Our 4th of July was rainy. It was the type of day you just have zero desire to go outside and mainly would like to crawl up on the couch with a good book or a decent movie. For me, it was the perfect day to jump back into the world of my deep freezer.

Right before H was born, I did a marathon of freezer meal prep and had meals for a good while after he arrived. This was an excellent decision and saved us from eating frozen pizza every night of the week (not that my sweet hubby would have complained!).  Then I went back to work and life got crazy and my deep freezer was neglected.

When I saw the weather forecast for the weekend was rain and more rain, I decided to spend the day cooking.  Freezer cooking ALWAYS takes longer than I remember and it is always exhausting, but the sense of accomplishment afterwards is amazing.  I think you could get by with a regular freezer, but trust me, a deep freezer is soo nice. The meals keep longer and I can cook more without having to play a game of Jenga every time I try to get things out of my regular freezer.

Sometimes it can be hard to find decent sounding freezer meals unless you want to eat something Mexican flavored for every meal (which I do not) and since its summer, using a crock pot is just not as appealing so I included below most of the meals I made ahead in case you need some inspiration.  Pinterest is amazing for this too! (which is where all these meals came from!)

1. Honey Mustard Chicken-this isn’t a crock pot meal and I actually made and prepped this one for dinner this week. I think it might hold up in the freezer, but I just figured I would keep it out so I had dinner for this week already done.

2. Lamb Burgers– this was my score of the week. I have been searching for ground lamb and finally found it. I prepped lamb burgers to have and the rest of the toppings sound amazing.

3. Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Chicken Korma– I love Indian flavors and decided after making this, I was going to look for more Indian food to add to our diet. It’s one of the things I miss the most about living overseas. There is nothing like fresh Naan. This isn’t a make it and go to work recipe so I plan to cook it some the weekend.

4. Real Food Sloppy Joes-these take me back to my days as a camp counselor. I love sloppy joes and this recipe passes my healthy eating test.

5. Zucchini Meatloaf– this is on my to-do list for this week since I actually forgot about it. I bought the ingredients and then failed to transfer it to my freezer meals list. I am not a meatloaf fan normally, but this is my favorite. It is so moist and I promise, you can’t taste the zucchini at all.

6. Slow Cooker Quinoa Enchilada Bake– I am trying to eat more Quinoa, but I haven’t figured out how to cook it. However, adding it in to other recipes is easy and this one is really good. You can add chicken or beef and it’s super good!  Also, I omitted the Pinto beans just because I knew I was going to add meat and didn’t want that many beans in it.

Those are a few to get you started. I made a couple of other meals, but I don’t have links to those. You can check out the rest of my Pinterest board here. If you are a busy mom, I highly recommend freezer cooking and becoming best friends with your crock-pot.

The other day I was at the grocery store. I had gotten there later than I planned so it was pushing 5:00 when my husband called. Having left him home with our child, I was a bit concerned. He assured me everything was fine and then proceeded to let me know our neighbors had decided they could come for dinner.  We quickly created a menu and I picked up the few things I needed in order to hurry home and prepare a meal.

A little over an hour later, our neighbors showed up and entertained the little man while we finished up dinner.  They were so appreciative of the meal and we enjoyed chatting with them.  He started chemo the next day and we had been talking about having them over for awhile so I was thankful it actually happened.

However, I will assure you, my house was in zero shape to have company. There was a pile of dirty dishes taking over a good chunk of the counter, I quickly vacuumed right before they arrived, I am sure the house was dusty, and H had basically destroyed the living room. Not to mention my work stuff and a few boxes of items that have yet to find a home.  As our neighbors walked in I simply said please excuse the mess. She didn’t notice and instead commented on how much she liked what we had done with the house.

In my mind I was laughing. My once neat and tidy house is now an often constant state of chaos.  Cleaning and organizing have fallen so far off the radar, I wonder sometimes if it is even worth trying. I do clean and pick it up fairly often so don’t think we are living in total disgust. And thanks to a dear friend, I found some cleaning products which are amazing and reduce the time it takes to clean the house. However, this day, it had been a tad longer than normal because we have had a busy few weeks.

After they left, I realized how often we miss out on moments to live in community and be neighbors and friends because of our houses. Our houses full of stuff we probably don’t need. I remember how many times as I have traveled, people with far less have invited me in and made me feel welcome. Sometimes it was sitting on a dirt floor or a broken chair, but they never apologized. They just said come in. This is the kind of hospitality I want to have going forward. Yes, my house will probably be a mess. This is what happens when you live in it and have an almost one-year old and work full time. But the state of my house does not negate the fact we all crave community. We all want human interaction. And a messy kitchen more than likely assures the food will be good!

So this is my resolution. Excuse the mess and come on over. I am not going to stress myself out cleaning up for company, but rather relish in the last minute dinners and times spent with friends. And if you do the same, we will start to realize we can take off our clean house facades and let each other into the mess of our lives. If we are willing to invite others in to our messy houses, we will be willing to let them into our messy lives. And that my friends is when true community begins to happen and when life transformation and sweet friendships are formed that go beyond mommy wars or keeping up with the Jones’s attitudes.

Cue mushy post. I have to brag on my better half a little. Most days being a working mom is incredibly tough.Trying to balance a job, a baby, a civic life, a social life, and a home can be exhausting. And there are many days I feel I am doing a terribly inadequate job at all of it.

And then my amazing husband will notice the laundry is put away or tell me how awesome of a mom I am or remind me how much he loves me. Those moments when he reminds me I am capable, adequate, and doing a great job are precious. They are fuel to keep going. He is a hard worker. And yet, he consistently makes us a priority. And oh does he love Mister H. Perhaps my favorite thing in the whole world is watching him play with H. The two of them are best buds.

Not only is he a wonderful husband and father, he is my biggest cheerleader. When I come home exasperated or frustrated with my big dreams, he is always the one who tells me to pick up my boots and get to work.  He refuses to let me give up or throw in the towel. He is the constant in my crazy and when I feel I can’t do it, he is the one who stops me and tells me I can and I will.   I am convinced if it were not for him so much of the life I lead would look so different. God knew what He was doing when my life intersected with a boy from southern Indiana.  He knew I needed someone who would dream bigger than I could and push me to think outside the box.

He is the constant reminder to seek God and put Him first. He tells me often he is praying for me. I am sure a blessed girl!

So today, thanks babe.  Thank you for always believing in me, for loving me and H, for supporting me, and for cheering me on. Thank you for always reminding me I am super mom and doing a good job. And most importantly, thank you for praying for me and for pointing me to Christ. You are my favorite.

On Friday’s, I am going to try to give you a review of some of my favorite products. My goal is to mostly highlight gear helpful to working moms, but I will probably throw in a baby item here or there because that is what mostly consumes my life outside of work.  For this first post, I have to write about the one product I believe is essential for any working mom-the most amazing Sarah Wells Bags.

After a week back to work, I realized quickly something had to change. I was lugging 3 or 4 bags with me everyday- my gym bag, a pumping bag, a work bag, my lunch box..and I still could barely get what I needed in the door. I felt like I was moving in everyday. Also, the pumping room at work is two floors down from where I work and I felt really self-conscious carrying my make-shift pumping bag down there twice a day.  I had been following Sarah Wells on Instagram and had read about her bags from several other websites, but I was stuck on the price. I am not an expensive purse girl and I had already bought a really expensive diaper bag. Thankfully my birthday happened to fall very shortly after I returned to work so I asked for one as a gift.  I ended up deciding to go with the Kelly bag because I tend to carry around a lot of stuff and I love backpacks. I have a Spectre S2 pump (more on that later) which has a different shape than most breast pumps. I also got a Sarah Wells Pumparoo bag to try out.

As soon as it arrived, I was in love!  The color and pattern are super trendy and the bright pink inside makes it easy to find stuff. The section that holds my pump also holds my hands-free pumping bra, the cord, and tubes. Plus it has a nifty little pocket you can slip a picture of your little one in which I love. I can fit my planner, work stuff, whatever book I am reading, extra clothes, and more in the main compartment. The front pocket has a key chain which I have attached our pumping room key to so I always know where it is.

The Pumparoo bag is a must. Even if you can’t justify the cost of the pumping bag, pick up a Pumparoo. I love the fact I can wash my parts and throw them in the bag without worrying about getting everything else wet. It also saves me from giving everyone a show of my pump parts on the mornings I am rushing and forget to zip my bag. And once I finish pumping, the Pumparoo bag is plenty big enough to throw my sweaty gym clothes in!

The bag has been a lifesaver. It has decreased the number of bags I carry to work and given me a new level of confidence. In fact, I have even gotten some compliments on my bag! Sarah Wells has some new bags coming out May 1st I love so if you aren’t a backpack girl, check out her new bags.  But seriously, do yourself a favor and invest in a bag. I promise you it will be a purchase you won’t regret. Being a working, pumping mom is tough and companies like Sarah Wells are helping to make it easier, trendier, and normal.  Check out my pictures below and then head over to Amazon to pick up your own Sarah Wells bag today!

We found a wonderful daycare. I started searching before I even told anyone I was pregnant because around here, the waiting lists for infant daycare are months long. Typically you find one, put your name on a list, and then call and be as annoying as possible until you secure a spot. This is not me. And so, when I found a daycare I liked and they also promised me they would have a spot and I didn’t have to call back until H was here, I was overjoyed.  The Friday before the first day, I went up to the daycare and spent way too long in H’s room asking questions and mostly just standing there. This was where, in a few short days, I was going to drop off my tiny, 12 week old baby.  Thankfully, I am not the first new working mom to walk through those doors and the ladies who love on H every day are amazing. They calmed my nerves and loved me through it all.

I cried dropping H off at daycare the first day.  Like ugly cried. Right in the middle of the room. And it did not faze a single soul in the room. It was as if they understood. After Monday, my gracious husband volunteered to drop H off. This made the most sense with our jobs and I am not sure he wanted to see me cry every morning. 6 or so months later, it is still tough on the days I have to cover drop off.

After saying good-bye and composing myself, I headed back to my job.  It was a lovely first day getting back into the swing of things and chatting with co-workers I hadn’t seen in a while. The ladies at daycare sent me updates and pictures throughout the day and at 5:00, I hurried home to snuggle my sweet boy. I was pretty proud of myself for not crying at work and for successfully navigating a full day of work, pumping, and being away from H.

I am officially due in 4 days.  Several of my co-workers stop by each morning to check in and see if I am still here. When I see other friends they ask, “are you still pregnant?” (if the belly wasn’t a dead giveaway, I am not sure what else would clue you in) In their defense, two weeks ago I told them I could have the baby any day after a different doctor seemed convinced our little guy was going to come that day. He was all like, “have you packed? installed the car seat?” and I was like “nope, I have three weeks left and my doctor doesn’t get back until the 8th.” He seemed very convinced I wouldn’t make it until the 8th. So I went home and packed and had my dear husband install the car seat. Needless to say, the doctor seemed a little surprised when we showed up to our appointment a week later still pregnant.

Two and a half weeks have now passed and yes I am still pregnant.   I am sitting at a little over 39 weeks and the baby is sitting on my bladder. So I make what seems like 100 trips to the bathroom a day and endure the daily barrage of “are you still here?” questions.  Technically our little guy still has a few days left and I gave him strict instructions he was to wait until our doctor got back in the country so maybe he is listening.  My blood pressure is perfect and the baby is fine so no one is in a rush for him to come except for my sweet husband who is beyond ready to meet our little guy. It’s precious really, but then again, he doesn’t actually have to go through the whole labor and delivery process. (although he gets major props for all the preparation he has done for the process)

Honestly though, I am tired of being pregnant. This was the first time I have actually felt ready to be done. I have had a very easy pregnancy so I felt like I had no room to really complain, but I am tired, nauseous, and ready to be done.  Everyone assures me this is normal.  I think the worst part is I have spent the better part of the last two and a half weeks thinking I could go into labor at any moment.  Not the most fun way to spend your time let me tell you. And for the past three days I have had what I suppose are contractions, but apparently they are not the real deal because they are just mostly annoying.

Aside from the “are you still pregnant?” question, the other question I get asked most often is “are you ready?”. It takes every ounce of me to hold my sarcasm in check when people ask this as I know they are well-meaning. But let’s be serious, how do you actually get ready for a baby?  Sure, his clothes are washed, the crib is set up, the car seat installed, diapers bought, and freezer meals are made, but according to everyone else this little guy is going to change our lives. How do you actually prepare for that? I don’t think you can. This is really hard for my Type A personality, but as I have learned the past two weeks, babies don’t come with schedules. Despite walking around for two weeks being told I could have the baby anytime, I am still pregnant. And it’s totally fine. In fact, it’s been awesome because I canceled everything on my calendar and have been able to spend a lot of sweet time with my husband. We have talked and laughed and enjoyed our time together just the two of us. Because our lives are about to change. And no one can prepare us for what lies ahead. So we are just waiting. And walking. And eventually this little guy will come!  Until then, yes I am still pregnant.

See you on the other sleep-deprived side.