Trying to Do it All

I've been holding onto this post for a while, it's a bit heavy but I suspect some mamas, and even those of you with crazy schedules, can relate. I was hoping to have some grand realization at the end but the truth is, I don't think there is a solution, its just about adjusting expectations.

So here is my truth: Some days it feels like we're just treading water over here. And I'm so tired of barely staying afloat.

The desk that my type A self used to keep spotless.

Somewhere between the monotony of working, moving, feedings, cleaning spit up off of my shirt (or not), my hair still falling out in clumps, bath time, and bedtime, I feel like I've lost my ability to get anything else done.

I'm still trying to find that balance between being a mom, a wife, employee, blogger, and a friend. If you're one of those lucky ones with family nearby to babysit, don't take it for granted. My husband and I haven't had a date night in 4 and a half months.

There are days when I feel like I've got this whole "working from home with a baby" thing. Other days I'm convinced exist solely to knock me off my high horse and bring me back to reality.

God must know those days when you feel completely inadequate, unproductive, and straight up exhausted. On one of those days in particular, Rowan let out his first (and completely adorable) belly laugh. It was glorious. And just what I needed.

I've noticed I've gotten into the habit of focusing on tomorrow, instead of soaking in every ounce of whatever craziness is going on today. So instead of focusing on what isn't crossed off my ever-growing to do list, I'm going to start focusing on what was.

Some days that may only be keeping my son happy, well fed, and safe. And that's okay. Motherhood, man... It's the hardest but most fulfilling thing you can ever do in your life. I wouldn't trade it for a thing.

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Can't Live Without It | Link Up!

Happy almost weekend friends! R and I are starting our weekend early by taking his first flight tonight! Our flight was delayed by 2 hours after we left for the airport (great). Hopefully the rest of the night will go well though!

This week I can't live without.... Stephanie's flying with and infant series!

Seriously, so many good ideas there y'all. And I know it seems lazy that I didn't come up with anything else but her advice has helped me be (a little) less nervous for Rowan's first flight!

This picture has nothing to do with this post, but here is some baby spam :)

Hopefully he sleeps and mama can have some vino on the flight after this crazy week! Hope you all have a great weekend! See you back here Tuesday!

Want to join us for the link up?! Share something you can't live without, make sure to link back to Stephanie, Laura and I, and link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

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What I'm Loving Wednesday: Summer Staples

For most of the next week here in Charleston the temps are in the 100s. That's right... triple digits folks.

At that point, why bother showering?

If I do have to venture out, you can probably expect to see me in the outfit below with a frizzy, (almost) top knot and sans baby. Not sure if you knew this but hatred of heat and humidity is genetic and Rowan clearly got his Northerner mama's genes versus his Floridian dad's in this case.

Tee. Shorts. Sandals. Necklace. Bag.

I'm still trying to dress this post-baby bod and I'll be honest, I'm not happy with it despite being only a couple pounds from my pre-baby weight. I lost 40 pounds and still ate my fair share of donuts. (thank you breastfeeding!) But I will tell you that the fat to muscle ratio is much different these days. With an emphasis on the fat part.

I mentioned my love for this Loft tee last week and as soon as it went on sale I scooped it up in multiple colors. I love the way it drapes, its light weight, can be dressed up or down, and I don't have to suck in the whole time.

I'm also obsessed with this swim cover-up (I have it in white) and I picked up the same swim suit (this top and this bottom) that Stephanie recommended. Old Navy for the win! I'm still on the fence about the high waist bottom but it hides my stretch marks so I'll take it. (Side note for the girl mamas: you can get a matching coverup for your mini. I'm jealous.)

Hopefully Rowan will be sporting his swim gear this weekend since we're heading North to where the temperatures are manageable. I'm aiming to pack at least one full outfit for myself among the many, many... many baby things.

What are some of your summer staples? Anything I need to get my hands on?

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Friday Things

Hey friends! Sorry for the radio silence this week, I'd like to blame it on our busy week but I'm sure I sound like a broken record by now. Stephanie, Laura and I took a break from the Can't Live Without It linkup, it was a last minute decision because we were all swamped. Summer is shaping up to be a crazy one for everyone apparently and not just us!

Anyway here is a brain dump from the week...

+ These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies need to get in my belly. Now.

+ We're celebrating Father's Day this weekend since R and I will be visiting family next weekend. I think we're going to explore downtown a little and do lunch, we don't get down there as often as we'd like nowadays!

+ Excited to watch Orange is the New Black this weekend! My husband isn't too interested but there is nothing else on this time of year and I love a good binge show watching, whenever we can stay awake past 9 that is... #oldpeopleproblems

+ This sweet boy is 4 months old!

I took some photos of him yesterday and he has the biggest smile in every.single.one of them, even the one where he fell over on his stuffed animals. ha! Today, on the other hand, we've got lots of cuddles on the menu thanks to his vaccinations.

+ Added some shorts to my closet this week including these J.Crew factory chambray drawstring shorts and a new pair of Loft jean shorts (or jorts, if you will). I definitely recommend both, they are so comfy! Now if only I could get some color on my legs so I can stop scaring people...

+ I've been trying to decide on some light fixtures for our living spaces and I never realized how good the prices are for lighting at World Market, especially if you get their coupons! I wish I could switch everything over to silver but our kitchen is dark so I think we need to stick to the bronze color scheme. Loving this lantern for our entryway.. what do y'all think?

Pendant Lantern.

+ HALO SleepSack or Swaddle Giveaway Winner: Congratulations to Nikki M. for winning the HALO SleepSack giveaway! And a huge thank you so everyone who entered and for following along with Home Sweet Ruby!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Sleep in for me if you can, k? Thanks!

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Currently...

I hope you're all having a great week so far! I have been swamped with work and micromanaging the terrible painters we had come to paint our living areas so I'm basically just counting down the days until the weekend. Here's a quick look at what I've got going on...

Loving: this custom family painting (such a great gift idea!), watching Rowan grow and learn new things (he is changing everyday, plus I'm pretty sure he's like 16 pounds!), and the cutest cafe (St Alban) where I met up with Ally this past weekend

Loathing: the 4 month sleep regression, the colossal letdown in our painters, the thought of flying for the first time with Rowan by myself next week (any and all advice welcome)

Looking Forward to: Rowan meeting all of his family up north, entertaining at our new home, maybe getting a tan this summer?

Decorating: Our new sofa and chair! The color of the sofa came out a bit different than we expected against the new paint color, it kind of blends in. I had a mini panic attack until some friends talked me off the ledge and convinced me all it needs is to be styled with a white throw, photos on the wall, and some new pillows to break up the color.

Ignore the rug! We're getting a new one as soon as I decide which one!

We still have to hang frames, order a rug, and put up curtains, I'll share more progress photos as soon as I can! If you have any favorite places to find pillows please share! I usually make my own but I have a feeling I won't have time these days.

Pinning: healthy-ish dinners and party planning ideas for our first big picnic/party

Shopping: still debating on a rug, pillows, and we really need a floor mirror in our master. Also loving this top (its so comfortable but I passed on it to wait for a sale), these adorable mesh espadrilles and this shirt (perfect for the Fall in Charleston) for Rowan. Baby boy clothes are so much more fun to shop for than I expected!

Watching: still Veep and Game of Thrones, catching up on Black Sails, and getting excited for the next True Detective series (can you tell we like our HBO?)

Also the Can't Live Without It linkup is on pause this week, make sure to join us next week though!

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Can't Live Without It | HALO SleepSacks + Giveaway!

Happy (almost) weekend, friends! I hope you all have some fun plans that maybe don't involve 5 straight days of rain... Hello Charleston, you can stop raining now! At least if we're cooped up inside we can do a lot of napping, right?

This week Rowan started sleeping on his side, and I have to say it makes this mama nervous! He is constantly rolling over but can't always get the whole way around so HALO SleepSacks have made me feel so much better putting him to bed!

We started using HALO's SleepSack Swaddles when Rowan could easily break out of a regular swaddle. As he got closer to rolling over we were able to use them to help transition him out of the swaddle by either leaving one arm out of the swaddle or both.

Now that he dropped the swaddle (side note: where did my tiny baby go?!), these HALO SleepSacks are perfect to keep him comfortable and most importantly, safe. It's just him and his wearable blanket in his crib.

HALO SleepSack c/o HALO

HALO Innovations is dedicated to putting the health, safety and well-being of babies first. In fact, over 1,300 hospitals use HALO® SleepSack® wearable blankets through the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Initiative. The HALO family of products, including HALO SleepSacks and SleepSack Swaddles, SwaddeSure and the best-selling HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper, help children from newborn to toddler age sleep better and safer.

Rowan just made the cut for the size medium because of his weight and length, and I love that he has plenty of room to wear this for quite a few months. I also like the lightweight fabric. We can put him in a long or short sleeve onesie underneath depending on the temperature. They wash up really well (believe me, Rowan has put them to the test!) and are super easy for middle of the night diaper changes because of the reverse zipper.

These are definitely one of our favorite baby products to date so make sure to register for a few if you're expecting! They have some really cute new patterns too, we're partial to the elephant theme over here if you haven't noticed but I love this adorable hedgehog pattern which is another good gender neutral option.

P.S. Don't get caught taking pictures while your babe is sleeping, they don't like to go back to sleep after that :)

Want to win a HALO SleepSack or Swaddle of your choice? Enter using the widget below! And if you're an Instagram addict like me, make sure to follow HALO SleepSack to see new their products!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a complimentary SleepSack from HALO for the purposes of this review. 
As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own! Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

Want to join us for the link up?! Share something you can't live without, make sure to link back to Stephanie, Laura and I, and link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Our Color Scheme

I blinked and just like that was Wednesday!

It's been a little bit of a hectic week topped off with a call from a our painting company that they could get us in... TODAY. We were expecting to have until late June to get our shit together, take out the five billion nails the previous owners left in our walls, and mentally prep for a messy house. If I'm being honest, its been messy from day one so that really wasn't an issue.

So in addition to my mama and work responsibilities, I'll be bossing around painters for the next 3 days. And in honor of the painting, I thought I'd share another peek into our plans for the house!

Everything in our new home is painted builder-grade tan, grey, or the one random bedroom which is navy with an orange stripe (SMH....). We're painting the bedrooms, bathrooms, and dining room on our own but we didn't have the time or energy to tackle everything else so we hired out for the big jobs.

Here are the colors so far. I want everything to be very light and airy, then use accessories to liven it up a little. 

The top three colors are more of a warm grey than brownish hue in person, I swear.

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter :: Entryway, Kitchen, Living Room, Stairwell, Hallways,Upstairs Loft, Guest Bedroom #1

Right now the stairwell drives me crazy because the bottom is grey and the top is tan. It's going to look so much better as one matching color!

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray :: Half Bath and Guest Bath

Our half bath has the same brownish tile as our kitchen so I'm at the mercy of finding a good griege that will work with it. 

Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue :: Office

Benjamin Moore Silver Gray :: Master Bedroom (I think!)

Benjamin Moore Winter Gates :: Dining Room

Eventually we're going to do some DIY wainscoting in the dining room, and since this room gets a lot of light, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone a bit for a darker shade. I'm hoping it looks similar to this.

Benjamin Moore Grey Owl (lightened by 25%) :: Nursery

In our rental the only room we painted was Rowan's nursery, where we used Benjamin Moore's Grey Owl. I liked that color a lot but I thought it was a little gloomy for a nursery so I opted to have it lightened by 25% for the new nursery. Y'all that made such a huge difference!! I'll share photos soon.

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I'm still stumped on what colors for Guest Bedroom #2 and our Master Bathroom. I'm so impressed by people that can make these decisions all at once!

And no, this was not sponsored by Benjamin Moore. I just grabbed a bunch of paint color chips from once place and called it a day. #momlife

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