Life Lately Archives | happily trista

March 22, 2020

motherhood photo session with rachel clem

This photo session was provided free of cost by Rachel Clem in exchange for a blog post detailing our experience. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We haven’t had professional photos taken since my maternity pictures while I was pregnant with Sloane. I’ve really been wanting to get some taken, other than the 1947 I take of her per day, so when Rachel of Rachel Clem Photography reached out about shooting a motherhood session, I jumped at the chance. Rachel has a client wardrobe with lots of beautiful, neutral pieces that all fit well…

March 12, 2020

Easter basket ideas for girls

I had so many people share great ideas with me for Easter basket fillers that aren’t candy. I had a few things I knew would make good fillers (bandaids, chalk, bubbles) but there were lots of other great ideas. Most said they use it as an opportunity to get anything their kids will need for spring and summer. So, I wanted to share what I’ll be filling up…

October 8, 2019

Sloane’s birth story: my second VBAC

Happy due date, baby girl! A week ago we were heading to the hospital, hoping we would be meeting the final member of our family soon. I had contractions every day throughout the last 8ish weeks of my pregnancy. Some days they were intense, they just never got close together. FINALLY, on 10/1, at exactly 39 weeks, they stayed consistently five minutes apart for an hour while we…

October 1, 2019

fall family maternity pictures

We did our maternity pictures with the same photographer that did them before Ben was born and we are so happy with how they turned out. We took them 9/20, so just at the end of my 37th week of pregnancy. It was a bit humid, but she got them taken quickly and we barely broke a sweat! I am glad we waited until further along in my…

July 10, 2019

things to do as a family in Bloomington, MN

We wanted to use the long Fourth of July to get out of town as a family. Knowing we’ll be welcoming a new baby in just a few, short months, we’re wanting to make the most of our time together as a family of four. We decided to take a roadtrip to Bloomington, MN, the home of Mall of America. And gosh there are so many things to…

June 25, 2019

free splash pads in the quad cities

Last year I discovered the convenience of the splash pad. I don’t have to get in the water with my kids like I do when we go to the pool, which makes getting us ready and out the door easier. They still get to run around and work off energy, but I don’t have to commit to spending hours in the water. The best part? There are quite…

April 20, 2019

our pledge to stop drinking bottled water

This post is sponsored by Brita, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

2,000 plastic water bottles are used every second in the US. Let that sink in. Drinking water is really the ultimate healthy choice, yet it is one that is trashing our planet. Plastic water bottles take 450 years to decompose and by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Thinking about the health of our planet can be overwhelming. What can one small person…

April 13, 2019

blaire turns 5 | ben turns 2

This spring both of our babies have celebrated their birthdays, with Blaire turning five and Ben turning two. They both have such strong-willed personalities. They LOVE to play together, but also play well separately because, well, they both want to get their own way. I hope Ben always enjoys having multiple mothers because Blaire is always watching him. She inspects the age for every toy he gets, even…

March 13, 2019

safety checklist with First Alert: 8 things to do in your new home

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. First Alert 10-year sealed battery alarms offer hassle-free protection that helps keep your home and family protected for a decade! #LiveWithA10

First Alert 10-Year Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm

I can’t believe it… we are finally in our new home! As you know, I am super cautious when it comes to the safety of my family. For me, that meant creating and going through a safety checklist to make sure everything was in order before we spent our first night in our new home. Replace smoke detectors. There is no way to know when the batteries were…

December 30, 2018

my miscarriage / pregnancy of unknown location

2018 was a rough year, full of ups and so many downs. Never did I guess it would end with a miscarriage. Hearing my blood test was positive and I was pregnant was the most exciting day of this year. Hands down. The nurse said my number was a little low for being 5 weeks, but not to stress. 4 days later I got back the results from…

November 26, 2018

12 easy holiday traditions for your family

This post is sponsored by RMHC, Inc® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

When I think about the holidays, I think of spending quality time together with my family. Even though we have only been married five and a half years, Blaire was born only a few days before our first wedding anniversary, so we have had the past four and a half years to build traditions together for our own little family. And honestly, they all just came about naturally.…

November 15, 2018

the value of $160 for your family

This post is sponsored by Vanguard but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

One of the hardest parts of adulting is dealing with your finances. Sure, I can think of a few people who are good at it, but do they like it? No. If they didn’t have to do it, would they? Nope.In our family, Jason is the saver and I’m the spender. He is SO good at need vs. want, and me, well if I want it then I…