Where have you been?!

 

 

My gosh its been a minute since I have posted!

Remember when I said we had a lot of things to get done in a short amount of time? Well I can happily report we are working away at that to-do list.

 

And as my father in law so nicely put it to my husband on his birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday Giovanni, I love you!)

 

"Your wife ain't pregnant again is she?" the answer is NO!

 

We gave ourselves a timeline to get something's done and make big changes, once everything is done and we have met our goal...I'll share away! :)

 

I had my 4th weigh in at Weight Watchers last night and I am down a total of 10.6lbs so far! :)

 

With that being said I have found that meal planning is so important to my success.

 

Here's what's on our menu this week:

 

Monday: We had a gift card for Applebee's so I picked up carside to-go after my weight watchers meeting for my hubby & I :) I saved points for this dinner and it was so worth it!

 

Tuesday: Smoked turkey sausage penne, I used Andrea's recipe and just used the light version of all the ingredients. I split the batch into two small dishes and baked one and froze the other. Easy to pull out and just pop in the oven on nights your busy or don't feel like cooking!

 

Wednesday: Chicken taco's! We love taco's around here and eat them almost weekly. We like turkey, beef & chicken tacos! Hubby eats them with regular tortillas and I use the Tumaro's low-in-carb wraps for mine.

 

Thursday: We usually do dinner with friends on this night :) If we aren't this week then we will have grilled chicken salads. Hubby & I like to make our favorite salads and then top them with the Market Pantry individually frozen chicken breasts, garlic & herb version. These are so delicious and are often on cartwheel so you get them on sale too!

 

Friday: I think we will probably do Turkey burgers on the grill! We try to use the grill often as soon as the weather breaks. Easier cleanup & healthier cooking :)

 

Saturday: I think we are going out to dinner with my hubby's side of the family for a belated birthday dinner! Not sure where but I'm sure I can make it work!

 

Sunday: I think I will make homemade stuffed shells, this is a favorite of my hubby's and I always freeze half the batch for a dinner later in the month.

 

There's our dinner plan this week! What are your favorite recipes? We like easy, healthy & relatively inexpensive ;)

 

Until next time friends,

XO Jessica

 

 

 



Spring Bucket List!

I am so happy that Spring has FINALLY sprung! We have been enjoying some pretty wonderful weather lately :) 

I was inspired to make a bucket list of things I would like to do with the boys this Spring/early Summer. 

We are doing some renovations on the house in the next month & a half so I tried to be practical :)

But here are my ideas..

*go for a walk after dinner

*go to the playground -WE DID THIS SUNDAY! 

*go to the zoo

*go to the wild

*play in puddles

*take Dominick fishing

*draw with chalk 

*blow bubbles - WE DID THIS LAST NIGHT!

*have a picnic

*host friends for dinner 

And as you can see we are well on our way! 

I will leave you with this picture of my little's playing in the backyard FINALLY! Everything is still a little dingy & brown but SPRING IS HERE! :) 

Until next time friends!

XO, Jessica 

Weekend Recap- Easter edition!

 

 

Happy Monday Friends!

Today is a bonus Sunday for me, I am off from work with my little's today! :) They are enjoying their new treats from Easter and I am getting everything cleaned up & geared up for the week!

 

Friday was the last Fish Fry of lent at my sweet hubby's fire department so the little's and I had a mellow night at home.

 

 

We came home to some Happy Mail! Some paper work for our upcoming DISNEY trip came along with a few Easter items from Target! :)

 

Baby A thought he liked his dinner on the floor better than actually eating it! This was the face I got when I asked him what happened to all his food...

 

After dinner the boys got into their comfies and settled in with some fuzzy blankets for a little Planes: Fire & Rescue before bed.

 

I took this picture to send to Samantha, while Dominick may look just like his Daddy he definitely has some of my quirks. Those that know me well know that I would live life in comfy pants & slippers if it was appropriate! Dominick clearly feels the same way ;)

 

Saturday I had a MUCH needed girls day with my bestie! Samantha and I got our nails done, lots of shopping and I got a haircut! It was almost 7 inches off but it was SO NEEDED. I didn't take many pictures as I was just enjoying being in the moment and having a couple hours "off" :)

 

After the boys got settled into bed the Easter bunny got to work on some treats for the them to wake up too :)

 

 

Sunday was EASTER of course :)

 

"He is Risen" - because its IMPORTANT to remember the reason for the season! <3

 

Gio and I launched out of bed when Dominick got up so I could quickly capture their faces after seeing their treats & it was SO worth it!

 

 

 

 

We spent lots of time just enjoying each others company & having a mellow family day. It was dreary outside and pretty chilly for April 5th!

 

Later on in the day we got cleaned up & headed out to have Easter dinner with my family. It was the first time we have gone out to eat on Easter but it was so nice to have someone else do the cooking and cleaning up ;)

 

 

Heading to dinner with my people :)

 

my sweet husband <3

 

A was soaking up the attention ;)

 

A put on his big brother's glasses when he wasn't looking and we all got a good laugh :)

 

My mom took this picture of my younger sisters & I and I just love it. The older we get the closer we grow and I really love having two sisters I can consider my best friends! I love you Stephanie & Shannon! :)

 

I hope you all had a very happy Easter blessed with time spent with those you love like we did!

 

Until next time friends,

XO Jessica

 



Friday Favorites!



Happy Friday! It's a good Friday no less- see what I did there? Ha.

Today I am linking up with Andrea over at Momfessionals for Friday Favorites!

I for one am pretty excited its Easter Weekend! :) Can't wait for the little's to see what the Easter bunny brought them, time with family & celebrating Jesus of course! 

This year I discovered craft eggs! I had never seen anything like them and knew RIGHT AWAY that my favorite 3 year old would LOVE dying eggs this year! Food allergies can really get in the way of the fun holiday traditions sometimes, I am really happy that this year Dominick got to "just be a kid" at Easter! 

After the recommendation of a friend I found Tumaros Low-In-Carb wraps (thanks Tracy!) and they are delicious! Definitely one of my favorite weight watcher friendly finds! 

Adding fruit to my water! I am not a "plain" water drinker at all. In an effort to be better about it I started adding different fruits to my water & its been great! SO refreshing! 

This weather we are having lately is definitely a favorite! Its not looking the best for the weekend but its better than the 20s we have been having! I'll take it! 

Well that's all for today friends! Happy Easter & I'll be back Monday with a weekend re-cap! 

Until next time,

XO Jessica 

Mommyhood

 

 

 

When I started this blog, I had the intentions of posting the good, the bad & the ugly.

 

This has been weighing on my mind A LOT lately and I felt that I needed to write it down. Something to come back and reflect on.

 

When I got pregnant with Dominick, I had the silly notion that most new mom's do...that parenting was going to be tough but it couldn't be THAT hard. Boy, was I mistaken.

 

I have learned quite a bit in the last 3 years and 5 months. I have learned that the joy, the wonder & happiness that flows in my heart is brought by two boys that I helped to create.

 

I have learned that motherhood would challenge me in ways I never thought possible all while testing boundaries I didn't know existed.

 

Some days my kids push me to my limits. Some days they push me past my limits.

Motherhood has made me stronger, I have learned to speak up when needed and not give up until I think things are the best for my child.

Motherhood is exhausting.

I have learned that with each new age & stage comes its unique set of challenges.

I am learning & growing with my kids. Often times I feel like I am totally failing and I will mess them up for the rest of their lives.

But at the end of the day, no matter how hard or challenging it was...I want nothing more than to climb in bed next to my babies and tell them how much I love them.

No matter what happens or how lost they feel, I hope that they will know they are fiercely loved and forever wanted. Everyday is brighter & happier because they are a part of it.

I love you everyday in everyway as long as I'm breathing. Thanks for choosing me as your momma Dominick & Aidan! My life would be incomplete without you in it.

<3

Until next time friends,
XO Jessica
 



April Goals

 

 

How is it April 1st already?!

 

HOWEVER- this means spring is coming! So if it must be April 1st bring on the good weather!

 

 

Time to get to this months goals :)

 

 

Spiritual: Get going on Jesus Calling, this needs to be done this month. God obviously knows me well, he and  talk often and he knows where my head & heart are at lately but I really feel a daily devotional will help me.

 

Marriage: Keep up the once a month date nights with my hubby. I really love the 1:1 time that we rarely get. Its so needed.
 

Mommyhood: I want to have a day date with each of my son's this month too. I think its important to spend a little time with them each and have it be special mommy & son time!
 

Friendships: Lastly, continue to make time to do things with my friends, they are people I talk to daily & spending time with them is important to me too.

 

Health: I joined weight watchers recently and it was a decision I feel really great about. THIS BABY WEIGHT HAS GOT TO GO! In order to be a better wife & mommy I really need to feel good about me, this is my first step.

 

Home: we have a lot of projects on the list to get done this month, these MUST get done!

 

Financial: set a solid budget this month and stick to it.

 

Personal: take some time for me! I often put everyone's needs before my own and I have to make some time to focus on myself... happy wife happy life, right?! ;)  

 

I love a new month & a fresh start :)

 

Until next time friends,
XO Jessica