roll call

I saw this on a few blogs lately and think it's a great idea to get to know your readers so I figure I'd give it a whirl!

Ok, so my name is Ally. I've been married to my husband Theo for almost 4 years in December, we've been together for 11 years total! yikes!, and we have a little boy named Oliver who will be 1 in October! I work as a registered nurse at an outpatient surgery center here in Charleston. 

Ok you're turn! Tell me who you are, what you do, where you live, and if you have any kiddos!

midweek musings

We watched a really good movie the other night, Sleeping with Other People. It definitely had some raunchy parts but overall it was a cute, romantic comedy. I highly recommend it!

We've really been enjoying our aquarium membership. Each time we go Oliver seems to notice more of what's going on and he loves to put his hands on the glass and try to catch the fish. Our aquarium is nothing like the Georgia Aquarium, the only other one I've been to, so I love having a membership knowing we can stop in anytime we don't feel guilty about not staying long. After visiting only two times with the membership, each visit after that is basically free. Can't beat that!

We're back to using Blue Apron and there is happiness again in our house! At first we felt like it was too much money and it took to long to make each night. But after one week without it we decided we missed it too much and rejoined. Everything we've eaten has been great, we rate them each night and we've rated all the meals at least a 6/10. There is nothing processed about it which I love and you can really tell that the food is fresh. Now that we're on our third week of using it, we've figured out our flow in the kitchen and have found ways to cut down on prep and cooking time. There is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and not have to worry about what we're having for dinner each night. I have three free trials I can give out if anyone is interested in joining, just leave your email address in the comments!

I'm almost finished with The Perfect Neighbors and it's so good you guys! I don't want it to end! What should I read next? I was thinking about reading If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison, anyone read it?

I saw this Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup on Instagram and now I'm craving it. I don't think I've used my crock pot since last fall!

I can not believe my baby will be turning 1 in 2 1/2 weeks! I think a lot about how my life was this time last year.  I remember walking out of my house with Theo for the last time as just the two of us on our way the hospital. One of our neighbors was walking by at the same time and she asked if I was going to have my baby now. It feels like it was just yesterday. I was so scared and excited, I had no idea what my life had in store for me with a new baby. I get so teary eyed thinking about it all. I'm going to be such a mess on his birthday!

Speaking of my baby, I have my first trip away from Oliver in December. It's crazy to think we haven't been away from each other once since he was born. We're going to NYC and I've never been but it's always been a dream of mine so I'm super excited. But I'm having a hard time finding time to research stuff to do and places to go. So tell me, where should we go? I have a running list in my phone of suggestions from people of what to do, well specifically where to eat which is what I'm most excited about! Any suggestions are welcome!

6 things i'm loving

Since having Oliver I really don't shop for myself anymore. I buy skincare and makeup but as for clothes, there's not much going on. I'm trying to change that and get a few new things for fall. Here's what has caught my eye lately:

These sandals are a great alternative for a fall shoe. Love the cutout detail and neutral color that makes it so versatile.

You can't go wrong with a tunic dress. This dress works great now with sandals and will look awesome with booties when it gets cooler.

A blouse with skinny jeans is my signature look come fall/winter. This one has a fun back!

I love that corduroys are in style again. I tend to only wear jeans, I'm boring!, so I'd love to add a pair of these to my closet. 

I've wanted to own a nice raincoat for years. Seriously the last raincoat I owned was a Gap Anorak in 1999. Do you remember those? They came in a bag and you slipped them over your head! Anyways, I think it's safe to say I'm due for a raincoat! 

I want a pair of sneakers that I can wear with leggings or jeans that aren't my nasty work shoes. These look so comfy and of course I love the neutral white color.

oliver at 11 months

And just like that I have an 11 month old. Oliver is one very active little boy and loves getting into everything. If it's dangerous, he's there. He plays hard but also sleeps hard so I can't complain! :) He's crawling everywhere, can stand without assistance for a few seconds, walks with the VTech Walker, gives high fives, claps, throws balls, and enjoys throwing his sippy cup and food on the ground. 

Clothes

He can still wear a few 9 month things, mostly in 6-12 month, and starting to wear his 12 month clothes. He's wearing 12 month pajamas and size 4 diapers.

Eating

He gets 3 bottles with 8 oz of formula in each. I've started putting 2-4 oz of formula in a sippy cup when he eats solids so when we drop the bottles at 1 year he isn't clueless about drinking milk out of it. He doesn't usually drink much so unfortunately a good bit of formula goes to waste. He eats breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack of solids. I still give him pureed food but he's starting to lose interest and only wants finger foods. So coming up with food ideas is getting a bit more challenging now!

Schedule

He wakes up anytime between 6:30-7am and gets an 8 oz bottle at 7 am. Then breakfast at 8 am. His first nap is 2.5 hours from when he woke up. 8 oz bottle at 11 am then lunch at 12 pm. Second nap is 3.5 hours after he woke from his first nap. He gets a snack at 3 pm. Dinner at 5:30 pm, 8 oz bottle at 6:30 pm, then bed at 7 pm.

Sleep

Oliver sleeps 11-12 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day. The naps are usually 1-1.5 hours, occasionally he'll sleep 2 hours.

Likes

Balls, he likes these sensory balls. He loves to put Pixie's disgusting blanket in his mouth and roll around with it. He enjoys going to stores and watching all the people and lights. He laughs whenever Theo walks in the room. He's starting to actually sit still and listen when I read him books. We transitioned to the big boy car seat this month, Maxi Cosi Pria 70, and he loves it. I thought he was fine in his infant seat but he's so much more content now in his new seat and never whines or cries. Just stares out the window in peace, it's wonderful!

Dislikes

Getting his diaper changed, getting his face wiped after he eats, when mommy and daddy leave the room and he's left with people he doesn't know. I come back and he's bawling, it's so sad!

five on friday

TGIF for real! I know it's been a short week but it's been a very long short week. It has not been the best week at work for me and I can't wait to recharge over the weekend and get a fresh start for next week. Here's to a great weekend!

one.

Beautycounter for Target comes out on Monday! I'm so excited and can't wait to stock up on smaller sizes of all my favorite products. This is a great time to sort of "sample" Beautycounter if you've been thinking about trying the line. I can't sing enough praises about how much I love their makeup and skincare. I don't sell it because I'm a horrible salesperson but I've definitely thought about it! Anyways, I'm really looking forward to getting the Nourishing Cleansing Balm, Cream Blusher in Hibiscus, the blush/bronzer duo and the Nourishing Cleansing Oil that's exclusive to Target, Charcoal Cleansing Bar and Mask and the Rose Water Mist. I bet everything will sell out fast so I plan on ordering my stuff online!

two.

Since we're on the topic of healthy skin products, the FDA has finally decided to get rid of the chemical triclosan that is in antibacterial soaps. They have found that the soap does more harm than good. It's known to be a hormone disruptor, cause liver toxicity, and birth defects, and that using good old fashioned soap and water works just as well! This is awesome news for us healthcare workers because triclosan is in all of the soaps in hospitals. This chemical is the reason I brought my own soap to work when I was pregnant. I didn't want to take any chances with my baby. The soap I use at home is always free of triclosan and other chemicals you want to avoid like sodium laurel sulfate, and parabens. I like to buy Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, you can actually use it to wash anything, it's an awesome soap!, Mrs. Meyer's, Seventh Generation, and Method.

three.

I shop at Amazon a lot. It really is the best isn't it? It's made me a total shipping snob too. If I have to order from somewhere else and it's going to be longer than 2 days, well I seriously think about not ordering it! So I recently heard about Smile.Amazon.com where 0.5% of your total goes toward an organization of your choice. It may not sound like a lot but every little bit helps and it doesn't cost you a thing. So why not do it? You don't have to stick to the same organization, you can change it as often as you like. I'm not always great about donating to good causes like I should but now that I know about Smile.Amazon I do! You just go to Smile.Amazon.com and type in your username and password. You have to remember to go onto "Smile" each time for the money to be donated.  

four.

There's still a good bit for sale on my Instagram account @shopoliverscloset

Check it out, this is only half of it!

five.

Somehow I thought it would be a great idea to have Oliver's first birthday at our house, we're inviting close to 45 people! Since we're going to be having all those people over, I've been looking for easy ways to revamp my house without spending a lot of money. Love this article I came across about Six Simple Ways to Make Your Home a Happier Place. I'm all about ways to increase calmness and decrease stress!

Have a great weekend!