1. What I’m Watching: The Handmaid's Tale. If you haven't watched it, do yourself a favor and binge.
2. What I’m Reading: I just downloaded a thriller called The Perfect Mother. I'm a little scared to read it and have crazy thoughts run through my head, but I also think it might be normalizing in some ways? I don't know. It was on the top charts on Amazon and on Apple so I figured it was a worth it.
3. My Current Obsession: Coconut Milk Ice Cream. This one from SoDelicious is my fave.
4. Favorite Beauty Find: Selah Skin Studio's products are seriously amazing. They sent me some samples for Mother's Day and I cannot begin to tell you how amazing my skin feels. Try the serum - I mix it in with my foundation or I wear it on its own with some undereye concealer and my skin looks amazing.
5. What I’m Wearing: ​These high waist culottes from H&M. Totally outside of my comfort zone, but my mom was wearing them one day and I complimented her on them. She gave them to me for Mother's Day and I decided I should definitely learn to rock them, and guess what? I feel awesome in them!
6. Best Meal I Ate: We ate a delicious meal at Amara at Paraiso. It's also got some beautiful views. We ordered several things to share, but some standouts were the crispy octopus and the wood grilled calabaza with coconut pesto.
7. What I can’t stop humming: We're still on a Greatest Showman kick over here!
8. Favorite Purchase This Month: This baseball cap. It describes my life perfectly.
9. What I’m Most Looking Forward to Next Month: Some quality time with both kids, our cousin visiting from Luxembourg, and Chloe's baptism!
10. Wish List Item: Is it weird that I don't have one right now? I mean, I guess that's when you know you have everything you could want and more, right?

xoxo,

​Jenise

When we moved into this house, we knew that there were a lot of things we wanted to do to it, including basically doubling it in size. When we were having the plans drawn up for the addition, which included our master suite, I really wanted my closet to include a vanity somehow. That was the original plan, but once it was built, I realized the space wouldn't work for a vanity. So I put it off because there was always something going on. 

For a while, we had an exercise machine in the corner of our bedroom, and we recently sold it because it had become a glorified towel rack. I finally decided I wanted the vanity enough that I started to do the research for it. I convinced Eddie that it would be a beautiful corner in our room and that it would make a space that had been wasted for so long finally useful. 

He agreed, and I got to work picking everything out. It took me a few weeks to settle on the actual vanity, which is actually a writing desk. And once Target came out with their Opalhouse line, I knew what I would use for accents. 

I ordered two toothbrush holders to hold my makeup brushes, and a soap dish holds my perfumes. I also ordered a drawer organizer and a magnifying mirror from Amazon (you can find it on myAmazon Influencer page). 

I've been able to sit and do my makeup quite a few times, but it's really a space that just brings me joy. I walk into our bedroom and it's the first thing I see, and it's a pretty, feminine space that goes so well with the rest of the room. The space feels very glamorous, and there's nothing this mama loves more than a chance to feel a little glam (cause Lord knows I don't get to glam up every day). 

Dress is New York & Company. 

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The other evening, we had an event at Caleb's school. It was a mass and reception. I had bought these gaucho pants a couple weeks before, and I had been wanting to wear them for something. I usually default to jeans, but for certain occasions I like to switch it up, and I wanted to dress up a little. Because I am still nursing, most dresses are pretty tough to manage, so I'm wearing a lot of two piece outfits these days, for easy access.  These linen gauchos are really pretty and so comfy. The linen is soft and not scratchy at all, and the elastic waist is pretty much heaven sent!

I also had these slides that I purchased before Chloe was born. I've worn them a few times, and they are so comfortable. I really like the idea of mixing prints, but I'm always a little hesitant as to how to make it work. I feel like a great way of easing into mixed prints is by using a printed shoe.  

Another tip for mixing prints: Stick to the same color palette. This works because they are both blues. But I do love the red floral accent on the shoes, and I tied it all together by wearing a red lip.

The blouse I've had for a long time, but I love the subtle lacy detailing in the front and the V in the back. I finished off the look with some navy blue tassel earrings and a blue envelope clutch. 

I'd wear this look again in a heartbeat, maybe for a meeting, or for brunch even - it's a pretty versatile look that is cool and comfortable, but still looks put together. 

And since I know you guys really just come here to see my kids... 

Keep it cool, babes. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

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A couple of months ago, I was reorganizing drawers in the kitchen, and it struck me just how much of Caleb had creeped into our neat, pre-kid lives. It was something silly. I opened the utensil drawer to take stock of what we had and do a little spring cleaning, and the contrast of our dark-handled flatware alongside all of Caleb's brightly colored utensils was just really poignant to me. 

Obviously I have children. I know this because there are toys strewn about the house, and the laundry is filled with tiny socks and tiny underwear and because I spend more of my days talking about superheroes than I ever thought imaginable. But it was in that utensil drawer that the scope of motherhood really hit me. It was then that I realized just how much motherhood had changed me. 

That drawer represented our lives before Caleb, and with Caleb in it. 

Before having children, everything was neat, and uniform, and orderly. We picked up the house and it stayed picked up for longer than 5 minutes. We made a schedule for the day and we could stick to it. We made plans and didn't have to throw them out the window because a little one woke up sick. I could get home from work and watch whatever TV shows I wanted, or go to the gym, or take a nap. Generally, I had my life together. But eventually, that life was a little bit empty, and our souls ached for something more. I remember watching TV with Eddie one day and saying to him, "Our house is lovely, but you know what's missing? The sound of tiny feet on the wood floors." 

And after kids? Like the drawer, life is colorful. It might be messy, but it's filled with joy and color and laughter.  Life has changed, and so have I. I've learned to embrace the toys and the color that appear in every corner of the house. I've learned that every day will be different, and that most will never go exactly as planned. I watch shows that make my child happy. I make a fool of myself to make my child laugh. I am stronger than I have ever been in my life - not because I go to the gym, but because I spend all day running around after a toddler, and carrying an infant seat around town. I don't nap most days, but I do value my rest like never before. Once highly insecure, I now know that there is nobody in the world who knows my children better than I do.  I feel emotions with more intensity, and I am more fiercely protective of my family than I have ever been of anything. I have learned that our hearts can expand immeasurably, and love multiplies when you need it to. I am different, because my children have changed me. The house is filled with the sounds of little feet and little voices, and it was exactly what the house needed to feel full and complete. 

It took a silly drawer to come to that realization, but I'm so glad I did. Because instead of wishing for the life I once had, it made me recognize how much I have grown. And that drawer? I'm not quite sure I'll ever have the heart to reorganize it. 

xoxo, 

Jenise

Did you enjoy this post on motherhood? If so, be sure to check out the posts linked below. These ladies are all amazing and they have their own thoughts on motherhood that I'm sure you will enjoy! 

This past Sunday, while Eddie was off at a course, I decided I was going to brave our local Publix store by myself with both kids. I had a little anxiety about it, but there were a few things we were out of and I didn't want to place another delivery order. I had promised Caleb that we would make Hulk Muffins this week, and I needed some of the ingredients for that. Plus, I really wanted to use my Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock. 

As shown in the image above, putting your child's infant seat in the seat that is meant for older children is a really unsafe way to go about doing your groceries. It throws off the cart's balance and can easily lead to the cart tipping over and the infant seat falling (super scary, right?). When Caleb was a baby, I remember getting so frustrated when I went grocery shopping, because his infant seat took up the entire basket area of the cart, so I was really limited in the amount of groceries I could buy. 

But with the Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock, I was able to save tons of space in the cart. I was even able to put things under Chloe while she was in there. Caleb loved being able to see his little sister, and it really did make the shopping trip that much more pleasant since I knew she was safe and I didn't have to limit my groceries too much. The hammock fits most standard grocery carts, holds up to 50 pounds, and if you don't feel comfortable having your baby in the hammock on it's own, you can actually fit a standard infant carrier in the hammock, which frees up all that space for you under the infant seat. You can safely use it until baby is sitting up on their own.

The hammock clips onto the sides of the grocery cart with two plastic clips, and you secure it with a velcro strap on both sides. I felt like Chloe was really secure in there! There is also a safety harness to keep the baby in place. 

So even though Chloe did decide to melt down at the very end of the shopping trip and let the entire store know how hangry she really was, the shopping trip leading up to that point was as smooth as I could have expected it to be thanks to this nifty little invention. 

Want a Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock of your own? Shop this affiliate link and get 10% off your order! This also makes a pretty awesome gift for a new or expecting momma. 

The biggest reason we went to the grocery store was to make Hulk Muffins for Caleb. I made these once before and documented the process so I could publish on the blog, and I'm glad I documented it then and not this time, because this time was an epic failure. I decided to sub out whole wheat flour for coconut flour, and let's just say it was a dry crumbly mess. Apparently coconut flour is super absorbent and you need to use way less of it and more eggs, and I had no idea, so we had a failure this time around. But the first time around, they were a yummy hit. They are green because they are loaded with spinach, and they are sweetened with applesauce, so they're not loaded with sugar.

They were so much of a hit that one evening, Caleb ate FOUR of them (and then refused dinner, which was fine by me). So if you have a picky eater, you may want to give these a try! We call them Hulk Muffins because he's obsessed with anything related to super heroes, and he got to watch them grow in the oven like the Hulk does. But they would work well with a ton of other names. I actually had him help me with the process and he really enjoyed it! 

Recipe originally from Pretty Providence
Servings: 18 muffins

Ingredients
​
Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

• 1 large banana
• 2-3 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk or almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• green food coloring (optional)

Glaze

• 1-2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• green food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray and cupcake liners, if using. 
2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
3. Add wet ingredients to a blender. Puree until very smooth. 
4. Mix wet ingredients in with dry ingredients until there are no lumps. Add green food coloring if you want a darker green color. 
5. Spoon batter into the muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. While muffins are cooling, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1/4 cup milk and green food coloring. Whisk until smooth. Add more powdered sugar as needed until it's the right thickness and consistency for a glaze. 
7. Drizzle cooled muffins with glaze. 
8. Enjoy one (or if you're Caleb, FOUR)!

xoxo, 

​Jenise