6 years later.

I can’t believe it’s already been 6 years. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in life. I won’t lie – it’s hard and we are constantly growing and sometimes not for the better. I sometimes forget that we need to also work on each other and not just keep our kids the first priority. Isn’t that nearly impossible? 

At least we started doing a monthly date night to focus on our relationship, try to keep our side comments to ourselves, and take a breath before really putting our thoughts out there. Easier said than done. #workinprogress. 

Anyhow, just a couple snaps from our engagement and my girls hanging out in the Big Apple. 

Have we changed? 

Picked Up a Growing Little Gummy Bear.

When you get married, people start asking when you’re going to “start a family.” After the first comes, people start asking when they’re going to get another sibling. For most, this usually comes and then you think the questions will stop since this generation we think two is plenty with how expensive housing, day to day expenses, and finally university is. 

Oh no, wrong! The questions don’t stop if you’re adding an addition to the family.  

After Addison, I toyed with the notion of having 3 kiddos but just didn’t think I would have the patience and energy since I’m literally drained everyday. I also wanted to go back to corporate work life when at one of girls went to public school. Guess life has a different calling for me for at least another couple years.  

The scoop. 

I’ve been using Bellabeat since I lived in London and loved how it tracked my sleeping, activity, body (period/pregnancy), and stress level so I realized I was a bit late from the tracker. So, I used 2 Clearblue plus/minus pregnancy indicators on different days and it came back negative. Breathe of relief, but still no period. So, on the anniversary of my dad’s passing (July 25), I took another Clearblue test with a digital indicator. 

Pregnant. 

Tried again later in the day and it still read the same. Pregnant. 

Awesome…well the reality didn’t sink in until I went to my family doctor, my new obgyn who is awesome and the wait time isn’t bad (whew!), and two ultrasounds later where the heartbeat is strong. Conclusion – yes there is a little gummy bear growing in me. #omg

My dad had always wanted a family of five so I’m glad to see he’s living vicariously through my growing family. Now all I can pray for is that I have his patience, strong and loving character to focus on the family first. 

P.S. I’m posting this close to 12 weeks pregnant and most go “social media” after first trimester. But, for those that know/hung out with me, if there isn’t a drink in hand something is wrong so I had to spill the beans pretty early on or I would be stuck at home driving the fam crazy. 😂 Below is me telling them yet again to snap a shot. 

📷: @freshlypicked are seriously the most comfy leather mocs. Abigail is wearing the @freshlypicked sandals which she says are soft and pretty. #toddlerapproved 

Cheers for now. Thanks for reading. xx

Room2 love.

Dear Addison,

Now that you’re 1, a lot of changes are and will happen. You’re hopefully going to be off the bottle soon, you’re hopefully confidently walking soon, and most hopeful (for us) is you enjoy not being in our room and don’t ever come back until after 7am! 

We know you need the presence of someone else in the room and so does your sister so we thought we would ship you to her room. It was a piece of cake to do with the Joovy Room2 playard. A much bigger portable travel playard and so much nicer to look at. It’s nearly 10 square feet of space, mesh windows, elevated off the floor, and has a padded mattress. You can even order a waterproof fitted sheet. 

We also tried sticking your dockatot grand in there because you absolutely love drinking your milk in there and taking short naps in there, but when it’s bedtime, we take it out so you have plenty of space to move around freely which you do while snoozing. It’s like you’re dancing in your sleep. 

📷: 3 little girls all in one room. 

Flash forward to a little over a week later and I’m to the moon thrilled to say you have adjusted to your new room and love sleeping in your new Joovy room2. Surprisingly your cries don’t wake Abigail up at all, but hopefully this will stop soon as we are working on getting you off the need for a bottle during the night. We’re currently lessening the ounces you’re getting as well as giving you a “dream feed” before we go to bed. Fingers crossed. 

We have Joovy to thank for this amazing comfortable Room2 playard that will get plenty of use throughout our house when mommy needs to do her chores or needs to put you in “jail” because we’re hopeful one day you’ll make it to your own room or we’ll just get you and your sister a bunk bed! 

P.S. Joovy has tons of other products from strollers to bottles. They’re well made, stylish and modern for the everyday family. #joovy #family

📷: 3 little girls all comfortably sleeping the night away. 

Cheers for now and thanks for reading! 

5 Months Ago.

I can’t believe just 5 months ago we were living in London and traveling to all these amazing countries so quickly. I didn’t think I would miss living in Europe so much but I do – the ease of getting around without driving, getting a quick bite to eat, seeing gorgeous architecture with a snap of my fingers, or just hanging out at a park/cafe people watching with an afternoon drink. 🍷😎

📷: My favorite jewelry store, Boodles. It’s a British company so I just had to get a piece before leaving. I think Britain is missing me as much as I miss living there because I sadly lost one of the earrings the other day. 😥😥 #timetogoback #boodles 

Without a doubt, my hubs will always be Cali dude (although he can’t swim…yet) so our 2 year stint in London was a lovely break. Maybe in a couple years, another opportunity will come along and we’ll be out of the ‘burbs again. #fingerscrossed 

When we lived in London, we quickly abandoned the stroller for Abigail and she learned to walk everywhere and loved it. She walked 7 miles one day with no complaints. Rain or shine. 

So, now that we moved back to socal, I went on a mission to find the perfect stroller for me to use for Addison. 
My requirements: 

• 4 wheels (at least 2 in the front to go up and down the escalator even though you’re not suppose to)
• maneuver easily with one hand while holding a coffee 
• baby A can face both ways
• car seat friendly
• not too heavy
• easy to close without feeling like you’re going to pinch a finger

Easy right?!
I came across Kangaroo by Venice Child and fell in love. The colors, the simple design, versatile, and all terrain really caught my attention and not to mention it was founded in California (home again). 👍🏻

We got our Kangaroo last week and wow I can vouch that it meets all my needs. 

She can see the world just a little higher up and at 3 different inclines.

We can definitely easily manuever it one handed, easily close it, change the recline positions and oh my you’ll have to stop and chat with people on how styling your babe is in it. 

Most importantly, A loves it and makes sure it’s nearby. 😜

So cheers for now as baby A was snoozing in her Kangaroo by Venice Child while mama wrote this. 

P.S. The front bar can be removed. Also, when you’re packing away in your car, I found the easiest is to just take off the seat and pack separately from the bottom part. #soinlove

Fun For All – Lake Tahoe.

Took a little bit of debate on where to go for a much needed family vacation with our fav’s, but we finally decided on Lake Tahoe. A lot of fun when your kiddos are close in age, the hubs are good buddies, and of course the mama is my good university friend (and bridesmaid!). #timeflies

📷: the crew (kids are 4 years old, 1 year old, and 9 months)

Lake Tahoe is a great choice since it’s only a short flight (approximately 1 hour from Orange County, CA) to take in the great outdoors, and also rotate with the boys to go to the casinos.

We haven’t taken JetBlue since we left for London so decided on this airline based on them flying out of Long Beach airport – small and nicely renovated airport plus a great price point. They knocked it out of the ballpark with lovely, efficient service, good drinks and snacks. Alcoholic beverages were $7 (good selection of beer). #jetblue #love

Got a rental car and of course had to do a stop at Costco – super close from Reno airport.

• Traveler’s tip: Bring your own car seat if you want to make sure it’s clean! We also decided to buy another one we wouldn’t mind getting tossed around during transit.
• Evenflo (toddler booster seat) 
• car seat cover – this one is great (no wheels) and was only $9.

After much thought into whether or not to get an airbnb, we decided to make it easy and stay at  Hard Rock this time around. It was “nice enough” since it was renovated a couple years back, spacious, good food inside, and a casino right downstairs.

📷: Yes, she’s in Bebeaulait’s Muslin car seat cover & swaddle blankets. I love Muslin breathable fabric and highly recommend getting one for a car seat cover so your baby doesn’t get too hot in his/her car seat (also has a zipper to open/close if needed). Isn’t this print the cutest?!

📷: Traveler’s tip – request a crib (they usually roll) instead of a pack n’ play – so much cleaner! Ask for some flat sheets/fleece blankets to place on the hotel room floor if you have a crawler in the house. Bring also a crib fitted sheet if you’re worried about their sheets on your baby’s soft skin.  P.S. Addison just pulled herself up for the first time here (9 months).

📷: Across the street from Hard Rock is Edgewood where you can play golf. We took a walk there with the kids. It’s gorgeous!

Day 1 – we went to Zephyr Cove to take in the lake and hang out at the beach.  We stopped at the market to get goodies.  They have grills there so we made s’mores!  Gorgeous and relaxing (not very populated) spot to play in the sand. I believe it was $8 per car. Oh yea, clean individual bathrooms.

Day 2 we went bike riding around town and fishing at Sawmill Pond (kid’s fishing location).

📷: Got a lot of questions about my carrier and I love my MiaMily carrier. So much more back support and a compartment to store a bottle, phone, diaper, keys, etc.

📷: Caught 5 fish and brought them to MacDuff’s for them to cook 3 different ways! YUM! Pretty good deal as they provided salad and sides for $20/person. Get the bread pudding for dessert. #nomnom

Day 3, departed Lake Tahoe and headed home. Sweet trip with our fav’s with a lot of memories always. The kids all got sick but hey what trip isn’t complete without that happening. 

Cheers for now and thanks for reading. We love traveling with our kiddos and honestly it’s really not hard! #bringiton #travelwithkids 

xx

The Big 4!

I can’t believe I have a 4 year old. It doesn’t seem long ago when I was in college or even high school doing whatever I want. Now I have 2 littles to love and guide them to become well rounded sweet individuals. 

Abigail has grown so much. She’s this crazy, sassy, and super affectionate little girl. She has a mind of her own and has a million and one questions about everything. From why does it rain to why does it get dark, she always keeps me on my toes on what’s is coming next. 

📷: Before heading to school. She loves wearing her #jujube mini backpack everyday. #toddlerappeoved
Abigail insisted on having a birthday party with her friends this year so we gave in. We decided to throw her a pizza making party because she loves to eat and play in the kitchen. California Pizza Kitchen hosts parties for kids and it’s awesome! They get to tour the kitchen, make pizzas (eat their creation), get a drink, and also dessert. What a tasty package for only $10/kid. 

📷: CPK also got her a chef coat with her name embroidered on there. 

📷: We also had an amazing cake created by the talented Jenteebakes – she lives in the OC.  

Abigail had a blast. 

We topped off her actual birthday with dinner with her fav’ buddy at our house. 

Looking back.

📷: Year 1. The cake banner and hippo was from a sweet friend that now has a event planning business for littles. Check her out if you’re a lazy planner like me. Little Confetti Company. 

📷: Year 2. Roaming the streets of Islington, London. 

📷: Year 3. Making wishes in London. 

📷: Cheers to being 4 and looking forward to another amazing year. Mama and Daddy love you to the moon and back.

Time flies.

Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted and so much has happened. We’ve moved back to California (brought the London rain with us)!  

A few thoughts:

• Insane beehive in our home. There was about 180 pounds of bees and honeycomb in our walls to get rid of! 

• Addison is now 6 months old and is staying strong to not sleeping through the night. 😢

• Abigail is in a Chinese school and could potentially read/write more than me. 

• I’m now a soccer mom with my minivan. I must say I love all the space inside and the blind spot camera is awesome!! 
• Getting new decor and furniture for our home is what I love to do especially from small shops (more to come on future posts).
• We’re back in southern California and haven’t been to the beach, but have been to the snow (we’re less than 2 hours away from snow and 20 minutes from the beach)

• Poke and seafood in general is so fresh and tasty here. You just can’t beat $1 oysters. 

• I’ve cleared out a lot of my inventory of alphabet books (big thanks for those who’ve purchased my books on my website) and have been inspired to finish working on my “I is for Impala” book to send to print. Don’t forget to use CODE: Angsley to get $3 off your order when you purchase on my website: www.ajangsley.com 

Anyhow, I’ve definitely been going through London withdrawals and missing all the European travels we did. I still can’t believe Abigail visited 22 countries while we lived in London. 

One thing I clearly miss is walking more to get places and using that as my exercise for the day. Now, I have to set aside time to exercise which is incredibly hard as a sleep deprived mama of two. Any pointers? #please

Cheers for now and thanks for jumping back onto my blog. xx

OMG, 22.

Abigail (3.5 years old) has now been to 22 European countries in the span of 2 years since moving to London. She’ll have some stories to tell but definitely iPhone pictures to share. Isn’t it crazy how tech savvy kids are?

This trip to Cyprus was a little painful since she was sick with a cough and probably a sore throat, but she toughed it out for the most part and only made it apparent she was just a toddler 30% of the day and wanted tons of cuddles from us.

We stayed at The Royal Apollonia for this holiday and we would definitely recommend it. It’s been renovated nicely and the hotel room floors are tile which makes it feel so much cleaner (plus, they provide hotel slippers!). We had a spectacular balcony view of the pool and Mediterranean Sea.

📷: Outside our balcony 💟 Already drooling at 13 weeks but this Frecklebaby bib makes my list as absorbent, soft, bamboo, and the cutest prints on both sides. But wait, imagine nothing dropping on the floor with the unique snap on leash for a teething toy or paci.

P.S. Use CODE: GIVE for $4 off any of my sets of books. Free shipping. Visit www.ajangsley.com 

 

Breakfast is included and there is a pretty yummy range of food to choose from so get there before 10:30am. Oh and parking is free!

📷: 💟 cutest organic panda bear outfits from Turtle Dove London. Super soft material, monochrome patterns, modern, and a new shop. Love!

📷: one down, one more to go.  

The pool. We went when the pools were not heated (indoor is) so it was pretty cold water. I think the ocean was warmer! They have their own beach which is great because there is also a jetty so the waves are not so big. Perfect for swimming in the sea.

📷: the kiddie pool (this is sectioned off and the adult pool with pool bar is next to it).

What was really sweet as I think we were also one of the few families with kids on the property was when the staff came at night for turn down service (they usually just give us chocolate) and gave us a jar of honey for Abigail’s cough. So thoughtful – thank you Royal Apollonia 

Visiting the capital, Narcosia, was pretty neat. We got to see more locals, have a typical Greek lunch, and do some shopping (no, we didn’t bring home a bird!).

 

📷: We had to get another Bebeaulait muslin infinity nursing scarf as she is constantly seeing Addison in it and wants to be just like mommy.

Travel tip: bring a scarf (muslin would be ideal since it folds up so compact in your bag) as it comes in handy in so many ways for you and your little.

📷: See you later Mediterranean Sea. 💟: Thrilled to wear my Bellaha flip flops to see the world. This shop gives back to support infant and maternal health around the world. Win, win ladies – pretty and comfy sandals that give back!

Cheers for now and thanks for reading. xx

Time Flies.

In exactly one month, we will be leaving London. My hubs and I both love to travel so when there was a rotation to work abroad, he jumped on it. It was somewhat of a quick decision to leave our California home behind but we knew it was a good time to go on this adventure across the pond. 

We came here to see the world and mission accomplished for the 2 years here. Abigail has been to 21 European countries while out here (22 after our upcoming trip to Cyprus!). She won’t remember more than half of them since she started remembering just under 3 years old. Some highlights she recalls are pooping in the snow in Finland, riding the camels in Morocco, and biking in Prague. 

Anyhow, getting misty eyed about leaving London so cheers for now and leaving you with a picture of Abigail at the now gone – love lock bridge in Paris. We had a lock placed for my Dad to watch over/join us on our adventures that he didn’t get a chance to do. xoxo 

P.S. It was also to get on one of my favorite shows House Hunters International on HGTV. If you didn’t get a chance to see and have a good laugh (acting is tough!), check it out on my website under sprinkles. 



Milkaholic.

I think about you all day, everyday. How much will you make today?  When will you be replenished?  What should I wear for easy access?  Where will you be consumed? Anything I should eat or drink? Mamas – do you get me? Boys – see what we go through? 

Soo, here is what I discovered on what we can eat & drink to up our supply. Disclaimer: this is what worked for me, but we all know everybody is different. 

I have the 3 things I ate/drank that I believe did the trick. 

Boobbix lactation cookies – I found a delicious company called Boobbix and they ship worldwide!  Katie started making these delicious cookies because she saw that USA made these but here in the U.K. It was harder to come by. So true since I didn’t discover I could eat cookies to produce more milk until my 5th week. 

These cookies are tasty (4 flavors) and now I don’t feel bad with this dessert I have daily. Oatmeal chocolate is my personal favorite out of the 4. They’re so tasty my little wants a bite too. 

Panda bear having some milk dreams while mum has a crazy sweet tooth. 

Seaweed – this can be made as a soup (popular for Koreans) or salad. I prefer the Japanese style wakame salad. I made the sauce with the following ingredients: 

• Wan Ja Shan ponzu sauce
• Wan Ja Shan rice vinegar
• Sugar
• Sesame oil 
• Sesame seeds

Malt beer – of course the one I’m consuming is an U.K. Brand but any malt beer will do. These are non-alcoholic, caffeine free with a high content of Vitamin B. Tasty without the alcohol in it sadly. 

And since seaweed salad and malt beer aren’t easy to pack for travels, these Boobbix cookies worked its magic on our recent holiday to Spain. I barely supplemented and nursed with my bebeaulait infinity muslin scarf. #thankyou for minimizing my cleaning of bottles!

Cheers for now and thanks for reading about #momlife in this post. xx