Paleo chocolate cake

I got a few requests for the recipe to this Paleo chocolate cake I've been raving about on Instagram, so I wanted to put the recipe link up here. I found it here, but the original recipe is here.

It was super easy to make and tasted delicious, especially with whipped cream on top. If you love dark chocolate, this cake is definitely for you. Also, it's made with coconut flour instead of white flour, dates and applesauce instead of sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter. How healthy is that?!

Give this cake a try and let me know what you think.

xoxo,
Tanya

She hates it I think

 7 days old

first bath

Obviously you can tell this little girl does not enjoy bath time. In fact, she pretty much hates it. Other things she hates:

• diaper changes; starts crying the minute I start unsnapping her clothes
• waiting to be fed because she needs it NOW
• baby wipes; I have been using warm wash cloths instead
• getting her cord wiped down with rubbing alcohol
• changing clothes
• bottles
• pacifiers are a love/hate relationship; she makes a horrified face and tries to push it out of her mouth, but being able to suck on something helps her fall asleep
• being anywhere but home

Things she loves:

• nursing
• sleeping in someone's  anyone's arms
• nursing
• more nursing

That about sums up this little girl. She is turning out to be a little spitfire...we shall see her true colors as she gets older, but I have a feeling she has a fiery side. 

I can see Naomi's wrinkly skin filling out now that she is over three weeks old, and her cheeks are definitely rounder. Plus, she's not swimming in her clothes, so she must have gotten longer as well. She just keeps getting longer instead of wider! 

I had a moment a couple days ago where I realized Naomi has changed in her face and looks older all of a sudden, and I got really sad that this infant phase is so insanely short. It just flies....but...I'm basically over it now. I just had to remind myself that I kind of can't wait for every milestone and every stage of babyhood, and her growing up isn't a bad thing for either of us. Sometimes I gotta remind myself that the present is right where I'm supposed to be.

xoxo, 

Tanya

May on my phone

I feel like my Instagram posts are getting longer and longer, probably because I have been taking more pictures with my phone versus my SLR. I know this is bad and I really need to pull my big camera out more, but the phone is just so darn easy!

Starting in June I think I'm going to start blogging with some of my iPhone pictures throughout the month, and whatever is left over will go in the monthly Instagram post. This will spread everything out more. There were so many shots of May that I wanted to use, so I'm just dumping them all on here. Because I can. :)

1. a chilly but springy day. 2. 38 week bump 3. blondie in the car 4. getting iced drinks again 5. salad 6. still on my organizing frenzy 7. strawberries and fresh whipped cream 8. shopping 9. park time 10. sleeping so deeply 11. 39 week bump 12. it's warm enough for water! 13. they love their dad 14. snowballs from my mama 15. Mother's Day breakfast in bed 16. out to linner with gifts for our moms (lunch/dinner) 17. paper mache bowls about to happen 18. a beautiful musical performance 19. among the mannequins 20. dinner is served 21. working on the nursery 22. toy display in the play room 23. welcome naomi!! 24. and she's home!! aahhhhh...feels good 25. three days new 26. four days new 27. flowers from visitors 28. everyone wants to hold her 29. my man with my baby 30. nursing our days away 31. reading nook 32. water guns and lollipops on the last day of school!

May was a crazy month with lots of to-do lists that kept me on track and accomplishing things before Naomi's arrival. I was kind of a crazy lady hauling things in and out of the house and yard and who knows what, thinking maybe all that activity would make the baby come faster. Well, no such luck, but at least I got a bunch of things crossed off that list. Because right now, I'm not getting ANYthing done. I can barely brush my teeth and get my makeup on, and I rely on B for basically everything else right now. He is officially Mr. Mom. It got really stressful at the end of the month with the end of school and Naomi being so little, but school getting out right after--it was just perfect timing. Now I can sleep in if I need to and I have absolutely nowhere to be at any given time. It's great!

Looking back at these pictures, I feel like the ones in early May happened ages ago. So much has happened and our lives are so different from then to now that it just doesn't seem possible it was just a month ago. Time plays tricks on us that way, that's for sure. Also, seeing those belly shots reminds me how wonderful it is to not be pregnant anymore!!! Lots of things to be grateful for over here, most of all our sweet Naomi girl.

xoxo,
Tanya

The French know how to do it right

I have been a bit obsessed with a new website I discovered called The Socialite Family. It features the real homes of French families (versus styled shoots that magazines do), but it looks like now they're doing homes in the US too. There's a recent one in New York. I have always found France to be quite dreamy, with their gorgeous, fashionable people, beautiful architecture, bakeries, and the beautiful apartments with those tall windows and pretty balconies. Those apartments are quite dreamy with their white walls and pretty details on the walls and ceilings. I would not mind living there at all.

Visiting France is definitely high on my list, but for now I'm enjoying looking in on how those beautiful French people live. I particularly love how you can tell the homes on the Socialite site are lived in, with piles and clutter and ragged furniture that has seen better days. It's definitely more relatable than a shiny magazine spread, but still really inspirational. Take a look for yourself.

xoxo,
Tanya

Making messes

A simple activity to do with your kids on a boring summer afternoon--hand them a can of shaving cream and a cookie sheet and let them go to town. We did this back in April, and the kids loved it. I know I would have loved doing something like this as a kid. A fun variation would be to add drops of food coloring and swirl it together to make it colorful, but I didn't want to deal with the clean up and stains, so we kept it simple.

The kids have been out of school now for a week, and we haven't been able to really enjoy summer break yet because all my attention is on Naomi. Hopefully we can start getting out and doing things as a family soon, as Naomi will be a little older. We don't have any vacation plans this summer, so I want to really make a point of exploring our city and surrounding areas and doing all the things the kids always ask to do and I say, "Later."  

I have been spending my days at home since Naomi was born, and have ventured out only several times in the last two weeks. It's been nice to live life at a slower pace right now--it's a welcome change. I made it out to Target yesterday, which was the most ambitious trip yet since it took the longest. Naomi wasn't too happy to be there, but thank God for pacifiers. It was my first time alone with all four kids, and it wasn't too bad, so there is hope for me yet. I'm easing into this mom of four thing slowly. :)

The weather has been in the low 90s lately, and the kids got to enjoy it today at the pool with B while Naomi and I stayed home. Then my mom spoiled us again and brought dinner over, and we ended the night with ice cream cones at Dairy Queen. I'm feeding Naomi as I type this, and I'm hoping she falls asleep so I can get some alone time with B tonight. I miss hanging out on the couch together after the kids are in bed. And I really miss date night. Hopefully we can start that up again soon. It's been all about this little lady 24/7 for the past couple weeks!

I am spending lots of one-on-one time with Naomi since she loves to nurse. She is filling out her clothes more now, so she's growing, but it seems she's just getting longer instead of fatter. :) She started smiling in her sleep about a week ago, and I can't wait till she smiles at me when I talk to her. She loves to be talked to and loves to be held. Her cord fell off on day 12 or 13, I don't remember which. I opened her onesie up to change her diaper one morning, and I noticed right away--no cord! I found it laying around in her clothes. She hates baths, especially her very first one. She also has more hair than any of our other babies, who were all born bald and all stayed bald for two years. So that's a little update on our sweet pea. I need to get the camera out tomorrow and get some pictures of her before she decides to grow some more on me.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

xoxo,
Tanya

Smitten

Naomi at five days of age 

We have all been pretty enamored with this tiny thing lately. I can't stop looking at her, watching all her facial expressions and those slow baby movements. The kids are always looking for an opportunity to hold their baby sister, and when they hear Naomi start crying, they bolt upstairs so they can see her before I shoo them out. When we're putting Olivia to bed at night, she needs to give Naomi a hug and kiss as part of her nightly ritual now. It's so great seeing how each of the older kids handles having a baby in the house, and so far, so good. I'm proud of all of them for understanding that I can't do everything for them these days like I used to. Hopefully soon things will settle down and I can start cooking and spending more time with the kids again.

Naomi at two days of age

xoxo,
Tanya

Happy birthday to my main man!

B,

Today on your birthday, I am more sentimental than other years. I want to make you understand more than other years how much you mean to me, and how much I appreciate and respect you as the head of our household. Our marriage has not always been easy, but we were never guaranteed that anyway. The important thing is we stuck it out, were open to learn and be better, and now our bond is stronger than ever before. I have watched you step up to the plate in many areas of your life, and as your relationship with God grew, so did your relationship with me and with the kids. It has been so fun to witness. We will be married for eleven years this month, which makes me feel so old, but it makes me feel better that you will always be older than me. :) Thank you for being my rock and grounding me when I start blowing things out of proportion. Thank you for working so hard for us, spending so much time at the shop so you can provide for us. Thank you for teaching our kids that nothing else matters other than their relationship with God. Thank you for the almost daily back scratches, even when you're falling asleep after a 14-hour workday. Thank you for being so easy-going and teaching me by example to let things slide off my back. I love when you thank me for dinner, when you can tell I need a hug and give me one, when you tell me I'm beautiful, and when you come home with coffee or chocolate for me--those days are the best! I hope this year is an awesome one for you, because you deserve it!

xoxo,
Tanya