Monthly Archives: March 2012

Mar28

Not like that at all

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Last night was a gym night. Here lately I usually just walk on the treadmill while Joe works out really hard. It never fails that I have to go to the bathroom about five minutes after I start walking, but considering I go just before starting, I force myself to walk as long as possible before getting off. Last night, half an hour in, I gave up, got off the treadmill and went to the bathroom. I knew Joe would be done before I got really into walking again, so I sat down in a chair nearby. Baby boy started kicking, so I began rubbing my stomach when a lady walked up to me.

“It sucks, doesn’t it? It’s ok, you can go ahead and admit it.”

Thats all she said and she walked off.

What I don’t understand is what stinks? Being pregnant? Not at all!!!

This lady isn’t the only person that’s commented to me that I must be ready to have this baby, or its ok to complain about all the negative aspects of pregnancy. Seriously people, it’s not bad! I understand that some people don’t like being pregnant but love having their children. I get that some people have rough pregnancies or rough deliveries. But I can honestly say that I feel incredibly blessed right now! Every time this little boy moves inside, it reminds me of the Lord’s goodness! Every morning I wake up and praise God for this miracle growing inside me! I wouldn’t trade this season of my life for anything, not even for Friday’s $476 mega million jack pot.

Mar25

Act the way you want to feel, & weekly goals

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Even though I’ve only been making my way SLOWLY through The Happiness Project, I feel like I am realizing a little something. One of the things that has really stood out to me is the approach that if you want to be happy, you have to make the effort to act happy. The author convinces herself that taking a more happy approach to how she responds to her children can drastically change how they will react, in the end, determining how everyone’s moods will be impacted. I feel the need to conduct my own little experiments with this, right now, and definitely after the baby is born (its hard to feel like an athlete when you’ve got a big belly and a baby pressing down on your insides).

I think a lot of the way people feel is based not only on self-confidence, but the attitudes of those around them. If you’re surrounded by people who talk negatively about themselves and others, its pretty easy to fall into that same routine. For example, if I want to feel pretty, maybe I should start with my attitude and determine what is pretty to me. And instead of throwing my hair up into a pony tail with no effort to how I look, maybe I should let my hair flow freely and add some eye makeup, or a piece of jewelry outside of what I normally would wear.

If I want to start feeling athletic again (post baby), maybe I shouldn’t sit on my tush, playing on Pinterest. Maybe I should get out there and begin walking….which eventually will turn into jogging and then running again. And possibly, I should lift more weights.

Maybe the author is right, maybe my decision to act the way I want to feel will not only change my attitude, but will positively impact those around me. We’ll find out :)

Last week was a whirlwind of activity. After I made my goals list, I ended up changing my mind as to some things I needed, and wanted, to get done. Priorities change…sometimes by the minute.

We ended up having part of our house painted, the parts I never finished. I cannot begin to explain to you the weight lifted off my shoulders now that its finished. Its also a blessing because our painter was able to patch some holes the builder mysteriously covered up when he hung the light above the bathroom vanity…the holes that have been bugging me for years after we put new lights in. Even more of a blessing, our painter (who can obviously do more than paint) gave us a price quote on putting flooring (or boards) down throughout our attic. We need space to store things, and we don’t want to turn our garage into a storage facility. This is going to be perfect for us so we can store the million empty Rubbermaid containers we have up there, and the extra boxes of clothes (the ones I swear I’m going to get back into once I become that athlete again!). Marking those three things off my project list is a huge accomplishment!

With the help of Joe’s dad, we were also able to tackle a few other household projects- hanging a ceiling fan in the nursery and shortening the dryer vent hose so it doesn’t stick out into the middle of the laundry room. This week, I want to finish up some more freezer cooking and tackle a few of the items on my project list that I’ve identified as possible to achieve before the baby is born. We’ve also got our second shower coming up, so I’ll be preparing for that, as well as loading up items to take to my mom for her yard sale!

Goals for 3/25 -3/31

Household organization-

-Sort and pack up items for mom’s yard sale

-Clean floors down, stairwell, and bathroom from the paint/dust

-Clean kitchen counters

-Finally replace lightbulbs in upstairs hallway

-Wash down deck and front porch from the yellow green pollen cloud that looms over us

-Clean bonus room (halfway finished)

Reading list-

-Continue to read through The Happiness Project

Nursery/Having a baby-

-Finish freezer cooking

Health/Natural Birth Prep-

-Workout at least twice (only got there once, crazy schedule)

-Meet water goals 5 days during the week

-Relaxation/Visualization/Breathing techniques, 2 days, 25 minutes

Marriage-

-Read Bible together at least 1 night during the week

Life in general-

-Get a hair cut!

-Return items to Lowes and purchase needed supplies

-Write next round of thank you notes

Mar21

Welcome to Chaos Central!

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Today is a big day! Really big! We’re finally having the rest of our house painted. Well, the rest of the house that I started to paint and never finished. One wall in our living room, our foyer, and our stairwell. There are still plenty of rooms that need to be painted. But its such a relief to have this completed. And even better yet, there have been holes in our guest bathroom wall for over three years that have been nagging at me. The builder covered them up behind the light fixture and when we switched fixtures out, we found them. Now, they’re being fixed!!!

And while the painter is here, I’m “stuck” in the kitchen. More like, I could be in one of three or four places, and the kitchen seems to be the place I can be the most productive. Cue freezer cooking day…Round One.

Last week I made a rustic apple tart to freeze and yesterday I made the most amazing smelling cheesecake ever. A cappuccino fudge cheesecake. Seriously, its a good thing I’m pregnant and can’t do caffeine and that I’ve got gestational diabetes and can’t have sugar. If neither of those were the case, I’d be inhaling the cheesecake today. Thanks Pinterest for the recipes!

Today I’m working on a few different things. Shepherd’s Pie, though I doubt I’ll be able to finish it up today. I like to add a roasted carrot puree on top, but forgot the carrots. I’m also going to be doing burritos (today or Friday), marinara sauce and meatballs, throwing together a pan or two of meatloaf and maybe one of baked spaghetti. On Friday I hope to accomplish a little more with another baked pasta dish and twice baked potatoes, as well as a few bags of shredded chicken to have on hand for a few simple meals such as enchilladas and chicken casserole.

(If you need a painter in the WF area, let me know!!!)

Mar19

Whats in Your Bag?

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Or maybe that should be “what should I put in my bag?”  Later this week I’m going to be working on getting our bags packed. I’ve read and been given lists upon lists about what to take to the hospital for labor and after birth. But I’m wondering what things should I not forget and/or what things should I leave at home? Don’t worry, we won’t forget the cameras or the phone chargers! But things beyond that…tell me, what should I pack?

Feel free to leave a message in the comments or send me one through fb!

Mar18

The Countdown Continues

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As time is narrowing down, my lists of priorities are being shuffled around. The things that must get done are really starting to take priority over the things I’d like to get accomplished.

Yesterday we attended an all day birthing class extravagaza. Basically we sat in a room all day. I learned some, but Joe knew most of the stuff already. I was pretty thankful the instructor wasn’t forceful about “get the meds”. In fact, she was encouraging to hold off on any meds if you could help it. I definitely feel more prepared now than I did, and feel as though when the time comes, I may just be able to handle things! I was also happy to see that they provide birthing balls in each L&D room.

This week starts my new evening schedule. I’m not exactly thrilled, but its only for a few days over a few weeks. In fact, I only have 9 scheduled days of work left. The rest of my time is sort of in limbo based on the baby and the schedule needs.

Goals for 3/18-3/24

Household organization-

-Iron sheets and put away in an effort to finish the linen closet project!

-Clean out fridge -not going to happen with as much food as I have in there right now, thanks to making freezer cooking a priority this week and next. Maybe in two weeks I’ll attempt again!

-Clean guest and downstairs bathrooms (I’d like to thank my dear husband for helping clean bathrooms!)

Reading list-

-Attempt to finish The Happiness Project – have been reading, slowly. I’ve been super busy, and at night I’ve crashed!

Nursery/Having a baby-

-Begin packing hospital bags -decided to hold off for two weeks on this. I did, however, make a finalized check list so I can pack with ease. I will need one of my bags between now and then, so its easier just to wait.

-Prepare at least one meal or dessert for freezer Didn’t just make a dessert or a meal, made made a couple of meals and one cheesecake!!!

-Order a second nursing bra

Health/Natural Brith Prep-

-Workout at least twice

-Water goals, 4 days during the week

-Relaxation, visualization, breathing techniques- 25 minutes, 2 days

Marriage-

-Read Bible together at least one night during the week (since our evening schedules are a bit chaotic)

Life in general-

-Buy paint, have painter finish painting

-Mail birthday card for Katie

Mar15

Oh Lord, Will I Ever Be Ready?

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So many people I know hit the third trimester and cannot wait for their pregnancy to be over. At less than 60 days to go, I fear I’m the opposite of those people. I find myself thinking “SLOW DOWN!” quite often. I want to savor every single second of my pregnancy and getting ready for our little guy, but it all seems to be moving too fast! It’s like that perfect vacation that you never want to leave.

Yesterday, I had a morning of sheer anxiety. These are some of the million thoughts going through my head…all at the same time:

Will I get everything accomplished that I want around the house?

Will the painter be here as scheduled to paint next week?

Will we get the essentials at our baby shower?

What happens if baby boy decides to make an early appearance and we don’t have a car seat, or a breast pump, or ______?

Less than 9 weeks to go before our due date and I am looking forward to a Krispy Kreme doughnut, Bojangles, and Ben & Jerry’s (not necessarily all at the same time).

Will the name we picked out for him suit him? What if our backup name doesn’t suit him either?

Can I get a housekeeper for a week? Or at least someone to iron and fold sheets properly?

What about a housekeeper/handy (wo)man combination? Do those exist because I could really use someone to put some (floor) boards down in our attic. I’ve got so many containers that need to be stored up there!

Should I go to the gym again today or wait until Friday? The exercise is great, but the pain that shoots through my leg isn’t.

Its time to clean the bathroom…again?

And seriously, that is a tiny fraction of what was going through my head all at the same time. And then I remembered something on my to-do list was to work on scripture cards that I can use to encourage me both during labor and those many days and nights where I don’t have much time to spend in the Word. My friend Hope gave them to me, and I wanted to start working on them. Spending time with the Lord and in the Word is always the best medicine to calm anxiety. With the help of a list of scripture my friend Kim posted on Hannah’s Prayer, I sorted through tons of scripture and wrote verses on the cards that would be encouraging to me.

The Lord has given us such a blessing and I really don’t want to lose sight of that. Every time our little guy moves around, it is a reminder to the faithfulness of the Lord. For so long we prayed for this child, and I don’t want to take one moment for granted!

We’ll have a car seat even if Joe has to purchase it after the baby is born. The same goes for the breast pump. We’ll get what we need and I need to stop freaking out about it and remember to leave everything in God’s hands!

Mar14

Mile Markers – 31 Weeks

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How far along?  31 weeks

How big is baby L? The size of a pineapple (which is one of my favorite fruits, behind bananas and strawberries)

Name? I think we actually have one! We’re also going to have a backup name in case he doesn’t look like a ____ when he comes out!

What’s been happening? Baby boy is moving a lot more and I’m getting kicked quite a bit. He kicked really hard during church service this past weekend and I almost jumped out of my seat! We had an appointment last week where we were able to have an ultrasound. He proudly proved his gender to us, but kept his hands over his face the entire time. He’s also measuring right on track at about 3.5lbs.  We had a small shower hosted by the ladies of our Sunday school two and a half weeks ago! It was a really special time! I made up the crib last night and put the cover on the changing pad- both which made the room feel a little more cozy! Still a lot left to do! I’ve been keeping track of my blood sugar for the gestational diabetes, and we’ve really not had any problems! We’ve found that milk and white bread triggers crazy high numbers, so I’ve been avoiding both.

What’s to come?  Over the next few weeks we’ve got a lot going on! My work schedule is changing for four weeks while we’re short staffed. We’ve got our birthing class to attend! The nursery needs to be, and will be, organized. We have a shower back home at the end of the month! More doctors appointments and daily blood sugar readings. I’ve also got to make curtains for the nursery and touch up a few spots on the walls at some point soon! We’ve also still got a lot of stuff to get before our little guy arrives! Sometimes its all a bit overwhelming, but I’m excited at the blessing the Lord has given us!

Mar13

This Week on Pinterest

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Are you following me on Pinterest yet? If not, click on the tab to the right and join in my fun! If you’ve not yet succumbed to the pressures of the world and joined this virtual pin/inspiration board, whats keeping you??? If you need an invite, leave your email in the comments and I will send you one!

Beautiful blue bedroom by Better Homes and Gardens

I'm always looking for new ways to cook pork chops! I may have to give this one a try

Christmas in the spring and summer!

Great marriages take God and take work! Here are some ideas inspire

Lets face it, we all face tough battles sometimes. Why not brighten someone's day with a box of sunshine? Such a GREAT idea!

Love this outfit, but would opt for flats and non green nail polish

Mar11

Lets Rock This

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Let the countdown continue! We’re now at 9 weeks left before our due date, and still plenty left to accomplish! But that’s ok, we’re going to rock this! Last week was really successful as far as accomplishing the majority of my to-do list, which is opposite of the norm here lately! I feel like I set a reasonable set of goals, each of which was attainable! And the success didn’t stop at what I had on the list. I did get more accomplished!

Two things from this past week stand out most. First we were able to have another ultrasound and see our little guy. He definitely proved to us his gender, but did not want us to see his face! His hands covered his face the entire time!!! Maybe he’s going to be shy? The second thing that stands out is a conversation Joe and I were able to have regarding our marriage and our future as parents. God is amazing in how He, when we allow Him to, orchestrates the details in our lives. We’ve been married almost four years now. Our marriage grows stronger each day, and its all because we allow the Lord God to be at the forefront of everything we do and how we treat each other!

This week has some exciting things in store as well. Or at least I’m excited about them! After having my linen closet organization project on hold for the last month and a half, my back ordered baskets FINALLY came in! This is what they look like:

I am beyond thrilled that I can finally get to this project and get it crossed off my list! I’m also going to be able to finish reorganizing our laundry room this week as well! I was able to start, but I needed a few things to finish the project, so I stopped at the end of the week. The number one reason I need to get our laundry room organized is because I store some products on the floor. Once we have a little one, all cleaning chemicals will need to be high up, out of reach! Plus getting it more organized will make doing laundry less frustrating- no more piles of things in the corner or on top of the dryer. I didn’t take “before” pictures, but will post pictures of both the linen closet and laundry room once I finish!

Goals for 3/11- 3/17

Household organization-

-Finish reorganizing laundry room

-Linen closet project  with the exception of ironing/folding a set of sheets and doing a small repair on my old blanket before putting away, the linen closet is FINISHED!

-Replace lightbulbs in upstairs hallway

Marriage-

-Read Bible together 3 nights during the week

-Spend quality time together, away from tv and computer

Reading list-

-Finish reading The Happiness Project - I won’t finish, so I’ll just continue reading :)

-Start reading another breast-feeding book – This won’t be happening this week, too much going on!

Nursery/Having a baby-

-Start organizing nursery and putting things away

-make up crib

-order nursing bras  (Thanks to my friend April for brand suggestions!)

Health/Preparing for Natural Birth-

-WATER! Meet goals at least 4 days during the week

-Workout at least twice  Such a slacker this week. I only made it to the gym once

-Relaxation & Visualization, 2 days, 30 minutes

-Start working on scripture book

Mar6

Freezer Cooking-The Mental Prep

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With a 10 weeks left, I’ve got A LOT I want to accomplish. One of these things is decorating the nursesry, another is cleaning/reorganizing the house, and the other is freezer cooking. Our freezer isn’t huge, but I want to utilize some of our space to at least store away a few dinners. I’ve been doing some research to figure out what it easiest to pop in and out of the freezer, and will cook up well. And along with freezer meals, I want to store away a few snacks as well. Money Saving Mom, Life as Mom, Pinterest, and a few other sites have been super helpful.

Hopefully during early April I will be able to tackle a number of these meals & snacks and get them stored away before the baby arrives! Here’s a rough outline of my plan so far:

Breakfast:

-Baked Oatmeal

-Cinnamon Scone mix

Lunch and dinner meals:

-Spaghetti sauce with meatballs and sausages

-Spaghetti sauce for additional meals

-Pizza dough

-Twice baked potatoes

-Baked ziti

-Shepherd’s Pie

-Meatloaf

-Burritos (maybe)

-Rolls

Desserts & Snacks:

-Cheesecake

-Chocolate chip granola bars

-Applesauce

-Banana Bread

-Granola

I’ve also got a ton of fruit currently in the freezer. Since I can’t consume a lot right now due to the gestational diabetes diagnosis, I think I’ll make packets for smoothies.