FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. My husband and I have slowly been transitioning into being a family of three and getting into a semi-normal sleep schedule.
2. I am loving all these cute little sleeper PJs (1), (2), (3) and winter outfits (1), (2), (3) for our little guy to wear this winter during the holidays.
3. Puzzles have always been a holiday tradition for my family. We like to pick one that’s at least 1000 pieces and spend the holiday time completing it. This Thanksgiving we decided to do a world map. It’s been fun to keep up the tradition even as our Thanksgivings have evolved. We had just a small group of 5 this year but having a puzzle was the perfect way to make things feel like the holidays.
4. I’m breaking out this favorite recipe this week for easy homemade bread to make turkey-leftover sandwiches. Janet updated the recipe post last year but it’s a recipe she’s had on her site for a while and I just love it. It’s the perfect companion for winter soups.

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. I found out about the USDA food plan charts from She Picks Up Pennies and have been super interested in how our grocery bills compare. Admittedly we could be much better about budgeting in that category, so I’m taking this as a sign to pay more attention to sales, what’s in season, etc.
2. My mother in law shared this New Yorker article on ‘Can Babies Learn to Love Vegetables‘ that I really enjoyed reading. We’ve been trying new purees with Ernie on an almost daily basis and it’s very fun to see what he likes versus cries and hits his high chair tray, then lifts his arms up as if to say, “I’m done with this, please pick me up now.” He really liked taco soup (I included the recipe in our roundup of freezer-friendly meals!) last week, so we’re going to be trying other, more flavorful options!
3. I usually really like most articles The Financial Diet does, but felt like they missed the mark a bit on ‘14 Maternity & New Baby Spending Essentials: When To Splurge, Save, Or Skip.’ Listing jeans and belly bands in the “splurge” section certainly wasn’t in line with how I experienced pregnancy. Old Navy’s jeans worked out really well for me and I was very glad to spend less than $30 on something I was only going to wear for 4 or 5 months.
4. This Vox article on the gender gap causing increasing unhappiness in women got shared around my workplace this week with so many “ugh, this.” type comments. I appreciate the article putting to words some of the stressors and anxieties I’ve definitely felt akin to “you can do it all” translating to “you have to do it all.”