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Making Parenting Goof-Proof With Ezy Dose Kids

Brace yourselves, winter is coming and by winter I mean runny noses, coughs and colds. Being a nurse you would think I have anything health care related covered. Yet when it comes to my own kids I have had many #momfails when it comes to illnesses and ailments in my household. So let me just share with you my top three:

 

  1. When Willow had her first fever, I was that Mom who was calling the pediatrician at 2am asking how much medicine should give her. Only to realize I had lost the syringe to administer the medicine with. Nothing like ripping apart your medicine cabinet with a screaming baby in the middle of the night.
  2. If you are a parent I am sure you have had to use a device to suck the snot out of your kid’s nose at some point. Yes… I actually just said that… you will do anything for your kids am I right?? Our doctor told us to use this device in which you suck the snot out of your child’s nose through a tube. My husband and I might have done rock, paper, scissors to see who would take on this joyous duty. Needless to say, I ended up being assigned to the task, while my husband started dry heaving in the corner.
  3. I remember using a syringe trying to administer medicine into Willow’s mouth when she was baby. In my mind I was delicately putting tiny drops into her mouth, but instead I squirted the entire contents into the back of her throat causing her to cough, choke, and gag. Serious Mom fail.

In the moment these were all highly anxious situations in which I felt ill equipped and completely unprepared to care for my sick baby. Looking back now all I can say is you live, you learn and you need to laugh along the way to survive. Also, you need to stock your house with an arsenal of products to fight the never-ending runny nose phase my kids will most likely be in from October until March. With school back in session and the cold season fast approaching Ezy Dose Kids comes in handy and it is just that, easy. They have innovative products that help you make your little ones all better and make parenting a sick child goof-proof.

 

Ezy Dose Kids lets you take the worry out of tending to your children with amazing products like the True Easy Syringe that lets you precisely measure medicine down to the last drop. Where was that syringe when I needed it at 2 am?!

 

Oh, and they created a Nose-Pals that helps clear congestion. But Nose-Pals is the only product that allows you to BLOW into the device to create a suction. No more fighting over who has to suck the snot of your kid’s nose.  Which personally I think is a game changer for those with a weak stomach!

 

They also have a Medi-Pals that helps the medicine go down so your child doesn’t gag. The Medi-Pals unique split nipple design that dispenses the liquid down the inside of your child’s cheek. So therefore no more accidental choking your child with medicine…I know my kids are somewhere thanking the heavens for this one!

 

Ezy Dose Kids literally has you and your children covered for whatever germs come your way. Click here to get a 20% off the Ezy Dose Kids items on Amazon and learn more at Ezydosekids.com.

Photo Credit: Kate Hauschka 

I’ve partnered with Ezy Dose Kids on this post, all opinions expressed are my own.

 

Low Calorie Summer Cocktail With Health-Ade Kombucha

Summer is my favorite time of the year!  There is something so relaxing about having your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand. It’s going to be a hot one this year and LA already hit 103 degrees today! With the rising heat nothing sounds better to me than a refreshing, cool cocktail. The only problem is so many of these delicious drinks can really rack up the calories without you even noticing, and let’s be honest I’m definitely trying to work on that summer bod.

So this summer I will be whipping up and sharing my favorite healthy versions of some traditional summer cocktails that you can enjoy virgin or a little tipsy (always in moderation of course… because hangovers are not welcome here anymore). Since getting in shape post twins, I find that foods or drinks with a high sugar content really make me feel terrible these days. So recipes like this one, don’t make me feel bad or guilty since they have such a small amount of calories and sugar! And Mama deserves a drink right??

One of my favorite drinks during the summer is a Moscow Mule, they are so light and refreshing. I almost fell out of my seat when I looked up the calories one day!! A Moscow Mule is usually made with vodka and ginger beer (which is non-alcoholic). The average glass of ginger beer has 110-128 calories and are you ready for this…. 38.5 grams of sugar… that is equivalent to 8 teaspoons of sugar!!!

Thus my Health-ade Kombucha Moscow Mule was born. If you’re unfamiliar with Health-ade Kombucha it is made from a probiotic, fermented tea. Health-ade Komucha comes in so many amazing flavors, and for this recipe we are going to use their ginger-lemon flavor that tastes a lot like ginger beer, just a little less sweet. Plus an entire bottle of Kombucha has only 35 calories and 5 grams of sugar.

Ingredients:

  • 6oz Ginger-Lemon Health-Ade Kombucha
  • 1.5oz Vodka (of your choice)
  • 1 juiced lime
  • Mint for garnish
  • Lime wedge for garnish

Instructions:

    • Fill copper mug with ice
    • Add vodka
    • Add Lemon-Ginger Health-ade Kombucha
    • Add lime juice
    • Garnish with mint and lime wedge
    • Drink your low calorie Moscow Mule like a champion

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Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips to Becoming A Better You

After having my twins, it has been hard to get back into the groove of self-care. So much of my time has gone to ensuring my family is well cared for and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yet, in the long run I truly know that when I am the best version of myself this translates to every aspect of my life. Something that I try to do is set goals for myself to help me achieve my happy place of self-love.

I partnered with Secret to help drive awareness about their Clinical Strength deodorant, as they are a brand that is focused on helping women take action, be proactive, demand more, and achieve what they deserve. I have used Secret Deodorant since high school and it helps me stay dry through any obstacles that comes up when I try to achieve my goals. That’s because it offers faster, extra effective protection from unexpected sweat. See how I set my goals and stick to them below:

  1. Self-evaluate: Are you being the best version of yourself? This self-reflecting can actually be the hardest step, especially since we live in the digital world of social media where you can easily spend your time comparing yourself to others. So dig deep, and ask yourself are you being the best wife, mother, friend, business owner, daughter?
  2. Set benchmarks: How are you going to measure your goal? For me it is less about hitting a certain “number”, but more about creating the habit. For instance, instead of losing 10 pounds, I will set a goal of going to the gym 5 days a week.

 

3.    Find a partner: I find that setting a goal with someone else holds me more accountable in attaining my goals. For example, I might have a friend meet me at the gym.

     4.    Remember it takes time: There are scientific studies that show a habit takes about 21 days to form, and only a few days to break. So stick with it, remember that you are working on the best version of you and you will succeed!

Have you tried Secret Clinical Strength yet?? It is available at Amazon.

Thanks to Secret Deodorant for sponsoring this post.

 

Welcome To The World

Hello World! So if any of you follow me on Instagram, then you may already know that we welcomed our twin boys on Monday, March 5th! Ranger Joseph Buckley was born at 5:45pm weighing only 4 pounds 12 ounces and 2 minutes later he was joined by his brother, Bodhi Robert Buckley weighing in at 5 pounds.

Their journey into this world was quite the whirlwind. I had started having contractions the Thursday before they were born. I was admitted to the hospital to stop my labor and given medicine to halt any contractions. I was home by Friday afternoon. Then on Monday morning, my water broke, and I headed right back to the hospital. At this point there was no way to stop my labor, and the boys would be born that day.

My babies were born via C-section this time. Prior to going into labor there was concern about Ranger’s size and his lack of growth over the last weeks, and they were concerned he had IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction). Bodhi had a dilated aorta and was being monitored closely for this condition as well. The decision to have a C-section was made between my doctor, Aj and I due to all of these contributing factors.

Although I wish I had my twins naturally, I was happy they were delivered safely. I just have to say C-sections are a trip! It was a bizarre experience (as having babies naturally can be too!) and far different from what I had originally envisioned. I think it took my doctor all of  1o minutes to deliver both babies.

Photo Credit: Kate Hauschka

Since I was only 34 weeks along, Ranger and Bodhi had a bit of a rough start. They were immediately taken to the NICU post birth as their little lungs had not fully matured. I didn’t get to do any skin to skin, or hold my boys for about a week. I was only able to see them the night of the delivery, and then touch then on their heads and feet for so many days after they were born. The boys both needed support breathing and caught an infection as well. They ended up spending 23 days in the NICU, and many of those days were an emotional roller coaster. It was one of the happiest days of my life when were officially allowed to bring them home.

I took a much needed break from blogging to recover from birth, the NICU and to really be present with my family. I have received so many kind and supportive messages from all of my followers and readers over this time. Thank you so much for your continued support. If anyone has advice on twins, raising three kids or preserving my sanity… please leave me a message in the comments below

XOXO,

The Real Difference Between Boys and Girls

Growing up I was such a tom boy that I always thought Willow would follow in my foot steps. I was outside playing ball with the boys for most of my child hood. I must say that over the last four years my baby girl has been nothing but princesses, purses, make up and dress up. Things that she gravitated towards all on her own. Now that I am having two boys, I have been reading all about gender research, which shows more and more that gender differences can be hardwired since birth!

I fully understand that they can be born loving dolls or dresses and I am totally fine with that. They can play with whatever they choose as far as we are concerned. Yet the more I read I seem to find a common theme with little men according to science and gender research. Here are some facts about little boys:

  • They love to move. They tend to squirm, kick and wiggle more than little girls.
  •  Little boys will watch mechanical motion over human motion, and appear to have spatial skills starting as young as 3-5 months old (the ability to solve problems involving size, distance, and the relationship between objects).
  • The stereotypical notion that little boys are less emotional is completely false. Little boys are just as sensitive as little girls and should be treated as such.
  • Little boys tend to be less fearful than little girls according to multiple studies.

I cannot wait to meet these little boys soon! Do you notice gender differences in your children??

#AskAbby: How To Manage Your High Risk Pregnancy

I keep getting questions from followers asking how I am managing my “high risk” pregnancy. So I thought I would share whats been happening in the last 29 weeks. I am considered “high risk” because I am carrying two babies, and when you are pregnant with multiples you have a higher risk of developing complications. Usually the most common risk is a premature delivery. This is why you have more doctors appointments, and must be monitored more closely. I seriously feel like I live at the doctor’s office and I am there every single week!

We talked at length about nutrition and a healthy, steady weight gain throughout my pregnancy. This was to ensure that the babies and I were healthy but also to help reduce any risk of gestational diabetes, increased blood pressure or aches and pains due to increased weight gain. As I have mentioned before, I gained 75 pounds with Willow and have severe back problems. So this time around I met with a nutritionist, Kevin Libby and we created a food plan in which I eat every two hours. This has been a major game changer for me, I feel full and have great energy. Thus far I have gained about 36 pounds so far.

I noticed in the last two weeks that I was starting to feel a tightness and pressure in my belly, multiple times an hour. I really thought this was the babies turning over for the longest time. It wasn’t until I saw my accupuncturist that she told me I was having Braxton Hicks contractions. Braxton Hicks contractions are your bodies way of preparing for the real thing, and usually are called “false labor”. I was starting to have them more and more, usually they correlated with me standing and working for long periods of time. Around this time I also started experiencing increased ligament pain that was unrelieved with laying down or a supportive belly belt. So my doctor made the decision to put me on maternity leave and gave me a serious talking-to about taking it easy or I would end up on bed rest.

I will do anything to avoid bed rest at this point, so I obliged and gave up working at the office. Now that I am in my third trimester I have been drastically more hungry and more tired. I really found that I must pay attention to my body to ensure I stay healthy for these two little boys!! After all I want them to stay put for as long as they can! Have you experienced a high risk pregnancy?? Let me know how you dealt with any restrictions in the comments below!

Get Longer, Thicker Hair With Luxy Hair Clip-In Extensions

I have always been drawn to the idea of extensions that give you thick, luxurious hair. The more I researched extensions I saw so many people complaining of hair breakage, and inhibited hair growth. Plus, I am honestly the worst at hair maintenance so you know I would probably end up bald with any tape-in, sewn-in or glued-in set. I found Luxy Hair clip-in extensions through my girlfriend and fellow blogger, Ravayna Coe. I like to call her the mermaid, beauty queen, unicorn of hair. I actually never knew her hair was clip-in style extensions! She had me sold when she said, “they are so easy, it takes me 5 minutes to clip them in each morning”.

So of course I had to get my own and try them! I have to tell you this is not sponsored, but just an amazing life-hack I wanted to share with you all! Here are reasons why I love these Luxy Hair clip-in extensions:

 

  • After having Ravayna show me how to clip them in, they are really so easy to use. Quick and easy!
  • They add instant volume and length!
  • NO damage! You can clip them in and out whenever you would like.
  • Luxy Hair is cheaper than most hair extensions with little, to no maintenance.
  • You an easily brush them out and wash them ever so often.
  • Once clipped in you can style them with any hair tool, just like you would normal hair.


I got the Dirty Blonde, ( 220g) seamless set. What I also like about the clip-in extensions is that they come with a tiny piece that allows you to try on the extension and ensure it is the match to your own hair. This way you can easily return them and try a new set if you need too!

Let me know if you have tried them. I have worn mine many times and feel like you really get your money’s worth without damaging your hair.

The Chic Mamas Collection Is Finally Here

I have been working on this t-shirt line for quite some time! I meant to release it much earlier, but I was a little down for the count in my first trimester. I designed these shirts with all of you Mamas in mind. I hope you like them!!! Shop them HERE and see each style below!

 

Moon Kissed and Star Lit $28

 

Strut Like A Mutha $26

 

All The Feels $28

Photo Credit: Kate Hauschka 

Tuesday Trend: Neon Hues

 

From sunglasses, to dresses and even pillows the neon trend has been going strong all summer long. In shades such as pink, blue, yellow and green it has no signs of slowing down. I even noticed Victoria Beckham’s line with neon pink sweaters for fall. So what is the right way to wear a bold trend like this? I’m not a fan of throwing my style to the wind and adapting to a new trend to fill my closet. We all know there are many that will not work and they always come and go. Take the 90’s trend for instance, I know I will never look good in that crop top. So you have to pick and choose how you make the trend adapt to your style. If you don’t feel comfortable wearing a full neon dress, just add some neon to your accessories such as earrings or a bag.

I always love finding on trend pieces for bargain prices, so that I won’t be upset if it goes out of style by next summer. I snagged this dress from Target for under $30! Have you tried neon this summer?

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Stay On Trend With These Neon Items

Photo Credit: Kate Hauschka

 

Travel Tuesday: New Orleans, Louisiana

This past April I got to take a fun trip down to New Orleans, and it is finally making it to the blog. New Orleans is known for Mardi Gras and Bourbon street but it is also rich in history, cuisine and culture. I was able to take Willow with me and there is tons of kid-friendly places to help entertain little ones as well. We stayed in the heart of the city at the Windsor Court Hotel (which I highly recommend). It is walking distance to many places including the Aquarium, bar, restaurants and the River Walk. Here are some great activities to see and do while you are in The Big Easy.

Dress and Shoes: c/o William B Friends

  1. Grab a Trolley Car on Canal Street 

This is fun for the whole family! Grab a Trolley Car starting at the end of Canal Street and take it 7 miles to the New Orleans Museum of Art. The passes are only $1.25 (yes you heard me right). They are so sweet about accommodating strollers for the kiddos too. You get to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

 2. Audobon Aquarium of the Americas 

This Aquarium is truly amazing, and you feel like you are submerged beneath the sea with their walk-through tunnels full of sharks, rays and sea turtles. They have live feeding times, with educational sessions explaining all the sea creatures in the aquarium. Willow even got to touch the sting rays!

Quick Tip: If you arrive and the line is long, sneak over to the theater and buy them there. Just a little secret to get the fun started!

Dress and Shoes: c/0 William B Friends    

   3. Stroll The Riverwalk

The Riverwalk is located right next to the Mississippi River, and offers many activities. Including steamboat rides, a full marketplace mall for amazing shopping and many restaurants.

Quick Tip: We stopped by the Crazy Lobster for a moscow mule. The laws in New Orleans actually allow you to take your drink in a to go cup and walk around in public. The only stipulation is that it must be in a plastic glass! Enjoy!!

Shirt, Jeans, Shoes: c/0 William B Friends

4. Beignets

Beignets are a must when in The Big Easy. They are these delicious little squares of dough, that are fried and covered in powder sugar. No joke…this was my first stop when I got to New Orleans. But the real question is Cafe Du Monde or Cafe Beignet. Cafe Du Monde is a historic staple for beignets, opening its doors in 1862 and usually always has a line out the door. The other option, that is also extremely satisfying is the Cafe Beignet. They have three locations, that boast an old school diner vibe, and usually there is no line.

Jeans, Shirt, Tank Top, Jeans, Shoes: c/o William B Friends 

5.  House of Blues

With concerts, live music and burlesque shows scheduled Tuesday through Saturday, you can’t go wrong with a night out at the House of Blues. It hosts some of the cities best live music performances and they even have a Gospel Bruch on Sundays!

 

Honestly this list could have been filled with over 100 restaurants, and activities but that wouldn’t even scratch the surface of things to do in this beautiful city! I hope this little cheat sheet helps you plan your next trip to New Orleans. Where are you traveling to this summer??

 

Thank you to Windsor Court Hotel and William B Friends

Photography by Kellie Binnings