The Sweet Mama Life

Mamma Mia Pizza and a Movie Night!

By

*This post is sponsored by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, but the opinions are of course allllll mine!

That’s right, it’s a Mamma Mia, Mamma Me night in, complete with a Sun Dried Tomato and Hummus pizza! I don’t know about you guys, but when movies come out in theaters, I could care less, I’m not paying for a sitter and dragging myself out to a cold theater to eat over-priced candy and subpar food! (Robert and I vary greatly on that front, but we still manage to co-exist 😉 ) Buuuuut, give me the digital and DVD release date for a movie, and heck yes, we are going to celebrate! That’s the real movie release date in my world! Soooo since Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again  is now available on digital and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on Oct. 23rd, I am making a night of it!!!! And what better way to celebrate than with a movie inspired, Greek pizza recipe. Annnnnd one that is crazy easy but full of flavor, and actually pretty darn healthy too. Win, Win, Win!  Ok here it is:

Sun Dried Tomato and Hummus Pizza

  • Pizza Dough*
  • 1 tbls flour
  • 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • ½ cup hummus
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese
  • Wine (optional, but I usually recommend a glass while cooking 😉 )

1.   Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees

2.   Cover your large cutting  board with flour, and work out your dough to desired shape, and about ½ inch thick.

     3.  Place your dough on parchment paper and place in oven for 8-10 minutes.

4.   Combine sundried tomatoes, onion, spinach, and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 min, or until spinach is wilted.

5.   Remove pizza crust from oven. Let cool, slightly.

6.   Spread hummus over crust, top with sautéed veggie mixture and feta cheese! Mamma Mia that’s both easy and delicious!

*Soooo we all have our favorite pizza dough recipes, but we also all have our favorite store-bought pizza dough. And I say when you can take a short cut that doesn’t sacrifice taste, take it! After all we’ve got a movie to watch!

I  have to admit, musicals are basically my favorite genre of movie! It’s all feel good goodness and sometimes that is exactly what the doctor ordered! Annnnd if you love to sing like me, but can’t hold a tune to save your life, turn up that TV nice and loud, and your voice will be tuned out just enough to make you think you’re actually not doing a half bad job of singing along. It really works and it’s kinda awesome to sing a duet with Meryl Streep 😉 So now with Pizza in one hand and wine in the other, let’s get this Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again movie night started! And I highly recommend you doing the same!!

Best Baby Gifts- IncrediBundles

By

Sooooo do you want to win the title of Best Baby Shower Gift Giver???? Oh wait, it’s not a competition? I’m being to competitive you say? Hmmmm maybe that’s why I’m no longer invited to game nights 😉
Anyway competition or not, I’m pretty sure I just discovered the best gift around for a new mom, or established mom for that matter. IncrediBundles offers all sorts of amazing gift bundles, everything from a 3 to 12 month diaper and wipe subscription to their awesome book bundles. What I especially love about the Diaper and Wipe subscription, is that it comes with the sweetest announcement box! As you can see, it makes for the sweetest presentation for a gift to a friend or gift to yourself! The gift certificates come in a lovely keepsake box along with a teddy bear and tiny bundle of diapers. Kinda perfect.
Once the gift certificate is received, it’s super simple to log on to the IncrediBundles website and get started! You just click “redeem diapers and wipes” fill out your info and pick what brand of diapers and wipes you fancy and the size! I also love that you can plan ahead on the site! If you already know come next month your chunky monkey will be the next size up, you can fill it out and set up each month way in advance. Soooo one less thing to think about and manage!
While I’ve mainly been raving about their Diaper Subscription here, I should also mention their other awesome gift bundles! They also have book bundles, sleep bundles, bath bundles, or create your own bundle, with all sorts of cute options to include!
You can check out the IncrediBundles site: HERE
And learn more about the Diaper Subscription: HERE
Annnnnnnd last but certainly not least, I’m giving away one 3 month Diaper Subscription to one lucky family!!! Head over to my Instagram post to enter HERE

CuddleBug Weighted Blanket

By

I have been a long time lover of the company CuddleBug. Their Baby Wraps and Swaddles were the very first items that Josephine was wrapped up in when she was born. Well, now they are launching their new product! A much, much needed Weighted Blanket!!

So I’ve never had a weighted blanket before, but the minute I opened this 15lbs blanket from CuddleBug and draped it over myself…. I exclaimed “so this is what it feels like to be swaddled like a baby”!!! The weight surrounding my entire body was just so comforting. The deep pressure this blanket produces is akin to being embraced in a big, warm, hug, which stimulates the production of serotonin and melatonin levels, two naturally calming chemicals in the body. As a result, you’ll fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer embraced in that giant hug. They use a  grid-like pattern to evenly distribute the pellets to specifically target pressure points throughout your body. This mimics the benefits of deep touch therapy which has been shown to help ease anxiety and increase oxytocin in the brain to help you feel more relaxed, it makes so much sense.  These days anxiety, insomnia, or just lack of productive sleep from being a mom, are such common occurrences. I love that this is a natural way to help combat these problems. Not sure why I waited so long to get one!

Sooooooo while I may still only be getting 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night (I know I need to up that, soon, soon, maybe, hopefully)  at least now with this weighted blanket it is some kind of wonderful deep productive sleep.

Here’s a link to get a $10 off coupon for your Amazon purchase of the blanket, click Here.

Or you can just go straight to Amazon to check it out, click Here.

Oh and here are a few photos of Josephine in other CuddleBug products, their wraps and swaddles are just the best. I never can resist an excuse to post some itty bitty Josephine photos 😉

Rosie’s Cupcake Shortcut!

By

Yes, I know I look like I’ve had a little too much sugar in this pic, but one always needs a good taste tester on hand and that’s usually me 😉

Ok. So I think cake mixes get a bad rap sometimes! It’s basically just taking the minor shortcut of having your dry ingredients pre-mixed for ya! And let’s be honest any shortcut, or 10 minute time saver I’ll take these days.  I’ve tried this recipe completely from scratch and with the help of a mix and I really can’t tell the difference. I think that’s because with the mix-ins of sour cream and buttermilk you really aren’t missing a thing! So here ya go! Enjoy!

Rosie’s Cupcake Shortcut!

Vanilla Cupcake Mix

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • Vanilla Cake Mix not white cake mix
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cream Cheese, Buttercream Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with 20-22 cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl, gently combine eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.
  3. Mix in sour cream.
  4. Add cake mix and cinnamon and mix until smooth
  5. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Adjust the consistency using milk if it is too thick.
  7. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with party theme decorations. OOOOOH Yummy!

 

 

Parenting 101…by Susan Groner

By

Book Review! ….wait, who has time to read books anymore? Especially 4 inch thick ones about parenting that make you feel like you’ve been doing everything wrong, and have already ruined your child forever by age 2! 😉 Well this book, “Parenting, 101 Ways To Rock Your World” by Susan Groner (@theparentingmentor ), is the opposite of allllllll that! This book is an easy read, filled with short paragraph tips made to read on the go or in the 5 min of free time ya might get now and again. Susan writes with zero judgment and every tip feels like common sense, so much so you’ll have numerous light bulb flashing on moments wondering why something so straightforward and sensible didn’t come to you naturally…. probably because you’re so in the depths of parenting it’s hard to always see clearly. And on the flip side of that, she also points out the many times we as parents might be doing something that seems like a logical parenting move, but might actually be construed very differently based on the psychological developmental stage of the child. This book hits numerous facets of parenting. It even focuses on letting go, loosening the reigns of parenthood and just how beneficial that can be to everyone’s mental well-being!


Susan Groner writes in such a way that the book just feels like friendly advice and tips from a friend who’s gone through it all with success, and that’s exactly what we as parents need!
She is the creator of the CLEARR method, that believes parenting strategies should be grounded in six important areas: Communication, Love, Empathy, Awareness, Rules, and Respect. This serves as the foundation of her practice as The Parenting Mentor. And if you feel like you would like a more personalized approach she also offers her mentoring service via phone or Skype sessions!
I can already see that this is a book I will continue to re-read as we approach new and crazy hurdles in this crazy parenting ride! Go follow her @theparentingmentor and find the Amazon link to her book here!

 

Mom Suit!

By

Beach House Swimsuit

Mom Suit!!! And one that’s cute and actually stays in place when chasing babes! I could do cartwheels in this thing (please note I actually can’t do cartwheels, never have been able to, even despite my older sister’s attempt to teach me when we were little …. imagine a giraffe trying to do one and that’s me 🦒, frankly it’s kinda a sore subject and I don’t know why I brought it up 😢) moving on, I absolutely love this swimsuit by @beachhouseswim it’s sooo well made, comfortable, stylish, and dare I say a bit sexy while still having full coverage so things stay put when I’m contorting in all sorts of ways while playing poolside with Annabelle and Josephine. Use Code: Rosie20 to receive 20% off! Here!

Beach House Swimsuit 

LectroFan Kinder Sound Machine

By

So I’ve been raving about this product to all of my pregnant girlfriends,  which means you know it must be good!! It’s called the LectroFan Kinder by Sound of Sleep  and It’s the smartest little sound machine you will ever come across. You can control it all from an app on your phone. And this is huge!! Now when Josephine wakes up in the middle of the night for a feeding, instead of waking up her sister Annabelle in the very next room with her hollering, I can instantly turn up the volume of the rain (our preferred sound choice of the +75 options) and help muffle all the noise, until I can get to Josephine!… And sometimes just turning up the volume a bit when Josephine wakes up will lull her back to sleep without me ever even having to get out of bed. I also love how easy the set up is. Sometimes when equipment says words like Bluetooth or download app, I avoid the frustration of technology and just wait for Robert to get home to figure it out. But this time he was out of town, so I went ahead and did it on my own and it couldn’t be any easier then downloading an app and pressing one button to allow it to sync. So I promise you if I can do it (and I typically give out bad mojo to any technical device I’m around, you can just ask Robert) anyone can set it up. It’s also very smart in that, even if you leave your phone in the other room but go into the nursery to put down your babe, that’s OK, you can still turn it on with just a tap of the large button. Annnnd i doubt that it was intended, but the button is large enough, that even if you are holding the baby you can just tap it with your toe and it turns on to whatever your desired pre-sets have been set to. Sometimes it’s just those little things that make life easier! It also has a multi colored nightlight option, that has definitely come in handy for nighttime feedings. Really Reeeeeeally couldn’t love this product more.  I’m so happy I was asked to review it, because now I can highly recommend! You can use code: Thesweetmama20  to save 20% off your order here!

*This Post was sponsored by Sound of Sleep, but all of the opinions are my own.

Screen shot of what the app looks like on your phone!

#soundofsleeppartner #sponsored #sweetdreams #sleptlikeababy

Mommy & Me Swimsuits!!!

By

Well, I’m not sure if there is anything cuter than matching Mommy & Me swimsuits!

My absolute favorite line for Mommy & Me suits is Red Dolly Swimwear. They have adults, kids, and baby suits that all come in matching patterns. I also can’t help but loooove the style and aesthetic of the suits for 2 reasons: One, the retro style is just damn cute and playful, and Two: I adore high waisted bikinis. As a mama we all come in different shapes and sizes, and I think this high waisted style is just so flattering for all mama shapes. No matter if you are slender but soft in the middle or lucky enough to have some curves, it works and looks good on all body types. I also think having a bit more coverage when chasing toddles and carrying babies that tend to land you in compromising poses at times is a good thing! 😉

Yep, that’s my girl, in allllll her nose picking glory!

And here is another one of their swimsuits in all black, kinda a must have in your swimsuit wardrobe!

You can check them out on Instagram too…. You definitely won’t be disappointed with their style, fit, comfort, and quality! Red Dolly Swimwear

 

 

Baby Photo Inspo!!!

By

Month by Month Photos of Annabelle and Josephine!!!! Feel free to use these ideas as inspiration for your own baby photo shoots! Everything you see in these photos were blankets, towels, or holiday decorations I had around the house! If I did want a cute costume or prop, I never let the budget for each photo go above $20! It’s key to give yourself a budget, because if your anything like me, things can get kinda out of control at the craft store 😉

Josephine:

To Be Cont…..

Annabelle!!

And a few other fun Baby Photo inspiration ideas… Some from a series I did, Famous Women in History…

 

 

 

Get Our Newsletter