How has it been over 2 months since Rosie has been born! Total blogger fail since I haven’t even shared her newborn photos! So I thought I would share some of my favorite ones!
Rosie’s Newborn Pictures
Tips for Loving A Law Enforcement Officer
Take Time For Yourself
I think between the day to day things, we all forget to take a little time for yourself. We are either cleaning the house, changing uniforms, prepping dinner, or waiting for them to get off that over time shift they were supposed to be off an hour ago. It’s always something. As a law enforcement officer’s wife, it is so important to take some time for yourself. My favorite thing? A spa night! A little self-care is perfect for 
everyone!
Right now two of my favorite self-care items are Bioré One Minute Self Heating Mask & Bioré Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips.
These things are amazing! The face masks, are perfect for those late nights, waiting for your officer to get home. Infused with natural charcoal, draws out pore-clogging dirt, oil, and impurities. The self-heating one minute mask rinses cool for oh-so-smooth skin and works in one hot minute!
Now, these Charcoal Pore Strips are perfect for a night of pampering, or just a weekly use! Not all pore strips are created equal! Only Biore Pore Strips are the trusted, and dermatologist-tested way to purify pores. These innovative strips work like a magnet, lifting out deep-down grime, oil, and blackheads from even your most clogged pores. I even got my husband to try them with me one night! It is amazing what these Charcoal Pore Strips can pull out! When they are used on a regular basis, they actually diminish the appearance of pores.
Are you into face masks? Check out Holly’s Housewife Life on Instagram on Friday, for Facemask Friday!! S
he is one of my favorite beauty bloggers!
Don’t Listen To The Police Scanner
I think it is important to not focus on what they are doing while they are at work. I think listening to the police scanner, can cause some unnecessary fears and worries when we really don’t know the whole story. Of course, you might listen once in a while, and I think that is okay. But I think it’s very important not to listen to it all the time, let them do their thing, and try not to worry too much!
Take a Date at any time or day!
If you have been in love with a law enforcement officer for more than an hour, you know how important it is to take a date anytime you can get one. You don’t have to go out to take a date, I think couch dates are perfect once in a while! I mean, honestly, I love the days my husband gets to go to the grocery store with me, it makes me so happy. Running errands around town with him is also one of my favorite things to do! Just spending time together is so valuable!
Do your own thing
This can be hard to do. But get your own system down. It took me a while to get used to it, but I finally got a good weekend routine down, so I was not just sitting at home waiting for him to wake up. I would get my cleaning done, go visit family, work on some crafts. I was able to keep myself busy until my husband woke up, and it made me not hate third shift as much.
Find a Support System
Find people who understand your life. Meeting other police wives is so helpful in getting through your hard days. Many states have their own Facebook groups for police wives, and there are also a lot of national pages that bring wives together. It is important to know that you are not alone in those long nights, or when you are just having a rough day. Even if it is not another police wife, it could be someone whose husband works thirds too, they would fully understand how that can be hard! Not everyone understands what it is like to be with a police officer!
Those are just a couple of my tips for loving a law enforcement officer, what are your tips?
Check out some of my other police-related posts.
I am a Police Wife – 7 Ways You Know You Love A Police Officer – A police Officer’s Life
Thought’s of a First Time Mom
If you have been around here awhile, most of you know that getting pregnant was not the easiest thing for Justin and me. It was a lot of long months, a lot of tests, and a lot of medication to figure out what was going on. But now that we are pregnant, there are a lot of things running through my head, like any first-time mom.
How will the dogs handle the new baby?
Right now, our dogs are our fur-babies. They do everything with us, and are constantly getting belly rubs from both of us! Bringing the baby home will be a big transition for both the dogs! It will be an interesting transition for all of us! Any tips on how you introduced your dogs to your new one?
How will we get on a schedule?
Most of you know my husband is a Deputy Sherriff and doesn’t have the normal 9-5, Monday- Friday schedule. He has the opposite of that. Getting on a good schedule while I am on maternity leave, and then when I get back to work worries me a little. He could be working thirds (11 pm – 8 am), or even seconds (3 pm- 11 pm). I know we will just have to roll with the punches as they come!
Read about my second shift Blues Here.
How will Breastfeeding Go?
As a first time mom, we all know no one can answer that question, but it sure would be nice if someone could give us some idea on how it will be. I told myself, I will try as hard as I can, but also not be mad at myself, if it does not work out. I think it is important to put a little pressure on yourself. But then also to remind yourself, it is okay if it does not work out. It will not be the end of the world, and your little baby will be just perfectly fine either way!
How Can I Help Prepare for the Future?
This answer is easier than I thought it would be to find, after looking into cord blood banking with Cord Blood Registry (CBR) Your baby’s umbilical cord is made of tissue and contains blood, both of which are rich sources of powerful stem cells. Preserving your newborn’s stem cells may give your child or an immediate family member, depending on the condition and other factors, the opportunity to use this resource for current cord blood therapies and potential future applications, like regenerative medicine.*
(Source is from https://www.cordblood.com/stem-cell-research/cord-blood-uses-and-research )
During this crazy time of preparing for the baby, CBR makes it super easy to get started, with 5 simple steps:
- Enroll with CBR online at cordblood.com/enroll or call 1-888-240-1996
- CBR ships you a collection kit
- Bring your kit to the hospital on your big day
- Call the medical courier after your baby is born and the cord blood has been collected by your healthcare professional
- Relax. CBR handles the rest and will notify you when the kit has been received.
If you are pregnant, know someone who is expecting, or just want more information for the future I suggest watching this video that helps break down how it all works or head on over to www.cordblood.com. You can also receive a promo code for, $200 off of the initial fees by filling out your information here!
It is so hard to believe Baby Knight will be here in less than 3 months! We are so excited, to bring this baby into the world!
What are some of your thought’s when you were becoming a first-time mom?
Tips To A Healthy Pregnancy
It is hard to believe that January is almost over! Where did the month go? Since I was pregnant bringing in the new year, I couldn’t really make any new year’s resolutions connected to my weight or health, since growing a human takes a lot of work. Even though I may be 22 weeks pregnant, my ultimate goal to have a healthy pregnancy for baby
Tips To A Healthy Pregnancy
Stay Hydrated:
Before I got pregnant, I stopped drinking all pop which made me drink more water. So increasing my water intake was easier for me than I thought it would be. Of course, some days I do struggle to keep drinking enough water, but on the days I drink water, it is amazing how much better I feel!
Enjoy the Extra Sleep:
During the early stages of my pregnancy, I always felt bad for sleeping so much. Now that I am almost 23 weeks pregnant, I know I need my sleep, and do not feel bad for sleeping a little extra these weeks! I guess it is the one good thing about being married to a man on third shift.. getting the bed to myself!
(Read my post-Goodbye Second Shift Blues to find out all about our transition!)
Take Notice of Your Weight:
Let’s be honest here… I am one to gain weight pretty easy, so gaining a lot of excess weight during my pregnancy always worried me a little. I knew I wanted to have a healthy pregnancy, but I also knew I did not want to gain excessive weight!
The Nokia Body+ Smart Scale is such an easy way to keep track of your weight! It has special modes for momma’s who are pregnant just like me! I know it will also keep track of the postpartum weight loss! Currently, I am weighing my self-weekly, or really whenever I feel up to it!
Also, the Nokia Body+ Smart Scale can track up to 8 different people, all from the free Health Mate app, which makes it even easier to see your weight loss progress! The sleek style of the Nokia Body+ Smart Scale, let’s me keep it out in the bathroom, and the batteries will last up to 18 months which is great because I know after having this baby changing my scales batteries is the last thing that will be on my mind!
Stay Active For A Healthy Pregnancy:
For me, this one was easy! We are going through a whole house remodel and doing a lot of the work ourselves, it was easy to stay active. I actually overdid it a couple days and had to remind myself that I growing a little baby, and that baby needs me to take it easy! But, I do believe that staying active, and not letting yourself to use the excuse of “I’m Pregnant” to get out of things, helps a lot! I think this is one of the main reasons my weight gain has been minimal, now I know the bigger I get, the harder it will be for me to stay active, but while I can be active, I am trying!
Don’t Stress Over Gaining Weight:
Trust me, I really miss wearing my non-maternity pants, but I know time will fly by, and before I know it our little one will be here, and be a year old! I am trying to enjoy it all, the weight gain and the heartburn since it was a struggle to get to this point!
Actually, let’s be real.. The only maternity pants I own are leggings… I bought 4 pairs, and wear them all the time! I really need to find some good maternity jeans soon!
Ready a little about our infertility & pregnancy announcement here.
What are your tips for a healthy pregnancy?
Positive Endings to Infertility
There are some things that many people don’t talk about. Infertility. Many choose to keep their infertility struggle a secret, to make it easier on them. ( I was one of the people), at the time, I didn’t want people to know. I didn’t want them to ask what was going on, what was the next step, I only wanted to talk about our process when I was ready. Then after many months of trying, you get what you have been wishing a praying for, you’re pregnant. All those months of infertility are in the past, people don’t tell their stories. They are looking to the future, and not in the past anymore.
That is why I have collected some women that have gone through infertility, in case you are going through this and you feel alone, please know you are not.
Know you are not alone if you are going through infertility.
Because I like to think I’ve overcome in other ways. I’m stronger for it and I’m not ashamed of it- so many women feel like it’s something they did and they’re to blame…but that’s just NOT the case. I lost my first pregnancy, my daughter, at 18 weeks. She’s now my guardian angel and has taught me so much about a condition I never even knew existed until it happen to me and I lost her. I’ve educated SO many Drs (Yes, I’ve educated them!) on my condition and the steps I’ve taken to beat my condition. So, although I don’t have my rainbow miracle yet, I’m hopeful it’ll happen someday…but I do believe my husband and I have overcome infertility but not allowing it to overcome Us. -Meghan
My husband and I started trying to have children as soon as we got married. After a year with no success, off to the doctor, we went. We were referred to our fertility facility and began immediately with testing. No problems were found with either of us and we underwent 4 IUI’s within 7 months. All 4 IUI’s were unsuccessful. On to IVF! Over the next 12 months, I gave myself hundred of shots (hubby had to help with the progesterone ones in the butt), took hundreds of pills and was at the doctor’s 3 times a week for the entire duration. I was put to sleep 5 times for 5 retrievals and underwent 5 transfers (some with up to 4 grade A embryos)! All attempts failed and we were convinced we couldn’t have children. We were exhausted physically and mentally, but we decided to try one more time! On our 6th retrieval and 6th transfer, we ended up pregnant with our little miracle baby girl! Seeing that little heartbeat for the first time made it all worth it! We would do it all over again to have her. Infertility is nerve-racking, hard on your marriage, physically and mentally exhausting, but in the end, we were rewarded with the best gift we could have ever received! – Megan
When my husband and I decided to start trying for a baby we never thought we would have such a hard time. We decided that I would go off birth control. While On birth control I had regular periods so after my 1st missed period we were so excited and nervous and then a negative test. Negative test after negative test was more disappointment. I then started buying ovulation tests to narrow down when we could get pregnant. Again those were negative. We had been trying for nine months and it began to weigh on me. Trying for a baby became work and after I would often cry because I never knew if it would happen for us and that was heartbreaking. It seemed like everyone around us was able to get pregnant right away. I was happy for them but also really sad for us. Every time someone would ask when we were going to have kids my heart broke even more. I felt like I was letting my husband down. after nine months of no period and negative pregnancy test, I was sent for a MRI to try to get some answers. That MRI showed that I had a prolactinoma. A brain Tumor in the pituitary gland. The Tumor stopped me from ovulating. After getting these results I was sent to a specialist. We had to reduce the Tumor before we could continue trying. After more months and with use of medication my Tumor was decreasing. Finally, after over a year, we were able to conceive.
We had our baby boy! We wanted to try for a second baby but yet again my Tumor was slowly growing when I was not on medication. I had to start on the medication again but this time after only 2 months we were pregnant with our second boy. Even though we are done having kids I still have my brain Tumor that needs to be monitored. After my experience with infertility, I will never again ask someone WHEN they are going to have kids. They may not be able to or have been trying for far too long and I know that heartbreaking feeling. – Shannon
I remember that feeling of seeing a positive pregnancy test for the first time after seeing all negatives for 2 years!!! I still think about that years later and what an amazing feeling that was!! We struggled with infertility for 2 years. Went through all the tests to see if they could find anything wrong and they came up with nothing. I researched on my
own and did some reading on endometriosis. I brought it up to my fertility doctor and my ob-gyn and while they weren’t 100% with me on it they sent me to a specialist and he agreed to do the surgery. They found I had severe endo!! We were so anxious to get pregnant we started trying again as soon as I was given the go-ahead after healing from surgery. We also decided to start fertility treatments just in case the surgery didn’t help. Well, the day I received my fertility meds at my door was the same day I got my +. The same exact day!!! 9 months later I delivered a healthy happy beautiful baby boy. Fast forward to 2 years later….we tried to get pregnant again. I took a pregnancy test and got another +. So exciting, no problems this time. At the 12 week ultrasound to our surprise there were TWO babies in there. We had identical twin girls!! I went from thinking it was never going to happen to this beautiful wonderful family!!- Lindsey
We got married at 23 and immediately knew we wanted a large family. However, after months of trying and nothing happening I visited my OBGYN. She put me on birth control for a few months to regulate my cycles. During those few months, my weight ballooned up. Pregnancy announcement after pregnancy announcement had me depressed and wondering why not me? I was eventually diagnosed with PCOS. The struggle to lose weight became a mountain. I used to be a dancer and now I could barely tie my own shoes. I was embarrassed and knew that if I didn’t control my weight I’d probably never become a mother. Months turned into years. Finally four years into our marriage the doctor said I was in a healthy weight range and that we shouldn’t have any issues conceiving. But those months turned into a year. Finally, I decided on a whim to call a fertility center. They got us in quickly and a whirlwind of testing ensued. Not only did I have issues ovulating, my husband had low morphology which meant getting pregnant on our own was very unlikely. Our doctor sat us down and I was expecting the worst. However, just like that, we decided on IUI. I was prescribed Clomid and ovidrel. We went in knowing the odds weren’t necessarily in our favor. The two-week wait was the worst. Finally, after over five years of trying we are expecting our first in May of 2018. No journey with infertility is the same. No outcome will be the same, but when you can find others who have lived a similar story it makes your journey not seem so scary. Never stop seeking answers. Never stop being your family’s advocate. If we can climb this mountain. You can too!- Samantha
We were 24 and 26 when we started trying to get pregnant, we tried for about 3mo when I felt something was wrong, our doctor had us wait til 6mo so we did, at 6mo of trying my husband was tested and was shown to have a 0 sperm count. Which was devastating. We moved on to a fertility doctor and fertility urologist who figured out my husband is part of the 1 in 4 men who are CF carriers that are infertile. We knew we had to do IVF, so we started the process, found out my husband’s sperm was just stuck (our first sigh of relief), so they removed them, and fertilized them with my eggs. After 2yrs from start to finish we had our son (now 4) and 2yrs after that we had our daughter (now 2), all thanks to our fertility treatments, some amazing doctors, and lots of prayers. -Deziree
I think this is a good reminder to know, we never know what other’s are going through. And if you are one who is going through Infertility, please know you are not alone! We struggled with Infertility, and now on Thursday, I will be 20 weeks along! Check out our pregnancy announcement!
Immaculate Pizza Roll Ups
Every Christmas our family will do appetizers instead of one large meal on Christmas Eve. This year I was determined to make something that we normally do not make. My husband is a pizza lover, but also a very picky eater, so I thought of something that would be perfect for him! Crescent Roll Pizza Roll-Ups, baked with Organic Immaculate Baking Company, crescent rolls!
Why are the crescent pizza roll-ups the perfect appetizer?
These took less than 10 minutes to prepare, and were so simple to make! There are just a couple steps to making these Immaculate Pizza Roll-Ups! Just follow these easy couple steps, and in less than 30 minutes you will be enjoying these yummy pizza roll-ups!
1. Start with your organic Immaculate Baking Company Crescent Rolls.
2. Preheat your oven to 375 & roll crescent rolls out and place them on a greased cookie sheet.
3. Place your cheese, pepperoni, and your other topping at the widest part of your crescent roll.
This is where you get to customize it for all your loved ones, make it spicy by adding some peppers, or spicy sausage, or keep it simple with just cheese and pepperoni.
4. Start rolling them up! *Note I did not put any pizza sauce in these, we just dipped them in, kept it a lot cleaner!
5. Put them in the oven for 13-15 minutes.
6. Thake them out and enjoy with your family!
Head on over to Immaculate Baking Company, to get your $1.00 off coupon now!
The Knight’s are Expecting!
So it has been almost a year since I have been back in the blogging world, life got busy. It’s hard to believe that 2017 is almost over and 2018 will be here before we know it!
The Big News?
Justin & I are so excited to announce that we are expecting a little one come May 2018! 
This has been a long time “in the making” and I hope to explain it a little more, and to bring awareness to Infertility that a lot of young women don’t talk about. I was one of those women, I did not talk about what we went through, while we were going through the process. Looking back, I am still glad that we didn’t tell everyone, trying to get pregnant is enough stress alone, without everyone else wondering, and asking what is the next step.
I am so grateful and blessed that we are having a baby. I know there are a lot of families out there waiting for their month to see those two lines, just know it will happen. The months can be long, and the weeks seem like they go on forever, just don’t give up! Find an infertility specialist that you love, and pray for all the right things to happen! 
It is hard to believe that I will be 13 weeks already tomorrow! Justin and I are so grateful to be having a healthy pregnancy, and can not wait to enjoy the holidays with our families!
All About Those Blogging Goals
Well, It’s the beginning of the year, and we are all talking about what goals we want to achieve this year. I am HORRIBLE with goals. I set them, and then never follow up with them. But, for now on, I want to keep up with my goals, keep track of them. It could only help myself right? I went looking at my blog, and realized that I did this exact same post at the start of 2016, so I thought.. let’s take a look and see how I did:
Reach 20,000 Social Media Followers– Ugh so close actually, My ending number for social media following was 17,186 (that includes, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and my small email list). This My end goal is 30,000 social media followers!
Reach 500 Blog Followers – FAIL. Umm. I don’t really even keep track of that anymore since switching to self-hosted WordPress.
Post Consistently: MAJOR FAIL. Did I mention the 6-month unplanned break I took from blogging? I took that break right after I wrote this post.
Monetize My Blog: Success, I actually received my first paid blog post at the end of the year. I have worked with companies & monetized my Instagram. But I wanted to be able to monetize my blog. I can say at the end of the year, I kicked it in high gear & it paid off!
Interact With My Followers: Sucess, I love to interaction with all my followers, especially on Instagram (Click Here to Find Me On Instagram!)
2017 Blogging Goals:
Post Weekly: I made this goal because I think it is achievable! I know if I say I want to post 2-3 times a week, I will fail. And why make a goal that you know you will fail at? I think this goal is an achievable goal for me! I am starting a new position in my job the beginning of February, and I know that will take up a lot of my time!
Reach 30,00 Social Media Followers- Now this goal is a stretch! That is almost doubling my following now! Combined with, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & my Email subscribers, I want to be at 30,000 people! That seems like a lot, but I know I can do it!
Grow my Email List- Yes, I know it kind of goes with the goal above, but I have never spent time growing my email subscriber list. This is something that would challenge me, but I know I would enjoy. My end of year goal is to get 100 Subscribers to my email! (Want to sign up now? Check the bottom of the post!) 
Surprise! I have a FREE Gift For My Readers!
Sign up for my email below, and receive a free download of the 2017 social media tracker I am using to keep track of my followers! No, blogging is NOT all about the numbers, but if you are working hard on gaining followers, you have to see your process! It is amazing by putting a target on a goal and keeping track, how much easier it is to succeed at your goal!
Sign up below to receive your FREE 2017 Social Media Tracker!
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Do you keep track of your social media following? If so, what is your target goal for the end of the year?
Christmas Home Tour Of The Knight Household
How is Christmas less than a week away? I have no idea! I just love Christmas and everything about it! Our Christmas decorations have been up since before Thanksgiving. Yes, I am that person who puts their decorations up before Thanksgiving, but I love the decorations!
S
ince this is the 4th Christmas in our house, our Christmas decorations have changed a lot! I am so excited to show your our Christmas decorations this year! I have slowly but surely been getting into the rustic & antique looking decorations & I just love it. Next year I think I might just have to buy a flocked tree. Becuase seeing all of your gorgeous flocked Christmas trees has made me a little jealous!
This area is in our Living/Family Room. The shelf was new this year, we added it when we fixed up the room! The shelf cost less than 20 dollars! And, I love it! It is the perfect shelf to add small and dainty Christmas Decorations!
Shelf Garland – Similar Wood Clock – Galvanized Letters
Our Christmas tree is one of the favorite things in our house! We have two trees in our house, one with colored lights (My amazing husband just had to have colored lights.) And then our other tree has clear lights! I just love the having the tree up, lights on, watching Christmas Movies and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. We opened up a doorway this past spring, so it’s a little tight, but at the end, it all works out perfectly!
Christmas Pillows – Wrapping Paper – Flocked Christmas Tree
This end table area has to be my second favorite area. This whole area is new this year too! During the spring I made this blanket ladder for less than 5 dollars! And I LOVE it. I have also been using a lot of galvanized items in my house & I love them! Of course, I had to add a little red plaid to the ladder! I liked the yellow blanket that I normally have on it, but had to change it a little for Christmas!
Plaid Blanket – Blanket Ladder – Snowmen Mugs
This area is in our kitchen next to our table. I just recently added the old window. (I scored this, this past summer at the flea market for 8 dollars… I just couldn’t pass that up!) This is also the area that I have Justin’s uniform picture, so this place in our home holds a very important spot in my heart. This area stays pretty simple for the most part.
This is the entrance area to our house. Of course, another old window for the win. This was actually a wedding gift! The table is something my dad built when I was young, and I always had it my room. So it is amazing to see it in my own house now. This area is always fun to spruce up!
Monogrammed Pillow – Snow Covered Christmas Branches –
There are some snippets of my house! I love the cozy feel of all the decorations up during Christmas time!
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How To Be The Best Holiday Host
Tips To Be The Hostess With The Mostess During The Holidays
Always Have The WiFi Password Accessible
We can’t live without Facebook, Twitter or Instagram these days, so make your guests stay a little easier, have your wifi Password in a frame in the guest room, or on the kitchen fridge for all to see. That way, they don’t have to ask for it, or go sneaking to find it. Because finding someone playing hide and go seek with your modem could be a little
awkward to find!
Give Them Time
And by that, that I mean time to their selves. Give them ideas to do around the town or some good sights to see! Of course, they came to see you, but I am sure like would like to get out of the house & do some fun things!
Let Them Sleep
Most guest travel hours to come see you. Different time zones, different house different bed. They probably won’t sleep the best. So it is best to let them sleep as long as they can.
Have Snacks And Plenty Of Them
If your family is anything like my family, we snack all the time! So, you’re going to want to make sure that you have plenty of food. The best thing is, The Dollar General is here to help! With their great deals coupons, you’ll want to stop on over to The Dollar General and pick up some of your favorite food & of course some Nestle brand products. They have some great prices and you don’t have to search too hard to find some coupons to add on to those great prices!
At The Dollar General, you can find some any quick snacks your guest will love! If your eating dinner and having Digiorno® Rising Crust® Pizza, or Your Making NESTLÉ® Hot Cocoa Mix, The Dollar General is your place to head to prepare! But, don’t forget about DG Digital Coupon (Why not save even more money.)
Enjoy Your Time Together
Most importantly, enjoy your time together with your family! Just remember how blessed you are to be able to spend time with your amazing family during the Holidays!
I hope you all have a great Holiday! Are you heading to a family member’s house this year, or are you being the hostess?
