Instagram

  • these first few smiles are literally the best thing ever. when you realize how happy you make a tiny person. when you see their face light up because they love you so much. then you fast forward 2.5 years and they’re demanding brownies and cheetos for lunch. 😬😬😬 #sixweeksold #happilytrista
  • (sponsored) When you become a parent, there are so many new things to learn about and I feel like each person latches on to something they’re passionate about / can’t stop reading and learning about. For me? That’s car seats! Thankfully some states are finally updating their laws to conform to recommendations from the APA. We have tried quite a few different seats and this 3-in-1 Pria seat from @maxicosiusa is the nicest! The chest clip is magnetic, making it easy to clip and unclip with one hand. The straps stay in place thanks to their out-of-the-way spring assist, so no more twisted up straps. And the cushions are both washer AND dryer safe! Yay for no more hang-drying! On top of that, it’s rear-facing up to 40lbs, forward-facing up to 65lbs and then a booster up to 100lbs. #ParentYourWay #PriaMax3in1 #happilytrista
  • 6 weeks of this angel girl ✨ She is still waking up once over night most nights. She just started smiling at us these past few days. She loves tummy time but rolls herself over all of the time so we have to roll her back. She loves to be worn and snuggled. And we have to restrain her brother from kissing her 193739 times per day. 🤪 #happilytrista #newborn #sixweeksold #fourthtrimester
  • We are currently paying the price for last week’s easy bedtimes. I’m trying to get Ben to sleep in his own room. So you can guess how happy he is about that. His yelling has Blaire awake still, she’s been out of her room about 25 times. And Sloane is passed out on the couch. At least someone is asleep. They’re lucky they’re adorable because holy moly I’m tired and just want to veg out on the couch. #gotheftosleep #blairebenandsloane #happilytrista
  • Yesterday was almost 60° and today it “feels like” 21°. We had a handful of fall days and it’s not fair because I’m not ready to skip right to winter. There’s nothing better to get us all out of the house than a walk, especially because wearing Sloane puts her right to sleep. Anywho, trying to squeeze in a nap before we get Blaire from school because once we get home it’ll be a mad dash for me to shower and get everyone ready for Blaire’s first kindergarten parent/teacher conference. AND it’s book fair at her school. Who still gets excited for the book fair? 🤭🙋🏼‍♀️ #happilytrista
  • someone changed out of their pajamas today. it wasn’t me. #happilytrista #rainbowbaby
  • daylight savings vibes... casually pouring coffee in my eyes today. what time were your kiddos awake? #dst #daylightsavingssucks #happilytrista #targetstyle
  • Sorry if this made you yawn. 🤭 I just love that Sloane feels the sleep dust when I’m wearing her, just like Benny did! 💕 Hope you’re having a weekend as great as this girl. She is one month old today! Still waking just at 1:30am most nights to eat... occasionally around 5am, too. When she’s awake she likes to look at lights and stare at mama. Whenever she does tummy time she rolls right over to her back. 🥰 #happilytrista
  • Tried some Pinterest-y nail art while the two older kids were at school this morning... and I’m ready to remove and do something a little less crazy when they’re all in bed tonight. 🤪 Real wild Friday night plans, am I right? • #nailsofinstagram #nailsoftheday #essie #manimonday #happilytrista
  • Sloane’s first Halloween... the one where it snowed 3 inches and was 20° outside. Woody and Jessie lasted about 30 mins trick-or-treating, then they wanted to head home to hand out candy. What was the weather like where you live? And how many pieces of candy do people give out where you trick-or-treat? Here, it’s a tie between “choose two pieces” and “grab a handful.” #blairebenandsloane #halloween #halloween2019 #happilytrista
  • ...when your mom takes too long in @target. Realized when we got out to the car that his binky was lost somewhere in the store. 20 mins into bedtime tonight I FINALLY found one in a diaper bag. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 #tristalovestarget #happilytrista #terribletwos
Explore

toddler

August 14, 2019

an honest review of raddish: a cooking box for kids

kids cooking in the kitchen

Some of my favorite memories as a kid are in the kitchen with my mom. Half the time the things I was “cooking” were not edible. But she’d let me measure and mix and create to my heart’s content. Then there were times she cooked and I was able to help her by adding in some of the ingredients and I felt so grown up. When we received…

Continue Reading
1
July 22, 2019

fall clothing for toddler boys

I always thought shopping for boys would never be as much fun as shopping for a little girl. I was so wrong! It may be over 90° here, but I have already seen such cute pieces for fall popping up and the deals are good! I just couldn’t help but round up some of my favorites that I’ve spotted so far. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4…

Continue Reading
0
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…

Continue Reading
1
April 13, 2019

blaire turns 5 | ben turns 2

Blaire & Ben at Wallace's

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…

Continue Reading
0
February 15, 2019

indoor fun at altitude trampoline park

Altitude Trampoline Park

We went to our local Altitude Trampoline Park for the first time and the kids had so much fun! I wasn’t sure how much Ben would like it, since he isn’t quite two yet. And while we wasn’t the best jumper, he LOVED the foam pits. We were there for about 60 seconds before he dove right in to one and climbed all the way over to the…

Continue Reading
1
January 13, 2019

ben: 19 months

Ben 19 Months

Weight/Height: 22.5lbs /  32″ Wearing: 18 months / 18-24 PJS and 12 mo or 18 month clothing.  Saying: My favorite things he is saying right now are “K!” and “Ya!”  Favorite Things: His sister, anything I’m trying to drink. I love that he is always thinking about his sister. He always gets in the fridge and gets an apple sauce for both of them, then runs the apple sauce over to…

Continue Reading
0
December 31, 2018

easy, healthy snacks for toddlers on the go

Ben Eating Mott's Apple Sauce

I thought it took me forever to get out of the house before becoming a mom. Boy, was I in for a surprise. When you have young kids, packing up to leave the house can be overwhelming. You have an overflowing bag, yet feel like you’re forgetting something. When we’re running out the door, I don’t have time to wash a sippy cup or pack up a bowl of…

Continue Reading
0
December 3, 2018

christmas pjs for babies, toddlers & kids

Blaire and Ben making pancakes

Holiday pajama time has to be one of my favorite times of the year, especially now that I can find matching styles for two kiddos. To top it off, it seems like 2018 is the year of the matching family pajama! It makes my coordinating heart so, so happy.   Where are your favorite places to find cute holiday pajamas at a great price? Pin the image below…

Continue Reading
0
December 3, 2018

the gift guide for preschool girls: want, need, wear, read

It’s that time of year again… when parents drive themselves crazy over gifts. I love to surprise my kiddos with gifts throughout the year, which means they really don’t need a ton come Christmas time. Our home is already packed full of the latest toys. Over the past few years we have made online lists (basically registries) for the kids for Christmas and their birthdays because I am…

Continue Reading
0
September 17, 2018

blaire: 4.5 years old

Blaire 4.5 years old

Nicknames: Blairsey, Sweetie Pea, Baby Girl Height/Weight: 42.1″ (53 percentile) | 42lbs (78 percentile) Learning: Blaire started school the week before Labor Day and she is loving it! She already is sounding out words while she plays games on her iPad or when we’re reading books. She talks about God more to us and also has started using new words and then telling us what they mean. She loves making new…

Continue Reading
1
August 27, 2018

why you should let your toddler help with chores

Get kids involved in chores and cleaning

Back in June, my brother sent me a link to a story about getting your children to help around the house without resenting it. The title of the article was interesting to me because both of my kids show an interest in helping around the house, Ben loves to clean the kitchen floor with our mop (it’s adjustable so we can make it his size!) and Blaire loves…

Continue Reading
4
Older Posts

Instagram

  • How many kids do you have? Which transition was the hardest? It may not be the traditional answer, but for me, becoming a mama to one was the hardest. I had NO CLUE what I was in for. The mom guilt. How long it would take to leave the house. The sleepless nights. Breastfeeding. Losing myself in motherhood — feeling like I had to be with Blaire 24/7. Adding Ben and now Sloane to our crew has been so much easier for me. It’s like they just fall in line with the crazy. 🤪 And I think being so much more confident in myself as a mom doesn’t hurt either. 💁🏼‍♀️ #motherhoodishard • #motherhood #momofthree #momof3 #clickinmoms #momtog #thelovelysquares #happilytrista #blaireandben #blairebenandsloane
  • ice cream outside with two of my favorite people. when it’s only 70° outside you can actually eat your ice cream without it melting all over us... and by us I mean them. 👆🏻👆🏻 #blaireandben • #2yearsold #5yearsold #momof3 #motherhoodintheraw #lifegivingsquares #petitejoy #motherhoodrising #ourcandidlife #uniteinmotherhood #mymamahood #seekthesimplicity #sharegood #joyfulmamas #documentlife #dailyparenting #momblogger #honestlymothering #therealparenthood  #thehappycapture #momsofinstagram #mytinymoments #thecreativecollective #realmotherhood #lifestyleblogger #stopdropandmom
  • Prepping for our third baby has been pretty easy so far. I guess when you have an older sister and brother, plus a mama who likes to hold on to everything from her babies, there isn’t a ton of shopping to do. The kids are having fun picking out little gifts to give baby sister in the hospital (something Blaire still talks about from when Ben was born), little toys here and there, PJs, and this @babyeinstein 4-in-1 Kickin Tunes Music & Language Discovery Gym at @target. I wasn’t joking when I said they wanted to test it out! #babyeinstein #ignitecuriosity #socialspotters #blaireandben #happilytrista
  • #ad I can’t believe this girl is heading off to kindergarten! With afternoon pre-k last year, we were lucky to not have to worry about the morning rush. So this year, our go-to is a waffle and a chocolate milk for the ride to school. Horizon® Shelf Stable Chocolate Milk is our favorite since we can easily grab it and go! Spoiler alert: she takes one in her lunch, too. Blaire is so excited, but little brother and I are sad to see her spend so much time away from us. But I am excited to be able to walk her to school and avoid the CRAZY drop-off and pick-up lines while the weather’s still nice, anyways. You can find @HorizonOrganic Chocolate Milk at @KrogerCo and you can even save $1 with this digital coupon (7/24/19 – 8/6/19). And you can stock up because Horizon Organic milk boxes are shelf-stable, meaning you can safely store them in the pantry. Shop now through the link in my bio. #blaireandben
  • Well we don’t have a Nordstrom near us, but we do have an Aldi. Most of their summer items are on clearance and we scored this sweet pool for $7. Winner, winner. 🦄☀️ #blaireandben • #summer #momentsiwanttoremember #aldifinds #motherhood
  • This summer hasn’t really felt like summer yet. 🤨 So when we have an 85° day we make the most out of it with a trip to the pool! How’d you spend your Sunday Funday? #blaireandben
  • another day, another doctors appointment for someone in our crew. today it’s Ben. he was up overnight saying his ear hurt — a double ear infection for him. luckily the kid loves taking medicine and hasn’t let his ears get him down! as long as he’s up moving around they’re fine, but the second he lays down... 😭😭😭. hoping our poor buddy is feeling better tomorrow. do you feel like you need a frequent flier card for your pediatrician? just me? okay. #blaireandben #itsfinewerefine • #uniteinmotherhood #motherhoodintheraw #momentsiwanttoremember #mybabies
  • When your brother is getting big but you still want to hold him... you gotta pinch his butt because he’s so wiggly. 😂😬😍 #blaireandben • #petitejoys  #childhoodunplugged #letthembelittle #ohheymama #tagtheqc #mybeautifulmess #thehappynow  #thepursuitofjoyproject #thatsdarling #livethelittlethings #momentsiwanttoremember #everydaymoments #nothingisordinary #motherhoodrising
  • It is definitely bittersweet to leave the house where we brought both of these babies home. But we are excited for our next chapter as a family of five! #rainbowbaby #blaireandben • #pregnancyannouncement #rainbowbabyannouncement #firsttrimester
  • Last night was our first night in the new house. 👏🏻 We still have lots of stuff to bring from the old house and then lots of cleaning over there before the final walk through and closing next Monday. Then we can focus on getting this house unpacked and organized. But first, I would like a nap. 😴 #blaireandben #happilytristahome
  • The snow that never ends. 🙄🥶 Walked out into the snow this afternoon and one kid loved it, the other not so much. “Wowwww! It’s like a wizard out here.” —Blaire 😂 “Yuck!” —Ben #blaireandben • #bestofmom #momlifestyle #momlifeisthebestlife #motherhoodunplugged #mymotherhood #honestmotherhood #slowmotherhood #mymamahood #midwestblogger #eternalmotherhood #motherhoodintheraw #unitedinmotherhood #motherhoodrising #polarvortex