Guest Post! a day in the life: sarah from sweet and crazy life

I'm a curious person.  I can't tell you how many times a day I google random things (I'd be embarrassed for anyone to see my Google history, which- along with ingredient substitutions & term definitions- includes several pressing questions such as how tall is Pharrell Williams?) Something I'm always curious about is what other people's days are like... aren't you???

Today I'm super excited to introduce you all to Sarah, a work-from-home mom of two little cuties and blogger at Sweet & Crazy Life (where you'll just adore sweet Sarah for her fun, laid-back approach to motherhood and to life in general...and find some amazing recipes as well!) who was kind enough to show us a day in her life, which is sweet & crazy indeed!

Let me begin with how excited I am to be doing a guest post on Laurie’s amazing blog! She started a really fun series called “A Day in the Life”, where we can get a peek into a typical day in our hectic, crazy, wonderful, chaotic lives. She began with a post on what her typical day was pre-baby, then followed up with a post-baby day, and I think I would be ready for a grown-up nap by about 10AM in her “normal” day.

Before I dive into what a day in my life looks like, here’s a little background on me. I’m Sarah, and I’m a wife, mother, sister, friend, and anything in between. I have 2 amazing little boys, a pretty incredible husband, and two really poorly behaved dogs. I work full-time at a job that gives me a paycheck, but the job I love best is the one that pays in kisses & hugs. I also write a blog called Sweet & Crazy Life that gives me an outlet to share all the things that inspire me, as simple as they may be.

Without further ado, a peek into my day…

My day usually starts somewhere in the neighborhood of 6AM when my husband’s alarm goes off. I fully intend to get up but don’t roll out of bed until around 6:30AM when I hear the baby stirring (read: yelling) over the monitor. I know I have about 5 minutes before he starts getting really worked up, so I quickly turn on my work computer & make my bed. I’m very lucky that I work from home, so I don’t have to shower and drive to the office. I usually make my bed every day, it’s just one of those things that makes me feel slightly more pulled together first thing in the morning. I’m not fast enough this morning and my husband, Sean, rescues the baby (Reid) from his crib.

Next, it’s downstairs where Reid is having his milk and Myles (my big guy) is up and snuggles in on the couch while I start getting breakfast ready. Confession: I let them watch TV while I’m in the kitchen, otherwise they’re all over me, practically starving to death and letting me know all about it.

Breakfast includes a smoothie that sometimes the kids love and sometimes they hate, depending on the day. Today, Myles hates it…so I bribe him with sweet cereal that he usually isn’t allowed to have on school mornings. Sometimes, it’s just survival man…

I know, shameful. But I feel like all the goodies in the smoothie compensate for the crap in the cereal. And he has a really small bowl, I promise.

Now breakfast is over and we’re running late. Sean leaves around 7:30ish and I’m in the chaos of making sure Myles is dressed, teeth brushed, and generally ready for school while I’m getting his lunch ready. Reid is playing with spatulas and whisks, as that keeps him occupied enough while I run around like a mad woman making sure the morning chores are done. I’m cursing myself for not making his lunch the night before.

The bus comes at 8AM, and off goes Myles to school. I bring Reid upstairs to play while I start checking work emails and making my to-do list for the day. Around 8:30AM, our sweet, patient, and overall amazing nanny Ela arrives. We do a quick de-brief for the day, then they are off to their adventures and I dive into work.

Because I work from home, my office is just a short commute up the stairs. I’m very blessed to have this arrangement as it give me much needed flexibility and helps me balance work and home life. Most of my day is usually meetings, conference calls, and trying to get all of the to-do’s from those meetings & calls crossed off the list. If I don’t have a meeting around lunch time, I can run down and visit with Reid for a few minutes & get some snuggles before heading back to work. You’ll notice that I didn’t mention anything about a shower, that’s because it didn’t happen. Dry shampoo is my best friend on days like this.

Myles’ bus home from school comes around 3:25PM, and most of the time Ela gets him off the bus and settled into his homework. He comes up to say a quick hello and then begs for video game time. I send him back down to negotiate with Ela…

My last meeting of the day ends around 4:30PM, I do a few last things to wrap up at work then head downstairs to relieve Ela and play with the kids for a bit before its time to start dinner.

The dinner dance starts around 5PM, and that’s usually a crazy time where everyone is hungry and the kids are on the verge of spiraling out of control. We’re having tacos and thankfully, all the veggies were cut up the night before so I really just have to do the meat & get things on the table.

Sean gets home around 5:45 and walks into total chaos…every night. Dinnertime is wild around here, you never know what to expect. We eat, catch up on our days, wipe up spilled milk, and don’t finish one adult conversation. Then starts the clean-up process and after-dinner play time.

After dinner playtime is one of my most favorite times of the day. It’s usually something that resembles a cross between wrestle mania and practicing wild bird calls. Most nights, this one not an exception, both kids end up running around in just a diaper and undies. Reid is going through a naked phase and Myles thinks it’s hilarious and is just too happy to join in the fun.

Around 6:45 the kids go in the tub for a quick bath and the entire bathroom looks like a tsunami crashed into it. Then jammies, stories, and bed. Shockingly, Reid is better at going right down than Myles. After the third time in his room I start threatening an early bedtime the next night. Finally, by 7:40PM, both kids are down.

Sean and I attack what’s left of the dinner dishes and the only other chore I can handle is folding laundry in front of the TV. I’ve recently gotten into the Netflix series Bloodline and I get lost in that until 10PM then drag myself upstairs to bed. I do not make Myles’ lunch for the next day.

Whew! That’s it – a day in my life! Certainly not glamorous, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. If you’d like to read more about the craziness, please check out my blog sweetandcrazylife.com. Thank you so much for reading about my day, and a huge thank you to Laurie for hosting me on her blog!


Thank you to Sarah for taking the time to share a day with us! You can check out Sarah's blog here (or better yet, follow her on Bloglovin like I do and you'll never miss a new post!)  If you are interested in sharing a day in your life (and feeding my curious nature!) send me an email at lafrucce@icloud.com  And seriously, get into Bloodline, it's addictive.

springtime in the city {a video}

Oh, it's quite possible there's no perfection like a warm spring day in the city! I'm sure I'll have more pictures to post, but for now, a little video of our afternoon in Central Park!

(If you are watching on a mobile device, try watching here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6s6vLedXTY )

easy chicken noodle soup with pesto

Did you guys get blasted with this end-of-the-season cold too? Eck! It's been a germ factory around here! And though my kids have learned to cough into their elbows, we're still working on our sneezing etiquette: It's like they are consciously trying to spray every surface of this house in germs. If I lit a candle, the house would probably explode from the amount of Lysol I've been spraying...

Anyhoooo, now I know your mouths are just salivating for a recipe, amiright? I know snot talk always makes me hungry. (But doesn't Chicken Soup automatically make you think of being sick anyway?)

This is the best, easiest Chicken Soup recipe. And it's delicious. (Seriously, Jon normally hates Chicken Soup but he gets really excited when I make this one.) The only problem is, you'll never be able to eat canned chicken noodle again. At least without wishing you had this instead.

{{Chicken Soup with pesto}}

8  cups (64 oz) chicken stock (plus more to add after cooking)

1 pound dry whole wheat noodles*

1 pound carrots, peeled & chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2-3 cups cooked chicken (I always use a rotisserie chicken because it tastes the best, but any cooked chicken will do), diced.

salt/pepper

pesto (recipe below)

 *It's fine to use regular noodles, but whole wheat maintain their taste and don't get super mushy after storage

{1} Bring chicken stock to a boil

{2} Add noodles (I use the whole pound because I love me some pasta. It makes it more stew-y. But for a traditional Chicken Noodle Soup, you may want to use only 2 1/2 to 3 cups of noodles) and bring back to a boil.

{3} After 5 minutes, add the chopped carrots & celery. 

{4} After 5 more minutes, add the diced chicken and let boil for 1-2 minutes longer.

{5} If needed, add salt/pepper. The stock I use is pretty flavorful (as well as the rotisserie chicken) so I usually skip this step.

{6} Serve soup with a spoonful of pesto (recipe below, or store-bought works too!)

{{Pesto}}

In a blender, mix: 

2-3 cups of fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup pine nuts

salt/pepper to taste

My friend Steph is the sweetest and surprised me with this soup & sandwich plate set from Uncommon Goods. For absolutely no reason, either- just because she heard me mention that I was crushing on it. To say I'm lucky in friendship is an understatement.

Here's wishing you're making this just cause it looks good and NOT because of illness :)

national sibling day

Happy Sibling Day! 

I've been holding on to these beautiful photos that my friend Kayla of KM Photography took on Valentine's Day, when Dylan was just 7 days old (and omg she did such a great job, especially considering the fact that Ollie was the opposite of excited to have his picture taken that day)

Today is National Sibling Day, which seems like the perfect opportunity to share the photos she took of my three together. 

I have some siblings to celebrate today too! 

Growing up, my brother, sister and I were insane. And what's terrible about that is that if I remember us being insane, I don't even want to think about how my poor mom remembers it! (Did any of you have a "Continental Divide" on your couch/car seats like we did? Rearrange the furniture so you could play "American Gladiator"? No? Just us?) But it was a good insane, and despite all of the battles and teasing, we had a lot of love...and still do! I feel so incredibly lucky to have the family that I do. I feel especially lucky to be so close and have the friendship that I have with my siblings, and my great wish is that my own kids will share that same level of friendship as they grow up.

I think I'm going to force my brother and sister to do one of those re-creation photos... and this one is obviously a top contender for the original. All aboard the Nigrelli Train!

I still smile like that.

Happy Siblings Day, Tray & Tommy. I just love ya guys so maaaaach!

dylan {{2 months old}}

Guys, my baby is two months old. And she's already just about as big as Peyton, so... Not a Pixie, this one. (I've actually been calling her Roo, because I'm pretty much always wearing her in one carrier or another.)

Dylan's milestones for Month 2:
She started smiling \\ Has been trying to laugh but so far has only succeeded in making a dolphin noise:) \\ Started crying real tears \\ Sleeping 4 to 5 hour stretches at night between feedings \\ We've moved the Co-Sleeper away from the bed and against the wall (this is way earlier than I did with Ollie or Peyton, but they took way longer to sleep 4 to 5 hour stretches at night) \\ She finally passed her hearing screening at 6 weeks (she failed twice in the hospital) \\ I packed up her newborn clothes (sobbing while I did it. Sobbing.) \\ I moved her car seat straps up a notch (more sobbing) \\ Celebrated her first St. Patrick's Day & First Easter (pictures below)  \\ Took her first car trip (two hours to Massachusetts, slept the whole trip!)

At her 2 month physical, Dylan weighed in at 9 pounds 8 oz. (8th%- just under a pound heavier than last month. Although she looks like a big chunkamonk, I actually have to try to fatten her up a bit more, the doctor was a tiny bit unhappy with the small gain) and measured 22 1/4 inches (36th%).

Our headband game is pretty strong.

Oh Dylan Roo! Sometimes I look at you and think, "I couldn't possibly love you any more!!!" You are the absolute sweetest, calmest, most adorable baby girl ever, and- since I've faced up to the fact that I cannot slow time- I can't wait to see what this next month brings!
Love, love, extra love,
Mama

snacking

As a nursing mama, I am starving. Like, all the time. And while I do enjoy a nice meal, I would for the most part characterize myself as a snacker. We generally keep a bunch of healthy food in the house, but with a snuggly baby like mine always in one arm, you can only do so much with the other arm. Sometimes it's easier to grab a handful of Mint Milanos, say- purely hypothetically (ha!)- rather than get out grapes, wash them, etc. Add to that the fact that I spend a significant(ish) chunk of my day driving, it's nice to have some healthier grab-and-go snacks ready. For me, personally, this makes it easier to make better food choices. Plus, if all I have in the car is a container of cut up mango or strawberries, the kids will happily eat it because it's the only option.

I found this great Ziplock Variety Pack at the old "Circle-Dot" (I wish Ollie still called it that...). Then I spent about a half hour washing and chopping some fruits and veggies and, boom! Snacks for days. 

I can't promise you that I haven't indulged in a few Milanos too, but for the most part, our snacking has been of the good-for-you variety! (I also added in some of my other favorite non-fruit/veggie grab-and go's):

Ziplock Variety pack sold at target

Also, this is probably just me being lazy but I find it easier to fill up a giant water bottle in the morning- That way, I can keep track of how much I've had throughout the day. I found these lid toppers at Target too- you can make a water bottle out of any Ball jar! (Mine is a 1-liter jar)

Ball Wide-Mouth Lid Topper, Target

P.S. This is my new favorite dessert: Bananas fried in coconut oil sprinkled with cinnamon. When you fry them up they  caramelize and- though they may look unappealing (there's no way to make mushy bananas look pretty- I tried!)- they are delicious!

So, what's your "Go To" snack? 

I'm always looking to throw something new into the mix!