Sweet Cream Cold Brew Fudgesicles

I've created a cold brew addict.

Michael just started drinking coffee regularly a few years ago (I don't drink it, though) and when I first learned about cold brew I knew it was the thing for him. It's less acidic and harsh on the tummy and higher in caffeine and flavor. Pretty much exactly what he loves-and he's super apathetic about if it's hot or not so I started making homemade cold brew for him (I use this recipe, btw) and his life was changed.

And then I spotted the recipe for these fudgesicles and revolutionized everything.

The only thing Michael likes better than coffee is CHOCOLATE and coffee, bonus points for refreshing. So hi yes these are fudgesicles made with cold brew and then oh yes also a sweet creamy layer.

He was very excited.

You initially taste the sweet cream layer before that gives way to the chocolatey coffee fudgesicle and while both are delicious and interesting on their own, when you can taste both flavors at once it comes together and is just magic. Trust me-these got the full Michael seal of approval. They're epic and you need them. Make them while the weather's still warm! (Or make them when it's cold out, I'm a strong believer in eating what you want no matter what the weather is.)

Something Saturdays (8/25/18)

Hihihiii! Ok so last weekend was pretty great-Saturday was crazy because the wedding I worked had some MoB dramaaa but Sunday was so nice! James got to play in his little blow up pool while Michael grilled us steaks (and potatoes and cauliflower that I dressed with tahini and chili powder) that we then all ate on the deck (ok...I didn't eat any cauliflower because ick but James liked it!) the rest of this week has pretty much been business as usual.

PS I've been loving these cookies since I was pregnant (I love oreos + pb and these are healthier and tastier!)

What Not to Buy for Babies

I feel like there are a ton of posts about what you SHOULD buy for babies (heck, I've written 2 so far) but the more time that passes, the more I think we should chat about the variety of things babies DON'T need. We've discovered that these things aren't necessary over the last few months and are hoping this helps you be able to avoid wasting money on this kind of stuff-whether you're buying for yourself or a loved one! Most of these things are 100% subjective and based upon my personal experience:

• Baby blankets-fun fact, blankets are a SIDS risk for sleeping babies. So they can't sleep with them (use a sleepsack! I hiiighly recommend the Halo ones). Which means 90% of their function is gone. And baby blankets generally aren't terribly large, so you can't even use them much for play time on the floor (although when they're not at all mobile you could potentially use a large-ish one for tummy time). I have probably 20+ baby blankets, all gifted to us from people for showers or after James was born. I pretty much never use any of them. The only blankets I use are the aden + anais kind and I use them as burpcloths or a few other blankets that I have I use to put on a changing mat on the ground for diaper changes-but super soft fuzzy ones and crochet/knit ones don't work for those jobs so they just don't get used.
• Too many toys-babies are pretty easily amused. And usually really only end up liking like 2 of the 20 things they're presented. So yeah...no need to overdo it when they're young. 
• Stuffed animals-this is sort of like a combo of the previous 2. Stuffed animals are a kind of toy but they're also comfort objects that are a SIDS risk so babies can't sleep with them until they're at least 1. Like..having 1 or 2 stuffed animals is cool but everyone ends up giving them to you and then you have 15 stuffed animals with no purpose. 
• Baby clothes that are difficult to get them into-I know. This seems random. BUT dressing babies is hard and there are some outfits we got that James wore a total of once because it was just never worth it to wear them again. For example-there were these SUPER cute and warm little like bear one piece outfits that were SO HARD to get him into-you had to wiggle his body all the way down into them from the bottom up. Just something to consider. James pretty much only wore sleepers for his first few months and primarily wears them still.

Exhibit A. He was not happy.

• Disposable diapers/wipes (if you're using cloth): A bunch of people told me to have disposable diapers and wipes on hand (even though I use cloth)-just in case. After James' circumcision closed we have never once used disposable diapers except for when we went on vacation. Which means we have ended up with a bunch of outgrown unused diapers. Not a huge deal but the point is-we didn't need them. So why get them? And the wipes? We've only used them to clean up a mess he made at a cafe one time, never on him. 
• Bath/swim toys: Can you say mold? An exception are things that can't get water in them, like those little plastic links like every baby has. 

BONUS-if you're pregnant and you've heard of "padsicles" (maxi pads frozen with aloe and witch hazel)--SUPER don't need them. They just made my whole area feel cold (which was not so pleasant), didn't help with anything lol.

Disclaimer-this is all, obviously, in my opinion.