Olivia is 4 Months Old!!!

Well, she will be Tuesday anyways. :) And let me tell you this little nugget is knocking those milestones out the window. She has the most delightful personality and no matter how she is feeling she will always crack a smile. She can roll over now and can grab things and is learning to bring them to her mouth. She LOVES to talk, especially to the toys that hang above her baby gym.

We are truly blessed by this little person. And I cannot believe she is already four months old! As you'll get to know me on here, I tend to take a lot of photos of my girl so of course we had to have a mini photo session for her four months of being on this earth! Let me warn you...she's pretty darn cute! ;)

We got serious all of the sudden here...

This look! Haha, love her so much.

On a side note, I have only TWO more weeks at my current job before my full time job is staying home with this cutie pie. I can hardly wait! And I'm all ears on recommendations for you current stay at home moms on ways you schedule your day so you are still productive!!! :)

Honey Bourbon Chicken

I'm not a cook by any means so when I find a delicious and easy meal that will knock your socks off you better believe I'll be sharing. I originally found this meal on Pinterest -- I know shocker. And I need to browse the owner of this recipe's site for other deliciousness but that's for another day. Let me introduce you to your new favorite family dinner! 

CROCK POT HONEY BOURBON CHICKEN 

Shout out to my friend Krystle for the cute wine glass

As a new mom, there is nothing I love more than food that can be made in the crock pot. Because let's be real, spending hours in the kitchen just isn't a realistic goal when you have a three month old at home. Heck, even when you don't have a baby at home but you have a life and other things you have to get done! 

This meal is one of those that can be thrown together during nap time and ready when the hubs gets home from work with minimal prep. And it takes a maximum of 4 hours so you can throw this meal together in the afternoon without having to do a tone of meal planning! I'm not quite there yet in the meal planning department and prefer the option to pick up groceries rather last minute and still be able to make a tasty but easy meal. (I know as a new mom meal planning would benefit me greatly, I'm just not there yet. Maybe after September 8th I'll get to work on that...) 

Honey Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients:

- 2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

- salt & pepper

- 1 c. honey**

- 1 c. soy sauce

- 1/2 c. ketchup

- 4 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes**

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2 c. diced onion

Cooking Instructions:

1. Trim chicken and place in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

2. In medium bowl, add honey, soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion all together stirring well to combine then pour over chicken.

3. Cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Once done, cut chicken into chunks and enjoy!

I serve mine on a bed of rice (my favorite to cook for sake of ease being the Success - Boil in a bag rice). And then I saute or roast up some vegetables to go along with the main dish. To make it an even easier dish, grab a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables and cook those up the last few minutes! Easy and let me tell you DELICIOUS. 

**Tip: To use less honey because, let's face it honey is pricey, you can use half brown sugar and half honey. Also, if you like heat in your dishes increase the red pepper flakes and vice versa if you prefer a milder dish. 

Give it a try and let me know what you think! This recipe is great for anyone who is willing to dust off their crock pot! 

Promotions for Everyone

A lot has been happening in the Morris household. My hubs, Brian got a big promotion a few weeks ago and I couldn't be more proud of him. He has worked so hard and with so much passion and dedication to get to where his is today and I'm so blessed to call him my hubby. But with his promotion comes another big change for our little family...

I get to spend all day every day with my sweet girl, Liv! 

That's right people, I am getting my own promotion to become a STAY AT HOME MOM!!!!! I'm beyond excited and albeit a tad nervous about the transition but I simple cannot wait. Because I respect my boss so much and all she has done for me I have given a rather long notice so my last day isn't until September 8th but believe me the countdown has begun. 

But this is another reason I wanted to have a blog that I can utilize to share and document Liv's milestones, to learn and share meal prep ideas and just general motherhood business. Plus I will need somethings to engage my brain other than talking to Liv all day! 

I'll also be asking questions to you other SAHM's (stay at home mom) on things you do to fill you day and how to manage your home and take care of you child in the most productive manner.

I am so excited and can't wait to get into my new routine! Just three and a half more weeks of "work" before I start my new job. :) 

The Lauren Morris Blog

Yeah, I know...I change blogs a lot. After some further though and insight from those close to me I decided that Mentally Mothering was not the direction I want to go in the blogging world. Yes, mental health is a topic that needs more attention but I'm not the one to address it at this stage in my life. There will be posts on this blog at times regarding mental health but less focused on my personal struggles and more of just encouraging posts for those who struggle.

I want to blog about the good, the funny and the embarrassing moments of motherhood. I want to share my passion for hand lettering prints and show you my Etsy shop. I want to show off my adorable baby girl and all the fun things she's doing and brag on my awesome husband. And I want to share any random life hacks or tricks I learn along this crazy journey.

So this is me, Lauren Morris and this is my life. Welcome to my world!