Mommy Daughter Trip

I’ve always said I wanted to have a special bond with my first born (lucky me, she’s a girl too!) and we do although she literally drives me bonkers day in and out. I can’t even imagine how it will be as she gets older. 😭

Abigail and I took our first mommy daughter trip to San Francisco a couple weeks back. I also had my closest high school friends and their daughters join us. How time flies, I can’t believe I’ve known them for at least half my life. We like to call ourselves “joy luck club” and I sure hope that happens with us growing old and sharing many more moments together.

My high school friends and I have been to SF many times, but this was the first sans boys and with one of our kids. Some highlights/tips of the short trip (Friday mid afternoon arrival – Sunday 3pm departure).

We stayed at the Holiday Inn & Suites Fisherman’s Wharf for the location and it was a great choice to catch the tourist action by the pier. Holiday Inn has also upped their game and reputation in my opinion. It was clean, free breakfast, good WiFi, and spacious rooms. Good choice and cost! Give it a try – you’ll be pleased.

We too the BART in from SFO and was traveling in with 5 people. It may be more cost efficient and quicker to take Uber into the city. Each ticket cost $8.95 to get to Embarcedero. It also said it was going to Fisherman’s Wharf but nope, much further away. We ended up taking an Uber to the hotel from the Embarcedero stop which costs $28 (the Uber estimate from SFO – hotel said $60 approx). Lesson learned but we got some nice views of the city and architecture and layout of the streets of SF. 😉

 Before dinner, we stopped at Boudin’s bakery and get their famous and delicious bread.

Some more treats for the first night 😋😋😋

📷: Cornology – Get the truffle parmesan popcorn! So tasty.

📷: Sotto Mare – definitely get the scallops! The sauce is so so yummy!!

📷: Sweet and friendly service at Naia but nothing to rave about.

Saturday was filled with exploring, seeing old friends, and of course eating some good grub. We got to see the sunbathing sea lions, Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, cable cars, and Farmer’s market in the Ferry Building is a must!

📷: Twinning in Old Navy flannel tops. It’s crazy how their personalities shine in this photo.

📷: Porchetta sandwiches right outside the ferry building is delish! You can’t miss it with the line. My friend from the JET programme.  That is definitely one program to remember with all the traveling adventures we had.

📷: Look, my 3rd is already here. #iwish

📷: Yummy dessert shop – Miette Patisserie

📷: A with her godfather who has this cool scooter for his hurt foot. They love their Uppababy too!

Dinner was definitely not something to even note along with their service but we had some fun company that Abigail remembers very well that Aunt Jennifer is so much fun!

Dessert at the Baked Bear topped the charts with a warm brownie topped with ice cream and heath bar bits. #amazing

We ended the night with the oldest (8 years old) doing story time with her buddies. P.S. my children’s board books are all 50% off on www.ajangsley.com 📚 They come with some surprises in there as a well so it’s a perfect gift! Also, I’ll be donating twice as much this holiday season to the charity listed in each respective book. Collect all 8 of my alphabet books! xx

📷: twinning pajamas from Hanna Anderson

Quick Sunday brunch at the pier and sandwiches from Boudin’s (yes, again – I LOVE THAT PLACE!) before heading to our last stop – Lombard Street.

They’re in #dotdotsmile dresses. Super soft and perfect for twirling in.

Last funny of the trip I want to remember was our little threat they would be sent to “timeout island” if they didn’t listen to us. Guess where that is!

#goodtimes and the perfect mommy daughter trip. I lost BUT #jetblue found my sunnies and that literally made my day getting it in the mail a couple weeks later. Surprised and so incredibly thankful for Jetblue! #shoutout

Cheers for now and thanks for reading. Hope you’re all enjoying the holidays. This will be the last flying trip until baby #3 makes its debut.

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? 

Hamming in Hamptons.

Part 2 of our New York holiday ended perfectly with a gorgeous weekend in the Hamptons with our cousins. The iconic tall hedges and enormous homes was mesmerizing (so mesmerizing I forgot to take pictures!). 

We left the city earlier than everyone else so stopped at the famous Lobster Roll in Montauk from the showtime series, The Affair. Food was nothing to rave about but had a cute local ambiance to dining there. 

Did you know they have a Levain Bakery there too? Next to it is a good local seafood shop and the famous Goldberg’s bagels which I didnt get to try but heard it was delish! 

📷: Tried and true, you can freeze a cookie and when you’re ready to eat defrost and put in the oven for a bit and it’s just almost as good. 

We also went to the cutest and cleanest pumpkin patch ever – Hank’s Pumpkintown. Amazing fresh apple juice! 

Anyhow, I sure hope my kids are as close to my cousins as I am. #familyfirst 

 

Oh yes, wanted to add that at 14 weeks pregnant I went to Soul Cycle for the first time. Oh my gosh so tiring but survived with the good vibes and catching Brooke Shields when we were leaving from our class. I can now say I “spun” with Brooke. 😁

Cheers for now! Thanks for reading and yes this is a place you must visit – It must be even more lovely in the summer when it’s really pool and beach weather.  xx

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! 

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

A to the 4th.

The reunion of the kiddos this time around wasn’t as cool as going to New Zealand back in December 2016, but still a lot of fun to see them playing and conversing more with each other. They are growing up so fast!  When people said to cherish all the moments with them as it will fly by, they weren’t kidding. 

With a short socal holiday, we managed to squeeze in quality family time, Angel’s game, Legoland, San Diego Zoo, Carlsbad outlets, and of course In n’ out. 

Tips I got from these adventures: 

• Stay at Legoland hotel to get the full experience along with free parking. Btw – new Legoland hotel opening 2018. 
• Take the double decker bus at San Diego zoo if you’re looking to walk less and perhaps catch a glimpse of the animals.
• Check out the adorable pandas at the SD zoo. Only 4 zoos in the world have pandas!
• It’s still fun to go early to a baseball game (besides tailgating) with kids. Angels stadium is super nice and has lots of food.
• Since you’re “rolling” with kids, you can pretty much bring any food/drinks inside the parks.  
• Hmm – didn’t see any alcohol at Legoland. Plenty at the zoo and of course stadium. 
• Go shopping after these adventures if you’re wanting to spend less $$. 😜

📷: Getting a suite is a good option for a game for little ones to run around in. Suites include 12 seats. 

📷: belated #nationalsiblingday

📷: miniland of San Francisco is way cool. #mustsee

📷: spend only $.51 for a small souvenir of animal penny. Located at the exit of the zoo. 

📷: Feel free to brings snacks/drinks on the bus. It’s about a 35-40 minute ride. 

Good times with the munchkins and family as always. 

Cheers for now! 

P.S. No socal trip is complete without #innout 

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

Travel Bug is Back.

Baby Addison hit 6 weeks and we wanted a weekend getaway from London so we decided to go to Devon (about a 4 hour drive from central London – can be more with the painful traffic out of the city).

As now a family of 4, I started thinking early on what to pack for a 2 night trip with a newborn and 3 year old (I can’t forget myself too, but I did forget hub’s toiletries – apparently as wife you’re suppose to remember to bring his shaver and hair gel).

Newborn

• nappies
• wet wipes
• 4 outfits
• hat
• face towel
• nail clippers (oh so important at this stage!)
• sleep accessories (e.g. sound maker, sleepyhead, blankets/swaddles)
• Nuby bottles & pump

3 year old

• 3 outfits
• 3 undies & socks
• outerwear (something with a hood) and a scarf
• 1 pair of shoes
• pajamas & indoor slippers (once the weather is colder, they’re usually freshly picked moccasins to pack easily)
• blankie (I always bring a muslin blankie as they’re compact and makes my little feel at home)
• toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, face towel, lotion, shampoo, body wash, sunscreen)

And can you believe all of the above fit into our BabyBeau diaper bag?  This diaper bag has it all and its so stylish in grey.  One of the most unique qualities it has is the extra layer (silky soft material) inside to take out and wash should something spill inside the bag. Good thinking!

Furthermore, if you take out the extra layer to clean, there is still another zippered side pocket to put accessories in or if you just don’t want these compartments in the bag. I would probably put my ipad/laptop in this area with the extra layer if I didn’t use it as a weekend bag.

Compartments – there are also just enough compartments to find things quickly in BabyBeau. The 4 side compartments are soft on the hands when you’re sifting through the bag and a nice addition that it can be taken out easily should you just want to pack something that doesn’t need to be separated.

The diaper bag also came with a nice diaper changing pad (that didn’t actually fit in with BOTH my kiddos things) and insulated bottle holder – both lovely accessories to match the bag.  Inside the bag, there is also a detachable zippered pouch for small items (e.g. mommy items, snacks).

I would have to say this bag is definitely well thought out and can transition with your family and doesn’t even have to be called a diaper bag, but a weekend bag due to its size (to note, I wouldn’t call the bag lightweight, but hey – it’s canvas with leather).

BabyBeau Isabelle can be compacted to look smaller with the hooks on both sides of the bag. The bottom of the bag also has the 4 metal balls so the material isn’t touching sometimes dirty floors.

We travel light and only bring necessities, but we’re also lucky in that we (and the kids) don’t have special products that we can’t live without besides now the MiaMily hipster carrier.– a practical carrier where you can run some errands in and not have to bring a diaper bag as well. YAY!

We used ours for the first time this weekend and LOVE it. I didn’t have the original MiaMily carrier and used the Ergo with baby #1 so here are my thoughts.

• Infant insert is so soft and perfect size for my 6 week old to keep her nice and secure in there.  There are 2 snaps to adjust as your infant grows
• Carrier material is easy to clean and I was wearing a tank top so it didn’t hurt my shoulders or arms (no marks on me – it is also fall here in England so no feedback on hot weather, but for babe there is mesh lining inside which can be zippered down to be more breathable).
• Shoulder and waist straps are easy to clip together and velcro can be adjusted easily.
• Amazing feature is the zippered pouch below the seat of babe to put accessories in (e.g. bottle, diaper, phone, keys, snack) for some errands instead of bringing a bag. There is also a side mesh pouch to put a phone at – wow, MiaMily thought of everything!

Any cons you might be thinking? I would have to say – hot, humid weather may be rough with the carrier and babe in it since the carrier isn’t a cotton material.  Another thing is that it doesn’t fold into a super compact size, but it does come with a travel bag that can also fit the infant insert in it.

We chose to stay at an Airbnb for the weekend and found the cutest place – The Lakehouse. Our place overlooked our own little lake and it was so peaceful minus Addison crying a lot. The owner also had sheep, alpacas, pigs, and dogs which absolutely made Abigail’s weekend to play and see them. Beautiful countryside property and would highly recommend (one thing – bring your own toiletries, none provided).

These alpacas were insanely cute and soft.

Daddy and daughter selfie with the pigs (piglets in the back too).

We were going to do a baby animal petting zoo for Abigail’s 4th birthday, but seeing her with the cockapoos, probably not.

The property. – this building was a Roman bathhouse back in the day.

We also checked out the town before we left back to London in our Joovy. Abigail LOVES to roll in this as she can also keep a close eye on her baby sister. This double stroller is definitely more suitable in a spacious setting like here. Big perks – super smooth wheels, can put a car seat on it, and kickboard for toddler to stand on built in.

Loved our much needed weekend getaway and looking forward to our next adventure in October.

Cheers for now and thanks for reading. xx

Home Stretch.

OMG, 38 weeks pregnant and I should probably have my hospital bag packed and ready to go (along with bottles and baby products that go in the mouth sterilized and clothes/bibdanas/muslin blankies washed). Good thing my mum came in this past Saturday to help with my super chatty little bugaboo, Abigail. ♥️

Back to the hospital bag, I was finally able to talk to a doctor and nurse about the whole labor/delivery/after process (quite the waiting game at the hospital is what it looks like) and now I’m all set on what I need to bring/provide for baby girl NHS style.

• Nappies
• Hat
• Formula
• Clothes

Guess that’s everything (I won’t be needing a spare empty bag like the US). 😉

To note: private rooms can run to £800/night but being in the hospital ward (4 to a room) is free. Earphones/plugs – hello, I will need you.

No worries on bunking with other Brits as I’ll still make our stay comfy with some key items below.

• Lalabu soothe shirt – I can’t wait to baby wear my newborn. Also, they’re an amazing shop, they give 2% of all sales back to moms in Africa, supporting mom entrepreneurs through micro-finance. I can’t wait to use my shirt with my little as the material is so soft. They also just came out with new colors. 😍
• Belly bandit bamboo wrap – I recommend the bamboo material as its much softer and we’re so sensitive in that area with just giving birth. I also got the belly shield to apply oils and lotions since sadly I did not get the lucky genes of stretchy perfect skin to keep my wrap clean.
• Small Stuff bibdana to keep baby clean and styling 
• Thebobbinbelle Muslin swaddle and Muslin blankie – I can’t rave enough how this new small shop has the cutest designs.  This mama also does custom ones so definitely ask! The blankie is approximately 45″ x 45″ so something even my now 3 year old still uses.
• Nuby breast pump – Oh so portable and looks easy to use. I know the hospital will provide a pump should I need it, but figured I will bring to get used to this new device.

  • Digital Breast Pump has won the 2016 Prima Baby Magazine SIlver Award for the best electric breast pump.

• Anna Crochet Knit panda bear beanie – found this sweet mama on Instagram and she takes custom orders as I’ve been getting so many panda bear prints (monochrome love). If you’re interested, her email is anna.crochet.knit@gmail.com
• TWELVE little changing pad – this one came with my diaper backpack and has 12 different animals on it to represent one year of the 12-year cycle based on the Chinese zodiac. The year the person is born determines their animal sign. Curious which animal you are? Check here.
• Wubbanub hippo – Abigail loved hers so we figured we would get one for baby.  With the stuffed animal attached to the pacifier, it helps to not fall far away from baby
• Motherlove nipple cream – I swear by this from Abigail. All organic ingredients. LOVE
• Footed onsies – I even got zippered ones just to make my life a lot easier. 

Of course, even with the new baby girl coming, we want to make sure Abigail isn’t forgotten and always my #1 bugaboo. We took her out and about with a new dress from Petit Peony and she was ecstatic (she insists on wearing a dress daily – rain or shine). I hope this dress-loving toddler lasts forever. 👗

We are swooning over Petite Peony for a couple reasons that will get you to fall in love with this mama of three.

• She donates to children from Room To Grow (I also donate 25% of my net proceeds from my F is For Fox book to this amazing non-profit! #lovebooksbyAJ)
• Petit Peony‘s designs are a modern take on classic designs
• This mama’s shop is in over 85 boutiques in US and was also just featured in British Vogue August issue. Awesome!
• They only use 100% premium and organic cotton.

📷: Background of the Shard – the tallest building in London.

📷: I thought this would be my favorite #bfgdreamjars piece to bid on but looks a lot different live. More on the dream jar trail (see previous post).

📷: Walking the line on Tower Bridge

📷:: A little break at this cool and yummy establishment. 1st floor – tavern, 2nd floor – pizzeria, 3rd floor – grill.  We ate at the pizzeria and enjoyed a nice outdoor view with tasty food!

📷: Seriously, moms helping moms on getting a reversible wrap dress – two dresses in one. Stains be gone in a flash.

📷: Cheers for now and thanks for reading. xx