Memorial Day Rewind

We spent the weekend at Andrew's parents so that we would be closer to our friends and be able to enjoy a barbecue. When I checked the weather on Friday, Monday was supposed to be fabulous and in the 70s. Mother Nature, however, had other plans. We had visions of barbecue, corn hole, sunshine, and drinks, but our reality was barbecue with the garage door open to cover our head while it poured rain, and everyone cramming in the basement to eat and watch re-runs of Pawn Stars. Not exactly what I had in mind...

Anyways, when I woke up, I was determined to have a festive Memorial Day, despite the uncooperative weather, so I made some Paleo Pancakes: 'Merica Edition! (For those of you who don't know, I have, within the past few months, switched my eating habits to a Paleo lifestyle.) So, with my star-shaped cookie cutter and food coloring in hand, I whipped up a batch of these delicious bad boys!

I also have to mention the ADORABLE plates that I got from the Target dollar bin...they look like paper plates...but they're PLASTIC! I LOVE them!

For the barbecue, we provided all the meat and our guests brought different sides. I was able to find grass-fed, gluten free hot dogs to enjoy along side my bunless burger, fruit salad, and Paleo guacamole with sweet potato chips. So, so good!

This was our first time being "away" with the baby, and there wasn't a single problem! I've mentioned before that I'm a bit of an over-packer, so this time, I was bound and determined to keep my bags packed with practicality. This was also my first time packing for a baby, and I'm proud to say that I didn't over-pack!

With my beloved label maker and Ziplocks, I was able to condense all of her outfits (with accessories!) and bath stuff into a half of a bag! Her outfits and pajamas were already picked out for every day, and I even packed a few outfits in case nature decided to change it's mind...which is never out of the ordinary for Michigan. I'm seriously thinking of buying a closet organizer to pick both of our outfits for the week. I never realized how much stress that relieves in the morning! Especially for this indecisive mama!

Another great thing about going away last weekend was being able to really try out her Aprica Haven OpenAir Play Yard. She still slept her full ten hours each night! I've loved this thing since before I bought it. Not only is it super durable, it folds up with the bassinet insert set up! The bassinet "mattress" is plush and can be cleaned easily, and the bag it comes in has a lot of extra room to store sheets/blankets/etc. I love the gender neutral color (all of Layla's big ticket items are black so that I could reuse them again!) and the simplicity. Takes two seconds to set up and tear down. I'm sold! A great plus is that any pack n play sheet fits perfectly! For those of you that worry about a mobile, I use this Tiny Love Take Along Mobile that can attach to almost anything!

All in all, I would have to say our first "going away" experience was a total success! We've got lots of little trips planned for this summer, so I'm glad to have had this trial run. Since we didn't get to wear our adorable Memorial Day outfit because of the cold weather, I'll leave you with this adorable picture of Layla's post-bathtime scream sesh!

Hooded Princess Towel

Keep your eyes peeled for my green cleaning and Father's Day gift ideas posts! And I hope you all had an amazing Memorial Day weekend!