Allison.Party_of_Six

Copying my friend Katie's brilliant idea here! Daddy’s Cheat Sheet For Labor • When contractions start -Make arrangements for Jocelyn and AJ -Make sure everything on our hospital bag checklist is in our bags -Make sure I eat a high protein meal -Make sure I drink plenty of fluids -If contractions are slow at first, make sure I nap and keep the kids out of our room.  -Call hospital/OB office when contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting for 1 minute, for 1 hour OR if you notice sudden changes in my behavior (i.e. not able to talk through contractions) • When we are admitted to the hospital -Bring our hospital bag in -Answer all the nureses questions for me -Contact our families • When in active labor -If I ask for people to stay quiet--MAKE THEM! -Ask if there is anything you can do for me -Offer a massage -Ask if I would like a drink or ice -Ask if I would like for you to help me get in the shower -Remind me to breathe deeply and slowly and to relax -Of

Pregnant? Prenatal yoga will be your saving grace to keep your muscles strong and supple, improve the flexibility and balance you can lose as your belly grows, and as a bonus, it can help you mentally and physically prepare for labor. This sequence will open tight hips and hamstrings and stretch your tight back. I'm doing this to alleviate some of the lower back or pelvic pain that comes along with pregnancy and thought you may want to do the same! PS--Warning...I'm a Mama who does this from home to stay as fit as possible!  I'm definitely a work-in-progress when it comes to my yoga practice! <3  Goddess Pose  <3 Stand at the front of your mat in Mountain pose. Step open to the right, bringing your legs about three feet apart. Turn your heels in. Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Lift your arms up, bending your elbows so they are at 90-degree angles, holding Goddess for five breaths. <3  Side Goddess  <3

Have you ever heard of cascarones?!?!  I hadn't before this year! But now that I have, I was so so excited to make them with  (and for!) my kiddos! I mean what's more fun than running after each other with colored eggs in your hands that explode into confetti when they hit your "target"?!?  We are hoping the target will be Daddy and not me! ;) So first of all, what are cascarones?!? The idea was first seen in Asia and later brought to Italy by  Marco Polo. The eggs were often given as gifts and were filled with perfumed powder. The custom then traveled to Spain and was later brought to Mexico in the mid-1800s by Emperor Maximilian’s wife. It was in Mexico that the perfumed powder was replaced with confetti. In Mexico, these colored eggs are often thrown at fiestas during carnaval, just before lent. While you may see cascarones at the carnaval celebrations in the US, it is more common to see them around Easter. This is because, like many othe

When I was 8 years old, I asked my Granny what she wanted for her birthday.  She said that she saw something in a magazine the other day...I expected her to show me a pair of shoes or a dress or something...instead, she pulled out a (fairly complex) cake recipe and told me that she wanted ME to make it for her! Granny's Hershey Bar Cake Man...at 8 years old, this cake was HARD work!  I had never really chopped anything, so why not start with a SOLID Hershey's bar!  But...I did it.  And it was SO SO good! Now, it's my very favorite cake to make--I even made it for our wedding reception!  And I have been craving it a ton lately.  So I decided I wanted to make it for my own birthday! Since it's a special cake to me, I decided I wanted the kids to make it with me....so they did! Making the cake itself is quite simple.  I honestly didn't even make it from scratch.  I just bought a box of cake mix! Cheating....I know!  But totally worth the ease...espe