doctor was never seriously worried, but he did want me to nurse her a little more often to make sure she was at least gaining some weight. Eventually she caught up (she was just on her own curve) and my doctor said she was fine as long as her weight-gain was consistent for her. 
• Nursing is messy. Milk squirts everywhere, it's sticky, you might wake up at 4am with your bra and t-shirt soaked, and if you've ever spilled a full bottle of pumped milk, you will know how tragic that is. You have to have nursing pads, which can be expensive if you don't get reusable ones, and it's painful to pay the price of good nursing bras. You may get a breast infection (mastitis is just awful and starts with a fever), or a clogged duct (which will make you try anything to fix it (cabbage leaves, hot showers, rubbing the spot, a compress, hand expressing milk, you'll try it all), and you're more than likely to get some redness or soreness, dryness, and possibly even cracked or dried nipples. You might begrudge your spouse a few times in the middle of the night while you're awake with the baby and he's snoring away next to you with a valid excuse as to why he can't help you out. You will probably be bitten at least once which will make you question if you'll ever breastfeed again. It's not easy, and for some people that's the hardest part of having a new baby. 
• But it can also be wonderful. Your baby will snuggle up against you and you'll be able to cuddle and smell his or her hair as long as you want. You'll spend hours (and I mean hours) staring at your baby's profile memorizing it. You'll get really good at accessing your bra quickly through many layers of clothing. At some point, you'll cherish those long but quiet nights with your little one pressed against you. You'll love when your baby's older and reaches her hand up and strokes your chest lovingly or stares into your eyes with so much love for you, their mother. That physical bond with your baby will be priceless. 

I love breastfeeding quite a bit. Besides that it's free and convenient in some ways, it forges a very tender bond with your child that is hard to replace. Even though there are times when I long to have to freedom to get up at will or have my body "to myself" again, I remember how quickly this time passes. Even just looking at Tenley, I find it hard to believe that she isn't a baby anymore who needs and depends on me for everything. These trying times are fleeting and I've already found that I look back on them with longing. Whether you breastfeed or not, enjoy your time with your baby. You will see soon enough how short a time they stay little. 

I hope that this helps at least one mom out there have an easier, and even enjoyable breastfeeding experience. Any questions are so welcome! I'll do my best to help you if I can (though I am absolutely positively not an expert)!

Good luck, Mamas. Hang in there this weekend! 

Please pardon my frumpiness here. I had just had a baby and was quite tired and swollen from the I/V. 

Clarifying note: Let me just quickly add that I know their are exceptions to everything. There are babies who wean early and women with special conditions that lead to more difficulties or lower supply. I am only sharing what I have learned from my experience and by talking to other moms who have breastfed successfully. No matter what you choose, making choices as a parent is not easy. 

Brief Reader Q&A

For a simple post tonight (amidst packing, sorting, and more packing), I thought I'd answer some questions from one of my sweet readers:

a.) Do you still want your February baby, since your little guy was born in January?

Yes, I'm a little disappointed I didn't get my February baby (my doctor wasn't available for an induction on the 1st or 2nd) but the good thing is that January, my once least-favorite month, is a little better now that I get to celebrate the birth of my favorite son.

b.) Do you still think that 18 months apart is the perfect age gap? (This isn't an attempt to find out whether or not you'll be having a baby in August or September haha, it's just a question about what you now believe to be a good age gap after experiencing what it's like to have two kids). 

Yes, I would totally do 18 months again if the stars aligned! And sadly, that will not be the case for me (though there have been quite a few pregnancy announcements lately which is so exciting and I'm so happy for my pregnant friends!) this summer. If things go according to plan (though when do they ever?), I will be shooting for spring babies from here on out. I've had a summer baby and a winter baby, and right now I think that spring is the ideal time to give birth (especially because I do not want to be in the third trimester of pregnancy in the summer ever again!). But I still love the 18 months gap. I would probably not do anything less than that though--just for my body's sake--pregnancy takes a toll on a girl.

c.) Have the baby names you liked changed (especially since Declan is so close to Lachlan)? Have the ones that you would name your future children changed?

A little. I still love the same names (including Lachlan and yes, I've thought about how similar it sounds to Declan...I have yet to decide how much that matters to me) and I'm still convincing Dalin about the names I love. I have found a new variation of a boy name I like, but for now I'm saving it because I'm still "testing it out" to make sure I love it. But, as of this moment, if our next baby was a girl, we are pretty sure we know which name we'd use.

d.) Would you name future children with names starting with T or D? What's your stance on that?

It's very possible! I am not as opposed to using the same letter for all my children as I once was. I do like variety though and it's just a coincidence that our next top girl name also starts with a T. If anything, our "theme" is still Irish names. It's also just a coincidence that Tenley and Declan both have some allusion to the number ten. It's unlikely we'd stick with that pattern, however, because I'm not sure we could find three to five (or however many) references to the number ten with names that we still love. But if you think of any which also have that hint of my Irish heritage I'm looking for, let me know!

Thanks for the questions, Lynna :) If anyone has some to add, I'll be happy to answer sometime.

Hope your week is going smoothly, everyone! I've just been sorting through clothing lately, trying to eliminate some of our things person by person so we can pack what we use, and donate the rest! We have way too much. I wish I could afford to donate clothing to those that really need it in other countries but have you looked up the costs of international packages?? It's slightly ridiculous.

Anyway, my more regular updates happen on Insta, so follow me there if you care about that stuff ;)

Happy times! ;)

P.S. The photo is pre-children at Dalin's sister's wedding. I was like 4 months pregnant with Tenley.