My Everyday: How We Do the Grocery Store

My phone decided to freak out on me and I can't access any of my photos at the moment, so instead here's a fun one that my girlfriend snapped of me at the park - Violet had a meltdown (she was tired, had a cold, and it was miserably hot and sunny), we were a fair distance from the car, and she was refusing to walk, so I borrowed my friend's Ergo carrier, strapped Violet onto my back, and made a dash for the car. NOT how we do the grocery store (I'm not insane I swear!) Here's how we actually do the grocery store...

After I had Lucy I quickly realized that running simple errands was now going to take some serious strategizing. Luckily Kev does a lot of our grocery shopping now (thanks honey!), but on occasion I have to get groceries. On those days here's what we do:

Lucy goes in the Ergo carrier. Our grocery store does provide carts onto which you can safely strap your car seat, but then Violet is forced to walk and I have to lug the car seat up to the store and hunt for those particular carts which are not always in the same spot, gah! So we've given up on that and just keep it simple with the Ergo. Violet either walks or goes in the cart. She always wants the car cart (does your grocery store have those? That thing that seems like a cute idea before you become a parent, but then you realize that the thing is seriously like driving a tractor trailer?) Now that I have two kids I've learned that I just have to say no for my own sanity. I also take advantage of the deli kiosk - it saves so. much. time. I go there first, punch in my deli order, and come back after I've done the rest of my shopping to pick up my lunchmeat and cheese. It seriously shaves at least ten minutes off of my shopping trip!

Since they've both gotten older and I've gotten more experienced with juggling two kids the grocery store has gotten a lot easier, but when Lucy was a newborn and Violet had just turned three, there were some seriously trying times. On one particular occasion I was completely exhausted when I left the store - Violet had had a couple of tantrums (she was newly three and had a tough time adjusting to sharing me right after I had Lucy), I was still sore from giving birth, had sprinted to the restroom twice carrying both of them (toddler pee emergency!), Violet had spilled her snack all over the floor in one of the aisles, and I was incredibly sleep deprived. I just wanted to cry as I was finally putting my grouchy preschooler, fussing infant, and giant cart full of groceries into the car, when a sweet older woman came up and gave me a smile and a knowing look. She said, "I know how tired you must be sweetie - let me take that cart back to the store for you." It was such a small gesture, but it made such a difference. Amazing how one small, kind gesture from a stranger can completely change your day for the better!

And here's how some of my favorite blogging mamas do the grocery store:

Dani of Sometimes Sweet:

How I do the grocery store has drastically changed in the past two months with the birth of my second son. Now, it's all about planning ahead (put the baby in the wrap, get my oldest out of the car, put him in the cart, plan ahead in case of a toddler meltdown or other bump in the road...). At first it was challenging but now juggling two kids and six grocery bags has become my new (crazy) normal. I am in awe of the mamas who do it with three or more little ones!

And Drea of OhDearDrea:

The grocery is easy for us. Every other week we pick up a share of vegetables at a stranger's house (not as creepy as it sounds), and the other weeks we grab a sweater for the air conditioned and chilly Whole Foods and plop down in a cart. Sometimes we snack, usually we don't. And Marlowe ALWAYS helps to unload the cart - it's a must. 

Thanks ladies! I can so relate to the sweater - it's a must for us too, our grocery store is seriously like a refrigerator! What's up with that? If you want to read more of Dani's writing, here is one of my favorite recent posts from her blog about adjusting to two kids, and a genius idea from Drea for when you have to be away from your little ones. If you've written a post about doing the grocery store/Target/something similar with your little ones you can link up here (or just leave a comment as usual!):



And here's the schedule for the rest of the series if you want to play along:

• Wed Nov 13th - Typical Lunch
• Wed Nov 20th - Naptime
• Dec 4th - Favorite Holiday Traditions
• Wed Dec 11th - Favorite toys
• Wed Jan 15th - Getting the chores done
• Wed Jan 29th -Typical Dinner 
• Wed Feb 12th - Arts & Crafts
• Wed Feb 26th - Bedtime

P.S. My Everyday Stories We're Reading and my Mom Uniform.

My Everyday: My Mom Uniform

I think it's an understatement to say that my everyday wear has changed since becoming a mama. Now instead of just considering, "Do I feel good in this?" I have to think about if it's appropriate for nursing and practical for all of the bending over, crouching down, jumping, tree climbing, sliding, and sitting on the floor that comes with being a parent. Also, comfort ranks much MUCH higher on my list these days.

As a result I generally wear a nursing tank under my shirt in place of a bra, that way when I lift up/unbutton my shirt to feed my tummy isn't hanging out. I choose looser more forgiving tops to hide that last five to ten pounds in my mid-section. I also like longer shirts so that when I bend down I'm not showing skin.

As far as pants are concerned I think jeggings are the way to go! While I HATE that word - sounds so gross lol, I love the look and feel. And FLATS. Makes me feel somewhat put together while allowing me to carry my girls all over creation if necessary. My heels get busted out for playing dress up and the occasional date night and otherwise they basically collect dust in my closet, as does my jewelry. It's just not worth getting a necklace yanked off, earrings ripped out, or accidentally stabbing/scratching/scraping my babe with a ring. Last but not least is the essential ponytail/top bun/braid. Otherwise I believe I would have maybe three hairs left to my name.

This outfit is one of my go-to's. The top is Old Navy (similar), jeggings are actually Gap maternity lol (on super sale), and flats are Old Navy as well. Which reminds me that I forgot to mention cheap ranks high on my list as well!

Here are some of my favorite blogging mamas' uniforms:

Brandy of Heart & Habit:

Jeans and t-shirts all the way, comfort and style are inseparable in my books - also as a Mom it's really great to be able to add super cute scarf like this one to an everyday outfit.

Dina of Honey & Fitz:

My mom uniform changes pretty dramatically with the seasons. With Fall in full swing here in Boston, I can be found pretty much every day in some variation of this:

• A comfortable and cute shirt, preferably with pockets because I always need to bring 129 things up or down the stairs and my hands are usually busy carrying a baby! American Eagle and Aerie have some super cute cowl neck sweatshirt options right now. So, ya know, you don't actually feel like you're just wearing a sweatshirt. ;)

• Leggings or skinny jeans.

• Riding boots or ballet flats, depending on the weather. My favorite pair are from Anthropologie a few seasons back.

Joni of Lay Baby Lay:

My uniform is typically skinny jeans or pants with a longer, flowy top.  It's easy, quick, and I love not worrying about my top riding up or getting awkwardly positioned.  My red Converse are a favorite for the park or walks; they are comfortable, but still feel somewhat put together, and now that it's getting (very slightly!) cooler, I sometimes switch them up with booties and throw on a cardigan for warmth.

Thanks ladies! Check out all of their blogs - they are amazing ladies. Brandy has the most adorable and stylish kids, Joni whips up amazing idea boards for kids' rooms, and Dina is a DIY maven. They're all on my regular blog roll, and if you don't already read their blogs I bet you'll love them as much as I do!

So what about you? Link up your go-to mom uniform below or leave a comment telling us what's changed about your style since you became a mama.

• Wed Oct 23rd - How we do the grocery store
• Wed Nov 13th - Typical Lunch
• Wed Nov 20th - Naptime
• Dec 4th - Favorite Holiday Traditions
• Wed Dec 11th - Favorite toys
• Wed Jan 15th - Getting the chores done
• Wed Jan 29th -Typical Dinner 
• Wed Feb 12th - Arts & Crafts
• Wed Feb 26th - Bedtime

P.S. My Everyday Stories We're Reading and Typical Breakfasts

My Everyday: Stories We're Reading

Sorry I'm a bit late on this post! It was supposed to run last week, but we were all sick and it just didn't happen. But better late than never, am I right? In case you missed the first post in the series, My Everyday is all about what a typical day looks like for other mamas. Some of my favorite bloggers have agreed to share bits and pieces of their everyday lives here on A Lovely Lark, and there's a link up below for you to add your own posts (or if you don't have a blog, you can let us know what stories you're littles are loving in the comments!) 

Lately when we read, Violet actually likes to read to Lucy. No, she can't read words yet, but she knows a lot of her stories by heart and makes up the rest from the pictures. It's so much fun to watch as a mom!

A lot of our books these days actually come from the Salvation Army. Most are 25-50 cents a book, which you really can't beat, and a lot are in great condition. It's definitely a hunt to dig through all of the shelves and bins and boxes compared to typing in the title of a book on Amazon, but it's worth the savings for sure! Sometimes I have to dig a book back out of Violet's basket that I know she won't like and sneak it back onto the shelf :) I think she enjoys the hunt just as much as I do! Her current favorite books include anything Disney princess, Are You My Mother? and Little Owl Lost (which are very similar storylines), I Want My Hat Back (although she doesn't quite get the story yet she still loves it anyway), a book of fairy and folk tales, and most Dr. Seuss tales.

Next up is Shari of Spearmint Baby. Did you know that her youngest, Rexford, was born only a few days before Violet? We were pregnant "together" and I worked with Shari for a bit when I contributed to Spearmint Baby - she's one of the nicest and hardest working ladies I know! Here's what stories her kids are into...

Hi A Lovely Lark readers! I'm Shari from Spearmintbaby.com and I'm guest posting today for Lauren's "Our Everyday" series...

So, a bit about reading...

This is the first year that both of my kids are going to school full time. Harper is 4.5 and Rexford is 3.5 years. They attend a Spanish immersion elementary school that starts at 3 years old. It is a fabulous curriculum that teaches about a third of the six hour day in Spanish. Once they reach kindergarten it will be 50/50 English/Spanish.  When we walk into the classroom each morning we are greeted with, "Buenos dias!" and all kinds of friendly Spanish chatter. It is fascinating to see all of these little ones following Spanish direction already. No joke when they say children are like little sponges! When I pick the kids up from school Harper is usually singing some fun Spanish song (lately Un Elefante se Balanceaba) the entire ride home. She has also started correcting my pronunciation on things like "verde" and "delicioso!"

A few weeks ago, the school sent home the first of the monthly Scholastic Reading Club flyers. The flyers look exactly the same as they did 25 years ago... that same newspaper print! Since they are at an immersion school, Harper and Rex brought home both English and Spanish book flyers. We ordered a ton of new books, mostly in Spanish since our current book collection is almost entirely in English. I love the idea of ordering from Scholastic because each book you purchase earns points for the classroom library. Supporting the public school system and its fabulous teachers is really important to me!

Almost every evening after school we pick out a few of our new books, get into bed, and spend about 15 minutes reading together.  The kids are usually exhausted so laying in bed with a bunch of books feels like the right thing to do! (If you're interested all of the books below can be found and ordered through Scholastic.com).

Thanks so much Lauren for letting me share a bit about the stories we are reading!

And last but not least here's a peek at Drea of OhDearDrea's sweet little Marlowe reading her stories of choice:

Here is the schedule of topics in the My Everyday series if you want to play along!

• Wed Oct 16th - My mom uniform
• Wed Oct 23rd - How we do the grocery store
• Wed Nov 13th - Typical Lunch
• Wed Nov 20th - Naptime
• Dec 4th - Favorite Holiday Traditions
• Wed Dec 11th - Favorite toys
• Wed Jan 15th - Getting the chores done
• Wed Jan 29th -Typical Dinner 
• Wed Feb 12th - Arts & Crafts
• Wed Feb 26th - Bedtime

My Everyday

I don't know about you, but I'm personally kinda nosy curious about what a typical day looks like for other mamas. So since I can't really be a fly on the wall, I asked some of my favorite bloggers to share bits and pieces of their everyday lives here on A Lovely Lark. Today's topic? Breakfast!

Here's what a typical breakfast looks like at our house...

Although we (of course) don't eat them every day, a big stack of fluffy pancakes is a regular occurrence around here. Violet couldn't have much in the sweet foods department when she was intolerant to dairy (it's in pretty much EVERY dessert known to man), but we found that good ol' Bisquick is dairy free if you substitute a cup of water or coconut milk for the cow's milk.

It's now one of her favorite meals in the world, so we try to make them a couple of times a week. Not the most creative or healthful thing in the world, but isn't there a saying about eating breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper? If there's any truth to it Violet has that one down in spades!

Now for some more healthful mamas ;) Here's a peek into Drea (who always has seriously mouth-watering food on her gorgeous blog - you should check out her "things on toast" series - who knew you could do so many yummy things with toast?!) of OhDearDrea's typical morning meal:

We typically do toast and a coconut yogurt or cereal of some sort:

1. (vegan) cream cheese and honey on sourdough toast

2. avocado toast

3. (vegan) cream cheese with avocado with blue berries and strawberries

...theres a trend there, huh? haha. I didn't even realize it until I started writing it. Guess we like our toast. 

Thanks Lauren!

Her food pics are always so pretty - I'm totally wanting some fun/colorful plates now!

And last but not least, Brandy of Heart & Habit (love her blog - she has the most adorable, uber stylish, happy kids on the block):

A typical breakfast for us usually happens before the sun rises - we are generally early risers and now the sun is a late comer. So I snapped a pic of my very own cold breakfast:

 The kids have caught on to my love for Grapefruits so instead of a full one I am left with two slices, my coffee is cold because I've been busy getting the day prepped (or just getting back from yoga) and I almost totally forgot to eat my breakfast (chia seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, strawberries and almond milk) because I was distracted by my people. In my opinion it's the recipe for a perfect breakfast. 

Mmmm - they seriously both look so yummy (and creative and healthy!) I'd love to see what all of the rest of you do for breakfast for your toddler/preschooler/kid/teen/self! It doesn't have to be pretty or styled or super healthy or wildly creative - just real. Your honest to goodness everyday breakfast. If you would like to share (and satiate my curiosity) feel free to link up below (or just leave a comment!) And if you want continue to share your everyday with us, I listed the dates and topics we'll be covering below. Feel free to suggest topics too - I'm totally open to more ideas on how I can be nosy ;) A big thank you to Drea and Brandy for sharing a tidbit of your lives with all of us! xo, Lauren

Wed Oct 2 - Stories we're reading

Wed Oct 16th - My mom uniform

Wed Oct 23rd - How we do the grocery store

Wed Nov 13th - Typical Lunch

Wed Nov 20th - Naptime

Dec 4th - Favorite Holiday Traditions

Wed Dec 11th - Favorite toys

Wed Jan 15th - Getting the chores done

Wed Jan 29th -Typical Dinner 

Wed Feb 12th - Arts & Crafts

Wed Feb 26th - Bedtime