OOTD: Mother's Day 2014, 33 Weeks Pregnant, Baby #2

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I never did a maternity style post during my first pregnancy because quite frankly, I'm not that great at styling a bump! ...and I don't want to buy too many clothes that I'm just going to use for a few months. This time around, I thought it could be fun to try and mix something up for a little photo shoot of my bump, as a keepsake.

Mother's Day was so very special this year. The weather was absolutely amazing and I got to spend the entire day with my two special guys (and a half...). As some of you may know, I'm about to be a mother for the second time and I couldn't be more excited to see my family grow.

The picture below is a Mother's Day special for you guys. I'm always burning with desire to post pictures of my little man and brag about how much of a good boy he is, but I just don't feel like I have the right to post pictures of him all over the internet without his consent. Let's face it, he's a tad too little to understand right now, so when the time comes, the decision will be his. Until then, here's a little treat just for you guys; a glance into my life as a mother to the most precious little boy.

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Mother’s Day was so nice this year… I had time to sleep in (until 8AM, but still... I woke up on my own!), I got time to take a long shower, pamper myself & select a pretty outfit. My hubby also made breakfast for me and got my favorite Starbucks drink, a Grande Soy London Fog (yum!). Plus, and this is the absolute best part... I got a letter from my son (written by my husband obviously) thanking me for all the wonderful things I do for him. There were so many things enumerated that it made cry. I also got some flowers, had time to take outfit pictures (finally!) and planted a garden with my son. What more could a woman want? Thank you so much for giving me the most wonderful Mother's Day of all to both of my guys.

This pregnancy has been much more difficult than the first. I was pretty sick for the first 3 months (nausea, vomiting, excess saliva, and physical exhaustion). The second trimester was better, but I still came home very tired after work every day, leaving me unable to play with my first born as much as I would have liked. Since the beginning of the third trimester, I've had a terribly sore lower back, thanks to an inflamed sciatic nerve in the right butt cheek. Needless to say, my mobility is reduced and I can barely bend over to pick things up.

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I still have about 7 weeks to go, with 3 weeks off (work wise) at the end... I'm looking forward to this time to catch my breath and catch up on some much needed rest (and maybe some projects?). I found working full time and already having a child to take care of, while pregnant, much more difficult than just being pregnant and working; I'm permanently exhausted and I just don't have enough time to do anything. To all you working moms out there... how DO you do it?

And of course… I must wear my magic shoes...I know, not very fashionable, but they are so comfortable that I don't care! Seriously though, they're more comfortable than slippers and are good for your back; perfect for pregnancy. Plus, they're leather and they breathe, so if your feet swell, no problem! I highly recommend them.

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Outfit details

Necklace: Aldo
Cardigan: Forever21
Top: Old (simliar)
Belt: Old hair band
Skirt: Jacob (similar)
Shoes: Clarks "Wave" (similar)

Vanilla Bean Sugar Recipe

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I've been working on an easy vanilla pudding mix recipe to go with my chocolate pudding mix recipe. I wanted to have to add as few things as possible other than milk, so I thought it would be a good idea to have some vanilla flavored sugar. Since I've been trying to do everything as much homemade as possible, I figured this would be a perfect addition. It would also make a deliciously quick and easy homemade gift idea.

Ingredients

1 cup of Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean

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Steps

1. Cut along the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds out.

2. Mix the vanilla seeds with the sugar, then add the vanilla bean cut in pieces.

3. Put in an airtight container and let sit for 1 week.

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You can use this sugar in anything you want: milk, coffee, tea, cakes, puddings, milkshakes... That way you don't need to add vanilla essence or syrup!

It came out tasting quite strong and gets stronger the longer you leave the beans in. If you're looking for something a little less strong, you can use 2 cups of sugar with 1 vanilla bean. I'd also suggest removing the beans (not the seeds - obviously, lol) after a couple of weeks, or when the taste is strong enough for you.

What to Do with Extra Easter Chocolate - 3 Ways

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Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. We certainly did. I'm on a mega sugar high. Are you?

I don't know about you but for me, every year at Easter, I get way more chocolate than I can eat and I end up stuffing my face so that it doesn't go to waste. This year, I decided to find a way to store it for future use, and create simple creative ways to use it all up.

The first thing I did is smash all the chocolate into tiny pieces and put it in plastic Ziploc bags. That way I can freeze it and it doesn't take too much space. Whenever I need a bit of chocolate, I can simply take a few pieces out of the bag and put it back in the freezer. Simple no?

What do you do with all your Easter chocolate?

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Chocolate dipped sugar cone

This is by far my favorite idea. All you have to do is melt a few pieces of chocolate in the microwave for about 30 seconds, stir it then dip your sugar cone in. You can either leave it like that or add candy, nuts or dried fruits. Leave it to dry for a few minutes, top with ice cream and enjoy

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Chocolate fondue

Who doesn't like chocolate fondue? This is perfect for a quick dessert on one of those busy days. All you have to do is cut up some fruit, melt the chocolate and dip in. This would also be a wonderful idea for a romantic night snack with your better half. ;)

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Hot chocolate

This hot chocolate turned out quite rich, which is awesome for a midnight rage. Put some chocolate pieces in a mug, add milk, microwave for about 2 minutes, stir, add marshmallows and enjoy! The marshmallows are really just for fun.