Two of my favorite bloggers wrote posts this week that caught my attention. Anne wrote a post entitled For the Love of Pregnant Ladies, where she beautifully outlines the thoughtless things that people say to pregnant women. And Jenna wrote a post about the truth of postpartum recovery. If you like a good laugh then you must read Anne’s post. If you like to read about what can really happen after a baby, read Jenna’s post.

A little over a year ago I wrote a post similar to Anne’s where I took your comments and my experiences and created a list of the Unwelcome Things People Say to Pregnant Ladies.

No one wants to hear the bad. Pregnant women have so many things to worry about including their health, the baby’s health, the recovery, the inevitable change in lifestyle, etc. It doesn’t do any good to rub it in or make the worry worse.

On the other hand, there were quite a few things that I never knew could happen to me. I didn’t even know that these things were a possibility. I had no clue that all women are afraid to use the restroom after they have a baby. I had no clue that the hospital gave you ice packs to wear…. you know where.

So, in that case, I appreciate Jenna’s post. Obviously, if you’re a pregnant gal who would rather not know because, let’s face it, it’s scary to read about things that will probably happen to you that you can’t stop from happening to you, then you probably shouldn’t read Jenna’s post. But some women, like me, are addicted to WebMD and like to be prepared for what’s to come.

So here’s the question: are you one of those that would rather be surprised by the icky aftermath? Or do you want to know everything including worst-case scenario details?

In my situation, I appreciated reading Jenna’s post after the fact because it was nice to see someone put the postpartum truth out there. But I’m not sure that I would have wanted to read it beforehand. Where do you stand?

Are you addicted to information? Or would you rather just wait and find out on your own?

If you’ve read all of my Home Tour Tuesday posts, you know that, for the most part, my house is decorated in lots of neutral colors. I have the occasional printed fabric covering a chair and the nursery is a fun hodge podge of print fabrics. But we’ve purchased mostly beige, tan, and white furniture. Our bedroom is a mix of soft, soothing blues, but there aren’t decor surprises in our bedroom.

I am so envious of the people who can take bold colors and bold prints and mix them all together to create a bright, vibrant room. My mom decorated one house in particular that has gorgeous prints and hot pinks and purples in the formal living room. I absolutely love it and would love to completely replicate that in my home.

The new issue of Southern Living features the home of interior designer, Megan Young, in an article called “Tradition With a Colorful Twist.” This is me! I’m traditional, but I love a twist. Now I just need the guts to make it a colorful twist.

Here, I love the orange wallpaper that has a bit of shimmer. I love the oriental mirror mixed with the modern green print on the chairs. The combination is all very unusual, but it works. You can see a hint of the blue silk draperies in the background. Swoon!

The blue china mixed with the red pattern cups and saucers are so interesting because they’re mixed and would no doubt be a conversation starter.

The hydrangeas on the table are so Southern. And I’m usually a fan of rugs under the dining room table, but the absence of the rug in this room isn’t even noticeable.

This entire space captures a personal sense of style for the homeowner.

The master bedroom reminds me a lot of our current guest bedroom. It at least shows me that if we just switched out our draperies and recovered the headboard, we could achieve a look like this.

I adore the traditional silk print headboard mixed with the more contemporary animal print rug.

You can also see the neutral zebra print pillows with green trim on the bed.

It’s all very thoughtful and I love her attention to detail. There’s nothing stuffy about this space. It looks comfortable, eclectic, and very personalized.

I absolutely love formal living rooms. I think they’re a safe place to get really creative.

This formal living room has a few prints, a family and pet-friend natural rug, and neutral sofa. The room has a lot of natural light, which is always beautiful.

But the show-stopper is the teal velvet chair. In the magazine, you can see the tiny border of green trim around the teal velvet.

The pink peonies add a beautiful touch of color, but that chair just takes the cake.

I think recovering old pieces of furniture in fun, vibrant fabrics is so much fun! You can see in this post that’s what we did with my grandmother’s chairs.

So what are your decorating phobias? Are you afraid to commit to color and pattern, like me? Or do you struggle with committing to a style?

One of our struggles is trying to combine new pieces with pieces that we’ve owned for years. As we get older and our tastes change, we aren’t sure how to mix the old (not antique) with the new.

We’ve been married for two years now. We’ve had a baby, quit two jobs, and TC started his own practice. Things haven’t exactly been easy peasy and completely carefree. We’ve had a lot on our plates and we’ve leaned on each other heavily to get through each obstacle, challenge, and triumph.

We’ve had our share of snippy moments. I’m passionate, vocal, and loud. I never hold back. If something is wrong and TC asks me what’s wrong, I give him the full story and rarely come up for air. If something is bothering him, it takes a while for me to get to the bottom of it and it takes him a while to open up. He’s agreeable (for the most part) and goes with the flow.

So our communication styles are very different. He’s a thinker and I’m impulsive. And this has led to a few tense moments in our short two years.

But then things get right back to normal and we’re laughing, joking, and going about our day just enjoying the little moments together.

We heard a couple of stories this weekend about failed marriages or marriages that seem to be in in trouble, and the whole time we’re hearing this we kept looking over at each other. And each time I looked at my husband, I loved him even more.

No matter how many fits Hudson throws in a day that put me at my wits end or how many stressful days of work and sleepless nights that TC is faced with, we’re in this together. We chose this life. We chose to love each other in the midst of career, family, baby, mortgages, and crazy cone-wearing dogs. And sometimes when hearing about someone else’s struggles, it helps us stop to think, look at each other, and know that we’ve got it made.

We’ve got it made in the midst of poopy diapers, leaking roofs, old cars that we refuse to give up on, bill-paying, meal-planning, and all of the daily responsibilities.

Long weekends are always so great. I feel like on a regular weekend, the time flies by and between 7:00 p.m. on Friday night and 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning we still have a lot of responsibility. Between taking care of Hudson and the dogs, we have church activities and home maintenance responsibilities. We spend time together, but we’re still wrapped up in the “have tos.”

This weekend we were able to truly relax and spend good time together. We got to see a movie together and cook together and at the end of the day I know that I learned a little more about my husband.

But even without a date night or official plans, it’s possible to get that same feeling while just sitting in your home. As long as you’re doing something together. And you remember to laugh.

How do you keep that feeling alive in the midst of babies, houses, careers, and responsibilities?

We had a really busy week and I put my camera to good use almost every day! This is what we’ve been up to…

Little Gym Ceremony

Hudson had his last class at The Little Gym for the semester. He is enrolled in a summer class and a fall class, but this was his last time in the “Bugs” class. I will miss all of the other sweet babies and I know Hudson will miss his friends that don’t move up to the “Birds” class with him.

He got to try out all of his tricks this week including forward rolls. He’s so good at tucking his head. He also loves doing flips on the bar and hanging on the bar!

At the end of the class, each baby got a medal from the teacher. Hudson was very proud!

Banana Pudding

I’ve posted this recipe before, but I made my go-to dessert recipe on Wednesday for a choir party at church. I made Paula Deen’s Not Yo Mama’s Banana Pudding. This is what I make every time I bring a dessert to a function. It’s quick and easy and it’s always a crowd pleaser!

Hudson’s First Balloon

I had to make a trip to Publix early on Wednesday morning and a sweet girl working at the store saw Hudson and offered him a balloon. He was pretty excited and played with that balloon the whole way home. He wasn’t so sure about it when we got home, so that explains the look of confusion on his face.

Overnight Visitors

My friend, Lyndsey, and her husband and daughter were passing through Columbia on their way to celebrate Memorial Day weekend out of town. It worked out perfectly for them to stay the night in Columbia before getting up and driving the rest of the way. Hudson loves playing with Addison and we were able to pull out Hudson’s Jump ‘n Go that he had outgrown and Addison got to play in it. Hudson wasn’t so sure he was ready to share his toy, but Addison loved it!

Time with Lyndsey is never long enough, but we had a great little visit and can’t wait to do it again.

Birthday Party Planning

I’ll do a full post on how I’ve tried to stay organized with Hudson’s birth party planning, but I just wanted to show y’all where I’m “holding” all of his birthday party supplies. When the party gets a little closer I’ll start staging everything a little at a time so there isn’t as much to do on the day of the party. I was an event planner in my pre-SAHM days and I loved my job. But I love the events I plan for the people I love the most!

Reality TV Finale Week

American Idol: I used to be such a die hard American Idol fan. I was a little bored this season and I think it was because Simon was obviously checked out. I liked Lee and Crystal equally, but I really didn’t care which one was the winner. Crystal is more unique and I will definitely buy her record.

I cared so much more about the Simon farewell and tributes than any other part of the show on Wednesday night. I got choked up with almost every tribute. And when all of the former Idols (except David Cook- where was he?) came out and sang together I couldn’t stop the tears. (Am I a basket case or what?) It was so moving and I love that they all remember their roots and were willing to come back to thank one of the people that got them where they are today.

The show will not be the same without Simon Cowell. I am a huge fan and don’t find him to be offensive or rude. I think he’s honest and I think he’s always right.

I really like Kara DioGuardi and I think she does a great job at being honest and providing a strong, knowledgeable opinion. And the contestants can take her constructive critiques and do better the next week.

My only negative comment is that Paula should never ever attempt comedy again. It was sweet to bring her back and Simon obviously loves her, but she should sing, dance, or just come out and sit down.

Dancing With the Stars: Obviously my favorite couple, Erin and Maks, didn’t win. I was never a Nicole fan. The girl can dance like it’s her job– and it kind of was her job at one point– but I didn’t like her attitude and the way she acted like she had won after week 1.

Transition to the Sippycup

Because we’re almost done with formula (1 more week) and Hudson is a “big boy” now, we’ve been using a sippycup instead of the bottle during the day. Hudson has stopped taking his morning bottle and takes a sippycup of formula once in the middle of the day and takes a bottle at night. He still loves his night time bottle, but he also loves his sippycup. We found that he likes the straw better than the normal cup and it’s just so cute to watch him drink out of that straw!

I hope you’ve all had a great week and are looking forward to a relaxing Memorial Day weekend.

After receiving a few emails on the subject, I’m going to post my tips and tricks on how to travel on a plane or long car trip with a baby. I’m not an expert, but I can share what worked for us!