Hi Friends!
I’m alive!!!
And if you live in California, then you know that those beautiful petals dropped a LOOONG time ago.

I am *maybe* 10 mins away from an anxiety attack at all times….but hopefully that will change after April 30th. More on that a little later. Here I am again on my blog for a quick minute. I just wanted to share some family photos from the last two months…a few sweet memories we squeezed in when we weren’t working. I want to do more of that in the future. Near future. Like April 30th future.
Anyway, I miss you friends, family, and the days when I didn’t grind my teeth until my chin quivers and my jaw hurts. But sometimes you’ve got to put your head down and grind it out. (Good thing we have a few dentists in the family, when I need my veneers;)

I’m convinced that there is some kind of eternal lesson in learning how to REALLY work. How to push through the fatigue of no sleep and exhaustion, to juggle the needs of others and to multi-task in ways you never thought possible.  Something I’m convinced I have never done at this level before in my life. I thought I knew what hard work was, but I didn’t. I mean, compared to the coal miner pounding away at the center of the Earth, I still don’t know what hard work is, so I guess it all depends on your frame of reference.
Suffice it to say, I’m tired, but I’m really enjoying it. Like REALLY. Who knew entrepreneurship could be so fun and creative? I feel like all the random crap I’ve done and weird skills I’ve acquired in my life have led me to this and it’s kind of thrilling.

After April 30th I’ll be looking for ways to bring a little balance back, just enough so my stomach doesn’t hurt.
And on that note, Central Valley springtime, Muir Woods and BABIES!

Hows this for a family photo? (sigh)

What helps you to power through?  For me it’s these little dudes, and the fantasy of one day having a really beautiful kitchen.

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been tweaking with my home page. I debated on keeping the Hilary Fleming Blog as the White Plum Boutique blog, and just adding in some fashion posts…which I have been experimenting with. I just decided that while my family will have a presence with our brand, it will be minimal. I’m keeping Hilary Fleming.com to focus on chronicling my family, for myself, friends, family and readers who have been hanging out here and like our weird selves.

The White Plum Blog is a collaborative lifestyle blog that will occasionally feature our products. We are obviously in the beginning stages, but I have some fun ideas and I’m eagerly looking for collaborators, so if you are interested in appearing on our lifestyle blog, email me! I’m interested in fashion bloggers, lifestyle, design, DIY, food, travel, and feature stories. We offer some great discounts to our shop and we are advertising with some big bloggers, so if you are interested in building your brand and readership and would like to write some guest posts or contribute in some way, Please email me: hilary {at} whiteplumboutique {dot} com. And write “blog contributor” as the subject and I will send you our info to see if we’d be a good fit.

The White Plum Boutique has been a crazy adventure but we are getting our bearings and I’m excited about the future. Now if our family can just get over the freaking flu…

Thanks again for the support we’ve received from friends and family (and customers we haven’t met!) it’s meant so much to us!!!

Enter to win one of 5 necklace sets we are giving away– styled by the lovely Rachel Parcell of The Pink Peonies on her blog tomorrow (Friday!).

Lately, we’ve had the flu. All of us. Staggered. For seriously the last 4 weeks. So this “happy Saturday” was from before we were all stricken with the influenza virus. I just wanted to remember back to a time before I had a chain-smoker’s cough.

It was a pretty great Saturday, as Saturdays usually are. With lots of brotherly hugs.

And a few kisses.

There were conversations about “Viper” and “Smash.”

And then we took the to the Court. Parker was pretty set on participating, and who am I to smash a 7 month-old’s dream?

I was impressed, considering he can’t even walk yet. He just scooted along and squealed and slapped his walker. PML was digging it.

And I could tell Rod thought he was a Bad a–, even though the hoop was at 6′ 6.”

Honey, you are a bad-A+ in my book.

Let’s be honest, Mom is PML’s favorite…until Saturday, when he gets unlimited time with Dad. Then I’m pretty much chopped liver–or even worse in the PML hierarchy–salad.

After an exhausting game, it was on to plant some flowers. Why not, right?

And tales of suburbia continue…

It was a happy day.

3 years 2 months and 17 days was how long it took. It’s done. I have passed my first round of bringing up babyhood. The potty training has finally happened. We are in a big-boy bed. No bottle. No Pacifier. Only one bum to change instead of two. And there is a lot of rational speaking coming out of the mouth of the three year-old. In fact, today when he got home from preschool and I asked him if he wanted to cuddle with me on the couch and read books (which is usually a resounding yes!) he was like, “Uh, I just want to play my iPad–go do the dishes, Mom.” (sigh, sniff, sniff) It’s not quite safe to say we are “out of the woods” yet, but I can see the forest from the trees and other cliche metaphors.

Potty training was seriously overwhelming for me. I tried to do it about 6 different times before it actually happened so I thought I would throw out my “method” in case it helps anyone reading. This is only my first time potty-training, so I’m not declaring professional status, but I am no longer in the “my child is getting so big and tall that it is beyond awkward that I am still changing his diaper” phase. For that, I am grateful (along with the 15 people in line at Target turning green from PML deciding to drop an adultish in size and smell deuce right as we are checking out .

Here is the rundown.

First read this post. Then roll your eyes for a good 10-15 seconds at how silly I was.

Yeah at 18 months PML was cool with going number 1 and 2 on the potty. Not consistently, but I was definitely not ready. Then around 2 he was definitely mature enough to figure it out, I was just green with pregnancy nausea and couldn’t cope with cleaning up accidents. By the time I was out of the nauseous phase, homeboy was basically like, uh, eff that mom. as displayed by me bringing him a package of Buzz Lightyear Big Boy pants and him screaming “No!!! while throwing each individual pair of underwear on the floor.

How did we actually do this?

Well for the longest time I just wanted him to sit on the potty seat over the real toilet. No go. He was scared of the big potty and would fight me so hard I was convinced I would be changing his diaper before he left with his date for the Prom.

Finally, after literally 6 full-day attempts of potty training, I just said to him, “Okay, when are you going to get potty trained?”

He thought long and hard about it and finally said definitely, “After Disneyland.”

Alrighty then. He basically decided. I kept reminding him in the days leading up to Disneyland and he kept agreeing that it would happen. I knew it would just be a big fight on the big potty, so Lynn (grandpa) offered to buy a Lightening McQueen potty, which although it was disgusting, was VERY well received.

Day 1

We did bare bottom with a few accidents, mostly because he forgot he couldn’t just unleash wherever he wanted to, but he got the hang of it by the end of the day. I had to remind often to go sit on “McQueen” but by day two he was getting up on the little potty without me prompting him.

He was rewarded with stickers for pee, and suckers for poop.

Day 2

Pants back on. By the end of day two he didn’t want his diapers around. We put on pants and he was good about rushing in and pulling them on and off when prompted.

Week 1

By the end of week one, he was totally going on “McQueen” by himself, whenever he needed to without notifying me. No accidents. (A miracle!) We were doing diapers at night, but they were dry almost every morning so we just went for “big boy pants” at night when we started introducing the big potty.

Week 2

He definitely didn’t want anything to do with the potty seat, but he really liked his McQueen foot stool that I bought him so he was willing to give it a try. I stopped rewarding for any pee/poo in the little potty and only for the big potty. I’d say within 24 hours he was totally done with the little potty. I think the fact that he goes to preschool and they were helping him go on the little potty’s at school helped him with his transition to the big potty at home.

And also the fact that he is due to go through puberty soon, probably helped with the speedy toilet training.

Anyway–so there you have it. Total time was about a week, but really after the first 48 hours he was awesome. He’s had very few accidents since the beginning and I’m kind of kicking myself for not committing sooner. Not nearly the hassle to stop when we are out shopping, that I thought it would be. Plus the $50+ dollars a month I was spending in diapers/pull-ups is nice to be saving (or spending on other things…)

And I have to say, I’m so proud of my little guy who is growing up to be such a big, sweet boy.

Alright mommas, what did you do? What tricks/tips do you have for first-timers?

I had only been to the magic kingdom twice in my life before I had kids. Since we’ve been parents, I think this was our fifth time in the last 18 months. We’ve got the drill down. Double stroller, check. Snacks, checks. Hats and sunscreen, check. Fast passes, check. Arriving at the park we definitely look like a group of a slow-mo strutters with a Beyonce wind machine blowing in our faces, while we flash “blue steel,” change a diaper, and our minivan blows up behind us—we’ve got this ish down.

Landon had been talking for weeks about meeting Lightening Mc Queen, and with the flu going around I just kept hoping that we could just wait until we got home before we got any stomach issues. Of course at 5:30 am, PML woke up puking his guts out. Luckily it was a short bug and he was done throwing up by 8:00 am and insisted we go meet McQueen.

So basically I’m saying we totally gave everyone the flu at disneyland.

Getting the stomach flu is pretty much standard practice for Zwahlen Family vacations. It’s either puke or break a bone and go to the ER. Meeting McQueen was definitely the highlight.

The rundown:

We had lunch at Carthay Circle (I think?) It was the first time Parker sat up in a high chair at a restaurant and you can tell he was pretty proud of himself.

Thanks for lunch Lynn and sue

Parker smiled a lot.

PML was wiped out from being sick and waking up so early so he had an hour and half long nap on the bench. It was kind of good that lunch took a long time. He was rearing to go after his nap.

I couldn’t ask for a better Grandpa for the kids, Lynn goes above and beyond all the time for my two littles.

Proof I was there.

The kids loved the street performers

I didn’t realize I birthed Elmer Fudd until I saw these pictures.

Then it was on to “it’s a small world”

Where sensory overload took place.

Rod clearly thought I was taking my job as “family historian” too seriously.

And Toon Town

With a little serenade on Goofy’s piano.

Until next time Disneyland.

What’s your favorite park of the Magic Kingdom?

Oh what is there to say about 7 months, other than to gush about hard fat, squeals of joy, and sounds of “da da da?” And it appears his eyes are definitely turning brown. One point for Dad, finally. (see honey, he’s not the mailman’s!)

Anyway, I decided to snap some quick pics the other day in the play room just to record how expressive Parky’s become. All of these little faces happened in about a 1 minute span of time. He is still the sweetest snuggly angel. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop…but in the meantime I am trying to savor every minute of this time.

(sigh) babies. Definitely worth the lack of sleep and saddlebags.

Print pants in fun florals and edgy geometric shapes are all over spring fashion, and this vintage mom look from Anthropologie has me drooling.

Let’s not talk about my love affair with Anthropologie. It is like the bad boy boyfriend that you know you should stay away from but you just can’t help yourself. I literally walk into the store and nearly have a spiritual experience because I am so moved by their merchandising displays, lighting, and general feeling they’ve got going on. It kills me because, at my core, I am a total cheap skate bargain hunter. So my love of the aesthetic just doesn’t match up with the cost for the clothing. Every so often I will splurge on something if I think its an investment piece that will last over several seasons, but I would never pay for the whole outfit.

I loved this look from fashion blogger Ashley Ording, of Fancy Fine. She makes the outfit look totally put together, but casual enough to run around town and definitely something someone with small children could rock and look fashion forward yet age-appropriate. Check out my looks for less than a third of the price.

Would you wear the printed pants? Are you more of an Anthro or Forever 21 kind of gal?

Just a quick snapshot of our day…

Back when I was pregnant, I was really hoping for a little girl so I could call it good with two kids. One of each, you know? Well, I’m here to tell you that two little brothers is kind of awesome. It is so fun to see these two little munchkins starting to play together. PML is always wanting to hug and kiss his baby, and Parky always wants to watch his big brother do everything. PML always gets the biggest Parky smiles. These two are getting into such a sweet phase with each other, I can already see Parky being PML’s little sidekick.

Makes me excited to think of all the future sporting events and Disneyland trips we have to look forward to with these little buddies.

My little mini-me and I share an affinity for Cookie Butter. He almost ate an entire jar in a matter of minutes.

A few weeks ago I ran across a really delicious looking recipe for homemade cookie butter from the blog, Averie Cooks. Since I had gotten a food processor for Christmas, it was time for me to make my maiden processing voyage. Ahoy, cookie butter!

It took me a total of 7 minutes from start to finish and I’m pretty sure it’s the best dessert I’ve ever made. Like, double fisting peanut butter good.

The ingredients are super simple.

I blended 2 cups of lightly salted and roasted peanuts for 5 minutes. I got the giant tub of peanuts from Costco for $6.99.

By the time I was done it looked like this:

Then I dumped my vanilla, cinnamon, and cookies into the mix.

Blended for a few more minutes.

Then added the white chocolate chips and it came out looking like this:

It made two 8 oz jars with about 2 oz left over for me to eat with my fingers. Good gravy, it’s delicious. It’s also a great recipe for kids to help with, as long as you are monitoring the food processor. PML loved to dump the ingredients in and push the button and watch it go.

Homemade Cookie Peanut Butter (adapted from Averie Cooks)

Print this Recipe!

16 ounces honey roasted or lightly salted roasted peanuts (I used salted roasted peanuts…plain didn’t taste the best)

12 to 15 gingersnap-style cookies (I tried several different brands because I made about 5 batches and found Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snap Cookies to be the best…but you can use any kind of gingersnap or biscotti type of cookie)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 heaping cup+ white chocolate chips (or 6 to 8 ounces diced white chocolate, or vegan white chocolate chips) One round I ran out of white chocolate chips and added butterscotch chips and those were really good, too.

In large food processor add your peanuts and blend for 5 solid minutes. Then add cinnamon, vanilla, and cookies, blend for another 2 minutes. Add white chocolate chips and blend until smooth. About 1 more minute.

Try not to eat the entire jar in one sitting. And if you can control yourself, this will last on your counter for a few days and in the fridge for 2 weeks. Mine lasts about 1-2 days…

So this got me thinking about my love for nut butter in general, which I believe is something I share with many other young moms. I spend a lot of money on all different flavors of almond and peanut butter. (Hello Justin’s obsession…and at $10 a jar…yeesh) Since this was so freaking easy to make and clean up was totally minimal, I have decided to embark on “The Great Nut Butter Experiment of 2013!” Each month I am going to test and perfect a different Nut Butter Recipe. So, I hope you guys will join me.

And hopefully we won’t all gain 30 pounds.

What’s your favorite nut butter? What should I try next? Is this something you’d try?

I’m thinking I’m going to try to perfect the Maple Almond Butter that Justin’s makes.