"No relationship is better than another..."

This article about love and relationships comes to us from guest writer Kelli. She recently married the love of her life and is practically a superhuman person - she does it all! Enjoy her 6 tips to living in a happy, healthy relationship with your best friend!

So nearly 6 months ago I walked down the aisle and said “I Do”. My husband and I had always talked about getting married and starting a family since we’ve been together. We’ve always been committed to one another and take our relationship very seriously. Marriage was the next step for us, to announce to our family and friends that we’re going to do life together and to make that promise in front of them and God. So even though we’re newly married and have so many things to learn there are so many things I want to share about our relationship and things I’ve learned along the way.




1. No relationship is better than another. Sure you see the wife that gets flowers from her husband at work, or the couple that has everything in common, but guess what? That doesn’t make their relationship any better than yours. Would I love to have my husband to pick out a chick flick for us to watch, sing show tunes with me, and then sit at the table and do crafts? Well, of course but we ‘re not that couple. We have our own incredibly beautiful way of connecting and spending time together. Focus on what you have not what someone else does.

2. Compromise—it’s not a dirty word. I remember when my life revolved around me and then suddenly, I had to ask my husband what he thought about paint, the couch, the floor, and essentially everything. I don’t know about you, but I love getting my own way...maybe it’s because I was the only child until I was 10 or maybe I’m just a brat. Regardless, my relationship has taught me to compromise because you HAVE to. Otherwise one person will always be bitter or resent the other for making all the decisions in their relationship. And sure, we both still get our way every now and then and if it’s an important issue, we sit down and really talk it out—why it makes us uncomfortable, why we’re having a hard time agreeing, and really figure out the root of the problem.

3. Stop nagging—this is something that I need to work on more. I have this lovely habit of nagging all the time—you know what I’m talking about: “these dishes aren’t going to wash themselves”, “did you seriously put your dirty tissue there?” or “Why would you move the chair and not put it back?” I hate that I nag because it is so counterproductive. If my husband came home after a long day and started going on about my hair on the sink or my jewelry spread out everywhere you better believe that I would stay right where I was and give him dirty looks. It’s not productive and it makes people feel bad.

4. Ask for help—so you’re part of a couple but that doesn’t mean you can read each other’s minds. Sometimes the floors need vacuumed, the laundry is backed up, the sink is full and you just really need some help, so ask for it. Now remember asking is NOT nagging, they’re different and usually get a different response. Asking isn’t “I really wish you’d clean up after yourself!” That’s nagging and it’s not productive. Instead just saying, “Hey babe, can you take out the trash and help me with some housework today?” The response is much better because he feels like you NEED him and hey, you’re part of a team!

5. Complaining to others—so you might not nag to your partner but something happened that really made you mad, so what do you do? You pick up the phone or go to work and tell anyone and everyone that has ears who will listen about it. STOP IT! You aren’t doing yourself any favors. So now your mom, sister, aunt, co-worker, and whoever else are mad at him now too. And guess what? They won’t forget it. So even though you might forgive your partner and patch things up, they are keeping a running tally of your partner and all the things that he should be doing better. Now when you hit a real rough spot in your relationship, they’re going to be the first person to help you air out all this dirty laundry rather than help you through your problems. So instead, find one or two people that your really trust- people that are not only invested in you but people who are invested in your relationship and want to HELP. So at my wedding, along with many others, there comes a time in the ceremony where the officiant asks everyone in the crowd if they will do everything that they can to support your marriage and keep it together. Which they respond “we will”. I have 2 dear friends that love me and my husband so when I’m angry or need to talk through a problem they are there to help me through it, to support my relationship, and to help me find a way to resolve it.

6. Be proud! Alright, the secret it out. I love my husband. And although I spent my entire life thinking I would marry a very different type of man (like the romantic comedy type), I got the perfect man for me. As much as I think how blessed I am to have found my soulmate on a daily basis, I don’t say it enough. I think our society has really gotten into the practice of telling people when they do something bad, but your relationship should focus on all the GOOD things. So build your man up and tell him how wonderful he is and point out those great attributes that you made you fall in love with him.

5 Non-toy Toys Baby Wants to Play With

The boys recently started grabbing for things, some would even call it lunging. They grab whatever we're holding or eating and feel entitled to taking whatever the other baby is holding or playing with. It's going to be a long few toddler-hood years ahead of us if this behavior continues. I have already had to break up several "fights" in which Emmett is voraciously swinging a toy and smacks Oliver in the head... or to get him back, Oliver lunges at Emmett's toy, takes it and stuffs it in his mouth. Cue breakdown from Emmett. You get the picture. They're barely mobile and I'm already spending a good portion of my day playing referee to these babies. 

No matter how many toys, stuffed animals, or brightly colored objects you place in front of your 6 month old, I guarantee you that they are wanting something just slightly out of their reach. And something that just slightly belongs to you. I've listed 5 of the boys' favorite non-toy toys that they LOVE to play with.

1. Cell phones. These things are fascinating. They light up. They make noise. They can be grasped easily by two little hands. Andy even downloaded a kid's app on his phone that the boys can use - think lots of bright colors - that securely blocks them from calling China, setting a new password on his phone, or purchasing things from Amazon. If we're not willing to part with our phones, we either have to make sure the boys (Oliver, specifically) do not see them... or we have to give them the case on the phone - which is just as good sometimes!

2. Hair. The boys are entranced by my long, wavy hair. They're equally fascinated by Andy's facial hair, so I'm not sure it's much of a compliment. Wear your hair up around a 6 month old or be prepared to feel pain. You have been fairly warned, so do not yell at me when my baby pulls a chunk of your long locks right out of your head.

3. Glasses. I'm at the point of considering getting contacts and it pains me, because I love wearing glasses. I clean my glasses 235,750 times a day, thanks to these babies. Approximately. I'm always living in constant fear that they will hit me in the face, shatter the lenses and rupture my eyeballs. No big deal...just some freaky Final Destination-esque accident and I'll be blind. Occasionally my glasses get swiped right off of my face and stuffed in a mouth. These kids are quick and efficient!

4. Anything you're eating. If they see you eating it, they want it. They will stare you down while you're eating in the most awkward way. They will reach, grab, smack, scream and cry until you give them something off of your plate. We're going to look into a nice plastic set of dishes to use until these kids are well into their teenage years because we've had a few incidents. And by incidents, I mean baby lunging at a taco salad. Or baby feeling entitled to spaghetti.

5. Cats. Our cats used to feel safe and secure in our household. Then we brought home two strangely smelling, loud, attention-hogging "cats" and they were confused. Only the balls-iest of the ballsy will go near the boys. Junior and Bubsy are good playmates for them and they tolerate the boys "petting" them, screaming at them and just generally being babies. Bailey stays far, far away. At all times. She also, coincidentally, has all of her fur intact.

Is there anything that's not technically a toy that your kids use at toys at this age? I feel like they only play with about half of their actual toys and then spend the rest of their time trying to get their hands on whatever I'm using!

Munchkin Fresh Food Feeders

Munchkin Fresh Food Feeders. Need 'em? Want 'em?  
Spoiler alert: You should get them!

The jury was not out on this one. I knew I was going to get the boys these awesome-looking mesh feeders, I just didn't know when they would be appropriate for them. Well, they're 6 months old, and it's now. (I do think that the boys will be able to use them for a long time, too, because I've heard you can make freezie pops with them when they are older babies.) The boys put EVERYTHING in their mouths and they LOVE adult food. Perfect timing for a mesh feeder!

So far we have put bananas, peaches, apples and pears in the feeders. Bananas (frozen) are BY FAR the most popular. They will sit in their high chairs for 20 minutes nom-ing on a bit of banana! It's the perfect activity for them for when I have a few quick chores to get done... think dishes, litter boxes, laundry, etc. that need to be done on a daily basis.

As you know from previous posts, I am doing a mixture of the French-style baby feeding (purees)  and the English-style baby feeding (baby led weaning) that has recently become popular among American moms. Oliver does great with a spoon and purees. Most of the time he doesn't even need his bib changed. Emmett, on the other hand, is a disaster. Absolute disaster. He loves to grab at the spoon, stick his hands in his mouth, fling puree everywhere... you get the idea. He really needs a bath after each feeding (but doesn't get one... ain't nobody got time for that!) For their dinner-time feeding, he gets striped to a diap-y and then goes straight to the tub. He does much better with a BLW style feeding - loves it in fact! - because he is in control of what goes in his mouth.

From this (nerve wracking) experience with "adult" food....

...to this (not as sticky) apple-eating experience!

The only downside I have seen to this product is that they are gross to clean. Like mushy, browned, drool-covered banana slime gross. But once you get any chunks of banana out, you're good. Throw it in the dishwasher or let them soak for a bit.

What types of food have you put in a mesh feeder (or given to your baby whole as part of BLW?) I'm thinking baked sweet potato slices and cooked carrots could be fun!

Be sure to follow Oh.em.gee it's Nikkie on Facebook and Pinterest so you never miss a product review!

What I Ate Wednesday - Breakfast Pizza

Follow Oh.em.gee it's Nikkie on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!

This recipe goes along with my meal planning week of breakfast for dinner recipes. It was a hit in our household - Andy has requested it multiple times since then! This breakfast pizza is super easy to make and is filling and (somewhat) nutritious. And, of course, I had to go and throw my own little curve ball at this recipe - sausage gravy as the "sauce." I do not regret that decision at all!

I used to have these little pre-made breakfast pizza things that you would heat up in the toaster oven when I was in school. The calories and fat in those things - my God! After I read the nutritional information, I stopped eating them - typical high school girl, what else would you expect? This recipe is probably a bit healthier for you because: 1. It's homemade. 2. It uses turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. 3. SO MUCH LESS SODIUM. As you know, we're big on cutting back on sodium in this household.

Breakfast Pizza (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• Sausage Gravy - about a cup... follow this recipe but use non-fat milk and reduced fat meat. Serve it with biscuits earlier in the week and save the leftovers for this recipe (or freeze leftovers!)
• 1 tube of refrigerated pizza dough
• 12 ounces turkey bacon
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Instructions:

1. Fully cook and crumble turkey bacon. Set aside. Scramble 4 eggs, adding salt and pepper if you usually do. We do not. Microwave leftover sausage gravy until warm.

This would be delicious baked alone... no need for the extras!

2. Roll out pizza dough. Spread sausage gravy over dough. Evenly coat with bacon, scrambled eggs and top with cheeses. Bake in a 350 degree oven for the length of time noted on the pizza dough container. Seriously it's that easy.

I did mention that this serves 4... people with unusually large appetites, that is!