Everyday Life: One Step One Moment One Day At A Time

This week and the weeks to come are in a word BUSY

2010-07-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

For some reason July is a VERY busy month for us. We spent this past week getting ready for Baby A's first birthday and party. It was a great day and she loved her cake as you can see from the picture. Tomorrow is my son's third birthday and we are leaving on a trip to visit some friends. We as in me and the three kids are going. It will be frantic I am sure, but memorable. I am really looking forward to seeing these girlfriends. I have known them since high school and elementary school. We are bringing all of our kids and meeting in a city where none of us live and will spend the next four days hanging out and site seeing. It should be fun for the kids and hopefully the adults too. We will see. We will celebrate Little A's third birthday when we get there tomorrow. I am a little behind on all of the stuff for his party. That is what I get for having two kids with birthdays two days a part. I am still wiped from Baby A's party. Well I am heading to bed soon. When I return I spend one night in my own bed and then head off to go camping with the family. Crazy! Then the following week I will be at MOPS convention in Orlando Florida. I will try to write some posts between all of the trips, but I am not sure I will have time. Enjoy the next few weeks.

Warmly,
Jen D.

So Much Is Going On...

2010-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well today has been a crazy day and this weekend may even be crazier.

Today:
Had a girlfriend over for some fellowship time. It was our Bible study day, but it was a tough week for everyone else so they did not make it. We enjoyed ourselves. Plus, she took some of my diaper stash off of my hands. I am so glad that we made the move to cloth. Wow! You can sell disposable diapers back, it just doesn't work like that. Well cloth you can sell back if you take good care of them. These diapers had so much life left in them. They were darling and I got between 50 and 80 percent of what I paid for them back. :)

After that we went over to a good friends house for lunch, swimming and AC. It was so nice of her to invite us. The kids are fishes. They swam so much in that kiddie pool. It was pretty funny to watch Big A and Little A going at it down the slide. Baby A was not excited about being in the cold water. She just cried and cried. I took out and she was content on my lap for a while. Then we went and played in a shade tent with some toys. It was GREAT, that is until I smelled something. I looked around for doggie poo, but didn't see any. I continued to chat with my other friend and then I noticed that Baby A had spit up her lunch all over me. I don't know if I will ever look at a hamburger the same way again. It was so disgusting. After that I was cranky, tired, HOT and just wanted to be somewhere cool, but couldn't stay in the cool AC house because Baby A needed to go to bed and I honestly couldn't stand how I smelled.

The kids and I left. The boy wouldn't buckles his seat belt in the car and I had to pull over and get out to help him do it. I was so frazzled having been puked on, hot, tired and just miserable in this heat. I was frazzled again tonight when I was putting the kids to bed, it was about an hour later than I would like and Little A and Big A were getting drinks of water after I told them no. I am so afraid of them wetting the bed. We really try to cut liquids off two hours before bed and they have been drinking a ton today.

So we went grocery shopping this evening as a family and a friend called that we went camping with while we were in the car. My hubby was in the car with me when she called and to make a long story short we are going on a spur of the moment camping trip. I gotta go pack...more to come later.

Enjoy your weekend!
Warmly,
Jen

Meal Planning

2010-07-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is baby a ready to eat. Well this week has been one of planned and unplanned meals. I try to plan our meals because I find that we: eat healthier, spend less money and enjoy the meals more because I am calm and know what it is coming. Here is our plan this week.

Sunday: BBQ Fourth of July
Monday: Grilled Asian Chicken and Rice Stir Fry with a HUGE Green salad
Tuesday: Huge Green Salad, with left over rice and some sweet/salty pecans
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, brown rice, steamed veggies
Thursday: Taco Salad
Friday: Chicken, brown rice, corn, black bean stir fry
Saturday: BBQ Chicken, brown Rice and Salsa
Sunday: Church Community Meal (I am bringing a green salad)

So there is my plan for the week. What is your family eating this week?

Warmly,
Jen

A Crafty Day...

2010-07-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

I worked out this morning and then got a small workout in with a family walk after lunch. So during nap time I enjoyed some ME time. I rarely spend time on me and today I am spending a few hours just on me.

Here is what I created with my ME Time. This is a cardmaking technique known as a One Sheet Wonder or OSW. You take one sheet of patterned paper and make several cards using it, coordinating scraps and embellishments. My friend and Stampin Up Consultant created the sizes for this one sheet wonder and then I made it my own with my paper choices, how used the paper, the embellishments, etc. I love these OSW's. They are so easy and fun once you get the hang of it. Being creative is a wonderful thing. I always feel so much better when I have a creative outlet. What is your creative outlet?

Enjoy this beautiful summer day!

Warmly,
Jen

How do you keep your home clean?

2010-07-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

How do you keep your home clean? Do you have a house cleaner come in? If so how often? Also if you have someone come into clean, do you pick up and clean before they come?

I am in search of a way to not only clean my home, but for it to be clean and stay clean for longer. I know that this is not an easy quest. I have three little ones and a hubby all home for the summer. However, I think it should be easier than it is and I am wondering am I missing something.

If you have any tips for me I would love to hear them. I just found two great posts today on Organizing Your Way. This one talks about three things you can do daily to help you feel happier when it comes to organizing. I was able to do the first two no problem. The second one is a little tricky.

Well I am off to go organize, clear some cluttered surfaces and hopefully find a chance to relax while two of the three kiddos are napping.

Warmly,
Jen

Happy Fourth of July on the Fifth of July!

2010-07-05T09:47:00.001-07:00

I was a little too busy to post yesterday, but I will try to post two posts today to make up for it.

What did you do to celebrate Independence Day? We had friends and family come over. It was a small get together, but very fun. I made Ranch Burgers, a huge green salad, deviled eggs and an ice cream cake. A friend brought over homemade potato salad and my in-laws brought a yummy appetizer. We had chips, wine, beer and some mixed drinks. It made for a very full night. I decided I need to workout before the guests arrived, so it took me a few minutes to finish getting ready once they came over. I don't think it was a big deal; although, I wish everything was ready before they came, including me. We had a wonderful Fourth of July and hope that you enjoyed celebrating our countries independence in your own special way.

Potty Training Update: The boy (Little A) stayed dry all night long. We are so proud of him. Never mind that the has had two BM's in his pants today. We are focusing on the positive.

Warmly,
Jen

Mini-Blog Make over

2010-07-03T21:46:00.001-07:00

My little blog got a much needed update. I was fortunate enough to win a bloggy make over a few years ago and Deanna at Domestic Chicky did a wonderful job; however a lot has changed in two years and it needed to be updated. I actually was able to design the header using the professional designed one as my guide and My Memories Suite scrapbooking software. I then exported it to a jpeg file and cropped it in Photoshop Elements. I am a lot more comfortable designing the MMS scrapbooking program than I am in Elements.

Old

I was so excited that I was able to do it on my own. Then when I tried to upload it to Blogspot and I ran into some difficulty. The header was really large and only partially showing up. I went back and tried again and again. The third time I got wise and looked at the exact pixels and dimensions of the previous header. Bingo, I saved my new header with those dimensions and it worked. The only thing is the crop was a little off and there is a smidge of white space especially on the bottom right, but I am okay with it for now. If I get brave I may decide to attempt to fix that. I am pretty tech savvy, but I have never been taught or shown how to do anything in the blogging world or digital scrapping world, so I am a bit of a beginner to say the least.

New

I hope you enjoy the new header and simple layout. I am hoping to be able to change my background paper soon. I am going to be heading to bed soon. I have been working on two upcoming posts. One is on square foot gardening and the other is on cloth diapering.

Speaking of diapers, we are potty training Little a this weekend and are hopeful to only have one child in diapers in less than 72 hours. I am prepared to change some sheets tonight though. He went to bed in just undies for the first time tonight. We will see how it goes. I am a little scared, but the book said to give diapers up completely so we are. Wish us luck. Maybe I will write a post on potty training after this. If you remember correctly it took us over a year to train our daughter to use the potty regularly. This would be a HUGE improvement if it works. I also will have a ton of diapers to de-stash. There are only so many diapers one baby needs and having gone from three in diapers to one in diapers in less than a year means I must part with some of my lovely cloth diapers. :)

Warmly,
Jen

Organization: a new resource inspires me to organize my way

2010-07-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today I cleaned, cleaned more and then continue to clean. I like having a clean, organized, clutter free home. Unfortunately, my home is rarely the way that I like it. I have three small children and a husband that are all home for the summer. I feel like I am a maid and if I quit no one really cares, but me. I am the only one who cares because I am the one that wants a clean, organized, clutter free home...the rest of the family just makes messes and either doesn't really care what condition our home is in or expect that it will get to me and I will break down and clean. Unfortunately, the latter is usually what happens. I have tried to let it go. I am always telling myself, "Relax, just let it go...enjoy life...this too shall pass." The problem is it I really don't enjoy life with a messy house.

So since this is my problem and right now the real thorn in my side is the laundry, today during my workout warm up I was searching for videos on organization, specifically laundry and all that goes into it when I came across Mandie's vlogs and blog called Organizing Your Way. I instantly lit up and made an important connection. After watching a few of her videos and doing a more intense workout without my phone I looked up her blog on my computer. She has an amazing blog with very helpful tips. Her home is very clean, organized and decorated in a modern functional style. I am so impressed with her blog and her home. She is doing something right. It is difficult to believe that she has four kids ages five and younger. Plus, her philosophy to organizing is that it has to work for you or you won't do it and maintain it. I have tried other organization methods that all sound great, but they have not truly stuck because they don't work for me. Recently a friend commented on FB that I am always posting on cleaning and why don’t I follow such and such online. I try, but such and such just didn’t fit my organization/cleaning style.

Here is her introduction video. She shares what she is going to create with her blog and videos. I found it to be refreshing and I love her approach on making it work for you.

Here is Mandi's laundry video. I really like her system, but unfortunately, we don't have room for a family closet in our laundry room and our laundry room is not off of our kitchen.

Things I learned from her blog today that I plan on implementing this week:
1. She does a section rags and organization. I am so excited to use her system of purchasing new rags for washing hands and faces every six months and then placing the old ones in the wipe up rag drawer. I love the little three drawer organizer as well. I am hoping to find one that will fit sideways in my pantry. We will see. Tons of great ideas from that one entry.
2. I learned several principles for streamlining laundry from a link that Mandi has on her site for The 365 Day Organizer. I am not sure I will be able to make the laundry basket work for my three kids, but I like the idea.
3. I moved an Ikea chair into my office that has been sitting in our master bedroom for quite a while. I figured it will be nice for my husband to have a place to sit in there and we won't be tempted to use the chair as a clothing organizer if it is no longer in the bedroom. I will try to post a picture soon.

I am exhausted and so this post will have to be in two segments. I am enjoying getting back into blogging though and hope that you will continue to read my blog.

Warmly,
Jen

Lots of Jam

2010-07-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Today I made jam...A LOT of strawberry jam. I love making things and then having a years supply of it for my family. Unfortunately, the recipe that I used has a lot more sugar than I would like, but it is fabulous and since it is mainly for the family and not me I am okay with a treat for my kids and hubby once in a while.

My MIL and her friend came over to share in the jam making. We made 68 jars of strawberry freezer jam in less than 2.5 hours. It was great! I ordered the berries through the local rotary club. They were already hulled (cleaned and de-stemmed.) I used the food processor to chop up the berries in a chunky style...we like lots of strawberry chunks in our jam. It was really easy, just takes some time and upfront monies. My four year old, Big A helped with the first batch and then got a little tired of waiting for the berries to gel with the pectin. All in all, it was quite easy and the pay off is so big. We will make raspberry jam in a few weeks the same way.

Does anyone else make their own jam and if so what kind? I am very curious. I have only made freezer jam before and the process is so easy I can't imagine making any other kind.

Miche Bags Rock...

2010-06-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Michelle, the creator of Miche Bag's is brilliant. I can't believe someone did not think of this before. A purse that you can switch the look of without emptying the contents of your current purse. That is right. There is a base that holds all of your stuff and then there are shells that you can switch in under a minute to a new look. Seriously smart in my humble opinion.

Tonight I had some ladies over for a Miche Purse Party. Due to summer, it was a small crowd, but so much fun. We had wine and shopped for purses. I was hesitant at first to get a Miche Bag. I thought it would feel cheap and that I would not like it after a week or that it would be a fad. WRONG! I have had mine for about a month and I love it. I purchased the base and two shells as my first purchase and then I purchased a new shell tonight. They are so fun.

If you are local (North Puget Sound/Snohomish County) definitely contact Nikki to purchase your Miche Bag. If you are not, locate a consultant in your area. I think it is great to go through a consultant, rather than just ordering it on line. The customer service that I have gotten through my consultant is fabulous. If there is ever a problem, I have not doubt that she will make it right. Now I am thinking about the next shell I will get to add a whole new look to my wardrobe.

Have a great night!

Long Time No Write...

2010-06-30T07:10:00.001-07:00

Hello Blog!
It so nice to see you again old friend. I know it has been a while since I spent time with you. The daily demands of life have taken over (a husband, three little kids, a house, work, commitments.) Now that it is summer and I am not working I can and will make more time for you. I think that I work better with goals and challenges so here is my goal: Post daily for two weeks. I have a lot of things that I have been thinking about posting, but just have not found the time to write about lately.

Here are some future posts that I am working on:
Cloth Diapering Journey
Potty Training Journey
Square Foot Gardening
The Simple Life
Healthy, Quick Meals
Meal Planning
Scheduling
Camping with little ones

I will see you later on today.

Jen

Giveaway: EcoChic

2009-10-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

The EcoChic is having a giveaway of the best kind in my opinion, a cloth diaper give away. GroBaby cloth diapers have actually a few different options. The first is to use one of the cute shells with a cloth liner that snaps in and the second option is to use one of their biosoakers (earth friendly disposable liners). I have yet to try GroBaby, but have been wanting to for a while. Check out the giveaway on the EcoChic’s blog. If you don’t have little ones in diapers, why not enter anyways. A cloth diaper or diaper system like GroBaby makes a fabulous gift for any cloth diapering mama. I am typically not very lucky at these things, but would love to win this one especially. I want to try the Sunset Stripe GroBaby.

GroBaby Video

2009-10-20T15:07:00.001-07:00

This is a nice little video. Please don't be offended if you do not use cloth. I didn't for a while and now I do. It is whatever works for you. I just thought this was an information packed video.

Busy Week

2009-10-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

So here is a little bit of my to do list for the week:

-Purchase and prepare snack for Big A’s preschool class
-Complete and attend Bible study
-Finish up MOPS name tags
-Update MOPS Contact list
-Prepare to hand all of MOPS registration and finance over to new steering member since I am transitioning to be a DGL
-Send out Baby A’s announcements (she is two months old)
-Clean House
-Make Dinner
-Finish organizing the girls room
-Clean Little A’s room
-Put up things for sale on Craigslist
- Finish birthday present for a friend's daughter
-Finish sewing recycled wool longies
-Start recycled wool soaker

The list continues on, but I won’t bore you with anymore. I have so MUCH to do and I am feeling a little lack of motivation  I guess I better get off of the computer and get busy. The problem is that I also have to be mom to three under three while I accomplish all of these things. How am I supposed to do that? Plus, my kids do not play by themselves. They pretty much follow me around the house all day long and usually bring their toys where ever I am. Does anyone else have this problem?

A little bit of Mommy Encouragement from Christy Nockels

2009-09-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well I have not posted a lot lately on my blog. I have been rather busy with life. I am still in the transition phase of having three kids, three years old and younger.

This is a different kind of post than I normally do. It was prompted out of a post I saw on Jessica Turners blog. She attend the MOPS convention this past week in Georgia. There were many speakers and it sounds like amazing worship. I only wish I could have attended, but since I couldn't watching these two video clips was a great way to get a taste of what it must have been like to be there. They were also so encouraging to me as a mom of young kids. Check out the video clips if you are a mom or a mom-to-be and if you do not already know about MOPS. Check MOPS out at www.mops.org. It is a wonderful way to get connected with women that are also moms of young children. There is probably a group right in your area. :)

Being A Mom {Part 1} from christy nockels on Vimeo.

Being A Mom {Part 2} from christy nockels on Vimeo.

Meals for the week of September 14th

2009-09-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

This week's menu...

Sunday: Cesar Chicken Pasta Salad
Monday: Pork Sirloin Roast (crock-pot), brown rice, salad and homemade whole wheat bread
Tuesday: Neighbors for dinner
Wednesday: Grilled chicken, homemade mash potatoes (freezer)and a salad
Thursday: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Friday: BBQ Hamburgers, sweet potato fries and grilled veggies/fruit
Saturday: Freezer meal ?

I am sorry this is such a quick post. I am exhausted and I just need to go to bed, but I wanted to post something. :)

Fuzzi Bunz

2009-09-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

I was reading a blog that I started reading when I was pregnant. It is written by a dad and is a wonderful perspective that I rarely get being a mom. Well they are using Fuzzi Bunz one size diapers on their newest little addition. I have yet to try a one size diaper by Fuzzi Bunz. The couple is actually giving away some to one blog reader. From the looks of Fuzzi Bunz I would like them because they look very thin and that is good, especially with my little boy. Have you tried Fuzzi Bunz one size diapers?

I apologize!

2009-08-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blog. Terrible, I know! I am OVERWHELMED! I have been working the past two weeks before I take 12 weeks off for childcare leave. It is amazing how exhausting it has been, plus three kids under three. Ugh! Well I apologize for being a flaky blogger. I am hoping to be back to blogging next week. I have so many ideas for posts I just need to take the time to write them. :)

This little one is a huge reason for not getting much of anything done. Baby A is such a joy. We just love her to pieces, but she has been attached at the hip and it is hard for me to put her down without her complaining about it. I can only wear her so much in the carrier before we both get tired of it. Anyways, we are still in transition from a family of four to a family of five. I am hoping to figure out how to be super mom in very soon. I really miss having a clean house and decorated home. I am on this decorating kick. I will hopefully post on it very soon. I hope anyone who still my reads my blog is doing well. :)

She's Here...

2009-07-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Baby A is here. She was born last Friday via c-section. She is a sweet baby. I still cannot get over how big she was. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Here are a few pictures of her in her first few days of life. Big A and Little A are getting used to having a little sister. Big A loves to play mommy junior. She is so proud that she has a sister. Nursing is going fairly well. It has been so hot here in the Pacific Northwest that just to make sure that Baby A is getting enough I have supplemented a little with a few ounces of formula here and there when she is still hungry and I don't have anymore of my own milk. I am careful to only do this as a last resort because I for sure don't want it to interfere with my milk production. I sure hope she is getting enough though.

Baby A is a sweet baby. Although, in the hospital she quickly got a reputation with her screaming and crying. Baby A loves to be held and since she is my last baby I am probably indulging her a little too much.

I am doing okay. I am still very swollen from all of the fluids from the surgery. I was really hoping it would be gone by now, especially in my feet. The swelling is uncomfortable and rather painful too. If you have any suggestions for reducing swelling please post a comment.

Oh you can see my hospital gown in one of the pictures. It worked out really well.
1 week old

Hospital crib

Big brother and Big sister checking her out

Big A holding Baby A

3 days old

Mama who is a little out of it

New Fluff: Just in time for Baby A

2009-07-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Just less than three days until my c-section. This amazing four pound package of fluff arrived in the mail today. I am just so delighted by cloth diapers. It is pretty funny. I ordered 11 newborn/medium diapers and 4 medium/large pocket diapers from Sassy Pants Diapers. The gal who makes them is just so nice and the quality is unsurpassed by any of the major brands that I have tried. The stitching is near perfect on every diaper. I was able to get some different color combos this time around. I love the browns and pinks together. These are all pocket diapers. They are not one size, but come in adjustable sizes newborn through medium and medium to large. Most of the diapers that I purchased have an inner velour layer that is so soft to the touch, some of a micro fabric which is also soft, but not as luxurious as the velour.

I think we are done purchasing diapers for a while. This will make my stash pretty complete especially if I can use all of them when this baby girl is in size medium. I would use the first size with nothing snapped and the second size with them snapped as small as they go. I am hoping that works out.

What is your favorite cloth diaper? These are mine. I am so excited to try them with this little baby in a week or two. For my older kids the medium/large seems to fit better than some of the other brands that are one size, especially with the snaps. I have found that I prefer snaps, which is a surprise. I still ordered a few hook and loop closure diapers for baby A because I think they will work out better in the beginning when she is so little. We will see. I am thinking we will save these beauties for a little while until her yucky poops are gone. I don't want to stain them and honestly we bought some hybrid diapers for the beginning or Gdiapers with biodegradable disposable inserts and then a package or two of newborn Huggies with Organic Cotton. I know they are not the best, but I think it will work out the best for our family situation in the beginning. We will see.

My laundry room sink is in. I will try to post pictures in the next few days. I am very excited to have a sink in the laundry room, especially with cloth diapering. This will be so much easier than using the bathroom sink (of course I will still use the toilet to dump the dump first), but to soak or scrub the diapers I am going to experiment with the laundry room sink and a tub. We will see. :) At least now I will be able to strip the diapers when needed.

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful summer day!

Jen D.

All the new fluff

The inside and outside of a bright coral PUL cover and yellow velor inside. I love it and I thought I was taking a huge risk in ordering the color combo.

Light Blue Small/Med PUL with brown velor... inside view and outside view.

Brown Hook and Loop Closure Diapers (it is hard to tell, but the inner fabric colors are pink, blue, brown velor and then one white micro-fabric). These are all in the smaller size.

I am still here...still pregnant...

2009-07-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still pregnant. I am sorry for not updating my blog in almost a month. I was so good for a while. I have been struggling with the last weeks of pregnancy and it is difficult to think of something blog worthy to write.
Here are some of the things that I have been working on or thinking about:(sorry the pictures are not the greatest...it was the lighting.)

Nursing/Handmade Nursing Cover Up
I made a nursing cover up out some fabulous new fabric and was actually able to make a few burp clothes to go with it. I am a little nervous about this because with my other two pregnancies I was not able to make enough milk to sustain my kids, I have always had to supplement. I am hoping and praying this time I will make enough milk and even have a tea to try that my friend swears by. We will see. I want to be realistically optimistic. I was devastated the with Big A when I couldn’t solely nurse and spend seven months with a crazy rigorous feeding schedule of nursing, feeding bottle of pumped milk from previous pumping session, feeding a few ounces of formula (yes three bottles) and then pumping again after the feeding. It was too much to do with my second so I would just nurse and supplement little a with formula. I know breast milk is best, but when you have tried everything to make it work and it is not, thank God there is such thing as formula. I would prefer for my body to work as it is supposed to, but it has failed me so many times…I must be realistic. The positives: at least there is formula, the baby can thrive off of it and it is readily available. The negatives: formula is not as good as breast milk for the baby, formula doesn’t help shed the unwanted pregnancy pounds, the cost of formula is very high compared to free breast milk, it is not as convenient when you have to wash bottles, prep formula, make sure you have it with you everywhere, formula stains, formula smells, formula diapers stink more and have to be rinsed before washing (if you are using cloth). Anyways, there is the list. I am hopeful, but at the same time know that I have struggled with this in the past…I am not sure what would change with the third pregnancy, but maybe…do you think?

Two Weeks and Counting Down
Although, I have been trying to stay distracted and busy so I don’t think about how much I want this little girl out of me, I am still counting down. There are things that I want to finish before she gets here, but I would be so happy if she came right now. My c-section is scheduled for two weeks from today. I hope I don’t make it that long, but I am not the one in charge.
I decided to sew my own maternity gown, but I am a little stuck on it now. I have not followed a pattern in two decades so it is a little difficult to know what to do with things like interfacing and what not. It is all cut out, but I don’t have the interfacing and I am not sure if it’s a must or not. We will see. I’ll post pictures when I am done, that is assuming I finish it.

Balance
I have been trying to balance things in my life. I don’t have a lot of balance right now. I struggle with it and that is one reason I am excited to be going back to work sixty percent, it helps create some sort of balance and order in my crazy life. Right now balance is particularly difficult to achieve because of the crazy hormones, waiting for this baby to decide if she is coming early or not, it is summer and things are a little out of routine due to that, both the hubby and I are home (we both teach) for the summer (this is good in many ways and also creates some problems in other ways), my three year old is still toilet training resistant (honestly, I am tempted to just put her back in disposable diapers and forget it…I have never met a more stubborn child in my life or a more difficult task and I am a teacher), my son will be two in a few weeks (need I remind you about the terrible twos), and my life and body are out of my control. I don’t know if you can achieve balance without some measure of control. It is an interesting thought to ponder.

Well I have a few ideas for posts in the next few days. I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful weekend.

Jen D.

Baby Update and Hospital Delivery Gown

2009-06-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

(This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I have been having a few technical issues, all hardware/software related with NetGear.

I went to the doctor yesterday and everything is fine with the little girl growing inside. I have a little less than six weeks to go. I am hoping shorter, but we will see. If she comes a little early I will be very excited. Although, my c-section is already scheduled and I am thankful that the date is the closest to my due date that they will allow one to be performed. These last six weeks are usually the most difficult for me to do lack of sleep, being uncomfortable, feeling awkward and just gross. This pregnancy seems to be even harder. I am not sure if that is because it was a surprise or I have two toddlers this time or if my body is just tired of being pregnant or a little of all three.
I have continued my nesting streak and have been working on my To Do List before the little one is born. As I have mentioned before I love to cross things off my To Do List. It is so satisfying.

One thing I am considering is a bringing my own hospital gown with me to the hospital. I can’t stand the scratchy, icky gowns that they give you in the hospital to wear. They also seem to be the most unflattering thing to wear to have your picture taken with the new baby. Case in point, see the picture below of me with little a.

I have found several gowns that I could purchase, but the frugal side of me is apprehensive to spend so much money on a gown like that. I would love to try to make one or have my MIL make me one. I think that would be the most frugal thing to do, but lately when I have brought up any sort of sewing project she hasn’t objected, but she hasn’t really volunteered or made time to do them. I can’t imagine spending $35 up to a $100 on one gown, but at the same time I really want one. I would love something like either one of my top choices listed below, which I could wear later to nurse in at night. I could really use something to feel a little more attractive in when I am at the hospital, not to mention a little more modest since the hospital gowns open up in back. I would love something to hide my horrible arms (my legs and arms seems to swell up when I am pregnant…no I am not kidding…although they could probably use A LOT of toning once I am done with this pregnancy.) I would try to make my own gown, but I am not that great at sewing and I would be afraid to waste my money on the fabric and have it not work. I also don’t have a serger, which seems like it would be necessary for durability.

So here is my dilemma do I just do it, purchase one? Do I ask my MIL to make me one? Do I try to make my own? Do I buy some nursing pajamas instead (could I wear these for the first picture w/my c-section)? Or do I just not bother with bring my own gown? I don’t know.

Here are my top two choices, although I have been considering this third one mainly due to the price.

This Weekend…

2009-06-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well not a lot was accomplished for this ambitious, nesting mama of soon to be three kids under three, but at least some progress was made. I don’t know about you, but I am a list person and just love to cross things off of my list. Looking back is the best when so much is crossed out.

I was able to get a few things completed and a few other things started throughout the weekend. The main project that I completed was covering these stools.

I should have taken a picture of them before (but I may not have wanted to post it even if I had taken one). We have had these stools for four years almost and the cream fabric that was on them had definitely seen better days. I had used our carpet cleaner (SpotBot) to clean them, but they still had stains from the kids and who knows what that were stubborn and not coming off.

On Saturday, I went to the fabric store and scored this great fabric for 50 percent off the normal price. All of their upholstery fabric/home decorating fabrics were on sale. (I also picked up some fawn colored silk for my ribbon board, but that is a separate post and all I have is the ribbon and fabric right now for it). I purchased 1.5 yards of fabric, knowing that I would have some left over and I could make pillows for the adjacent family room. Although, I really want to use the fabric to cover our kitchen table chairs, but the hubby wants to wait since our kids eat on those daily and they still have some wear and tear that we get out of them.

So getting to the point…it was really a simple project. I cut three large squares of fabric out, making sure it would fit around the diameter of the stool pad. While I pulled the fabric tight and so there were no creases my husband stapled the fabric to the back of the stool. It was much easier with two people, but I am sure one person could do it. The total time not including the fabric purchase was twenty minutes. I am very pleased with the results. I would love to hear about your do it yourself projects if you care to share leave a comment with your project or your blog post.

Menu Plan Monday: Second week of June

2009-06-07T21:22:00.001-07:00

I am not that attached to anything on this menu, but it is getting more and more difficult to plan our families meals because nothing sounds good to me in these last weeks of pregnancy. I am trying to just not consider myself, but then I am the one who cooks so I want meals that are quick, easy and don’t cost a lot of money…not to mention healthy.

Sunday: Cheeseburgers, orzo salad and baked beans (strawberries, whip cream and angel food cake for dessert (MIL came over to celebrate her belated birthday)
Monday: Leftovers that need to be eaten
Tuesday: A stir fry of some kind, fish and rice
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner
Thursday: Chicken enchilada soup, served with chips and a small dinner salad
Friday: MIL is coming over with dinner…yea!
Saturday: Leftovers from Friday’s meal or grilled fish, rice and artichokes

Enjoy your week.
Jen D.

Trouble Sleeping

2009-06-06T23:51:00.000-07:00

Well among all the other horrible symptoms I have of being pregnant I now am having a lot of trouble sleeping. I am sure having to use the bathroom every hour or so is not helping with that, but tonight I just can't seem to fall asleep. I am sure tomorrow I will be paying for not falling asleep when my two children are up rearing to go, but between the heartburn, all the frustrations of this week, the hubby doing his thing (snoring or moving), the dog (who the hubby allows on the bed) and my to do list that is a mile wide I am unable to fall asleep and get good sleep these days...especially tonight for some reason. It has been a pretty horrible day, but that is nothing new as far my life goes. Oh well! Maybe if I try again it will happen. Goodnight!

Food For the First Week of June (With a graphic of my motto)

2009-06-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Oops! I intended to post this earlier in the week, but forgot. It has been one of those weeks.

Food for the first week in June:
Monday: black bean burritos, with rice and a side salad
Tuesday: Turkey, avocado and cream cheese pita pockets with sprouts
Wednesday: grilled chicken, polenta and a side salad
Thursday: Orzo spinach salad with grilled chicken (recipe to follow soon)
Friday: Chicken Enchiladas (This was the original plan, now with the week I have had I am thinking take out or something that does not involve me cooking.)
Saturday: Grilled salmon, wild rice, strawberry with gorgonzola and tasty pecan salad

Office/Craft Room Re-do

2009-05-31T15:27:00.001-07:00

So I took a little blogging hiatus after my two week stint of blogging daily. It has been nice, but I am exciting to be posting again.

Old Living Room

Now an office/craft space...the doors were eventually painted.

The new space as I moved all of the clutter into it with no organizational system.

A few weeks ago I posted about my office/craft space and the lack of closed storage. Well yesterday and today I re-organized, re-arranged and basically revamped my office. Check out the before and after photos below. My office used to be our old living room. We never used it and it was fairly inexpensive to convert the space to something else by adding a wall and French Doors.

The view from entering the space

Well this week my hubby picked me up this table off of Craigslist originally from Pier 1. It is an actual craft table. I love that it is pretty much counter height and that I can use it solely for scrapbooking and cardmaking. Now I won’t have to clear off my desk and move the keyboard to the side. I have plenty of space right there. My kids love that it has two stools, perfect for them to sit at and color if mommy is on the computer.

My New Craft Table

So after getting the fabulous craft table I had a dilemma of how to organize the room. I need as much storage as I can get. I used to have a sofa in here, but it was pretty cramped with the addition of the new table. I decided to take the sofa out and re-arrange the space with the bookcases all together on one wall, the desk moved to the right a little bit and the craft table against the window so I can look out as I scrap. It was difficult to figure out a layout that worked. Originally, I thought I wanted the craft table in the center. While that would be nice, it just wouldn’t work in the space that I have with the other furniture that I need. Unfortunately, I also decided to store my sewing stuff in a closet in another room. I really just don’t have the space for it.

The revamped bookcases with no closed storage, but boxes make it look neater, more orderly.

It feels fabulous to be organized (as I am pregnant and very much nesting). My amazing hubby insisted that we go to Target yesterday and get some much needed closed storage for the bookcases. I didn’t really want to spend any more money than what we had spent on the craft table. Well he wouldn’t take no for an answer and insisted that I get some storage and do it right. This is the outcome. As you can see, there is a big difference from the before and after. I already had a few storage components, but nothing that was unified and not enough. Now I won’t have any excuses to be unorganized. Fortunately, Target had the brown containers on clearance, along with some of the blue cubes. They matched what I already had perfectly. I just love it when that happens.

Room view from the corner

Overall, I am thrilled with the space and I can’t wait to have some time to scrapbook and make some cards in it. It has been a while in the making and I am so thankful to my wonderful husband for making it happen. Now it is onto creating some unique artwork and a ribbon board for my revamped space. This along with a bazillion other projects I have on my plate before this third baby arrives. 

Jen D.

Apple Cheeks Diaper Starter Kit Give Away

2009-05-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

Apple Cheeks diaper is giving one lucky reader of Your Mama Reviews a starter set of their diapers. Now I have not tried these myself, but they look like a wonderful pocket diaper with an insert that can be used inside the pocket or just laid in the diaper as a prefold would. I would love to try these, but if I don't win it would be nice for someone that reads my blog to win. Enjoy!

Diaper Stash for Baby Number 3

2009-05-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Well as most of you know we are expecting our third. She is due this summer. I am nesting and trying to prepare for her arrival, but with two toddlers it is not easy. So far this is the cloth diaper stash for her as an infant. I intend to use gdiapers (with disposable inserts) or disposables for the first few weeks due to the messy tar-like bowel movements that infants have and then I will start in with cloth. I am excited and nervous to cloth diaper an infant. I have only cloth diapered toddlers and I still feel like a beginner at that. Newborns and infants are a little different to diaper so I am not sure if I have all that I need yet, but I hoping by the time she arrives we will be set.
Here is the breakdown of what we have so far
The Stack
10 infant prefolds (I will probably use these with the g diaper pants as inserts)
10 infant Chinese Prefolds (inserts for g diapers)
8 homemade inserts for gdiapers

In the basket (from left to right)
11 gdiaper covers (most are cream or orange, but there is also 1 red, 1 pink striped and 1 brown)
6 Fuzibunz pocket diapers size small in pink, lavender and white (a good friend gave us these to use since her daughter is done with that size)
2 Sassy pants pocket diapers in small/medium (brand new)
2 Swaddlebees size small stuffable pocket diapers
1 fitted newborn diaper
11 Sassy Pants all in one diapers (these are mostly boyish in color since I bought them from a mom on Craigslist that had a boy)

As you can see we are off to a good start, but with changing a newborn about a dozen times a day I am not sure if this is going to do it. I am hoping to be able to get some more diapers in the next several weeks so we can really be prepared. I have some one size diapers for the other kids that I can always throw into the little girls pile if need be. We will see.

I hope you are enjoying the sunshine and the extra long weekend. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Jen D.

Sunshine and Retail Therapy

2009-05-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well I had intended to type this out early, but the night got away from me.

Today was actually a semi-good day. I am still not feeling great about being pregnant another ten weeks and life sure is not where I want it to be, but things went a little better today. It is amazing what some sunshine and a little retail therapy can do for your mood. We spend the better part of the day outside. The family went to a nearby outdoor mall and walked around. It was so nice to be out in the fresh air and son. I also got a late incredibly indulgent, Mother’s Day present. I have not bought anything for myself like that outside of the iphone (which I saved money from both Christmas and my birthday for, plus waited for four months to get) for more than a year. I am still feeling a little guilty for it, since I know with a third baby on the way things are going to be tight for a while, but at the same time it is not something that will go to waist or that I won’t use. I probably just didn’t need to indulge in such an extravagant one. Since my hubby was with me and said to do it…I threw caution to the wind and gave into the impulse.

I have wanted a new Coach bag for quite some time. I find that when I do make quality purchases on something like a purse, I end up getting a lot more use and value out of it. The Coach that I purchased four years ago as a graduation from my master’s program for myself I still use. In fact I am having it sent back to the company to fix some of the stitching on it. It is a great purse and I am sure I will go back to it at some point. I know it was not necessary, but at the same time it is something I will get a lot of use out of and probably have for quite some time. Plus, this one is a quite a bit larger than my old one. I have been saying for a few years now that I need a large purse now that I have kids. Now it still is no huge purse where I can fit everything in it and the kitchen sink, but it is a nice medium size, instead of what I had before which was on the smaller size.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I am delighted that I finished two weeks of daily posts on the blog. I will continue to try to post frequently, but may not quite daily. Happy Weekend!
Jen D.

Organization: Craft Room

2009-05-15T21:45:00.001-07:00

So today’s post is on organization. I consider myself somewhere in the middle. In my brain I am very organized and I rehearse all of these different scenarios. I type lists, keep records, but when it comes down to it I am not as organized as I want to be or my brain thinks I should be.

For example, I really struggle in my office with organization. I have a lot of craft stuff for scrapbooking, cardmaking and some sewing stuff. The problem is I have no closed storage and I have no place to really spread out to make scrapbook pages, cards or a craft project. I love to look at how others have organized their spaces, but when it comes down to it I don’t have the extra resources to devote to new closed organization or a lot of new furniture. In a perfect would I would have built ins in my office and plenty of work space within those built ins. There would be closed storage and a little open storage. Everything would have a place. Obviously, it is not a perfect world.

My hubby was planning on getting me some sort of second desk so I could have a computer workspace and a place for my crafts. I would love this and be very grateful for it. It would solve one of my big problems with organizing my office; however, I still have the issue of no closed storage. The funny thing is I struggle with this in my work space at school as well. I have no closed storage there either and my closet of a classroom is not much bigger than my office at home. I affectionately refer to it as a trailer. I don’t mean to be condescending to anyone, but it really is not fit for a classroom of any kind. Ideally, I am hoping to be placed in a regular classroom next year, but with how things work out for me I am not too hopeful.

Being that I struggle with the same problem of lack of closed storage at both work and home I have been brainstorming ideas for how to solve the problem without spending a lot if any money. This is not easy, but I was thinking of making a curtain and hanging it with a tension rod over on the top of the shelf so that you couldn’t see what actually being stored in the shelf. This would be fairly in expensive because tension rods are only a few dollars and have fabric that I can use. I actually already have the curtains for my office and they match perfectly. Another thing I could use is some decorative tacks that I already own to hang the curtain. The negatives to this idea are: I would have to hold it up and would not be able to pull it back when looking for something the shelves. My other thought the curtain may make it look even messier than it does without the curtain because it will look like I am hiding something, which hey I am.

Has anyone had this problem before and if you have, did you find a solution? I am open to suggestions. Once I figure it out I will post pictures. The first picture below is of my open storage office, when I first moved into it. Notice how clean it isn't even organized then. The other photos are of rooms that I like. I wish I could give credit to these websites for their photos, but I have saved them in my inspiration room file and I don’t know where I got them. There are a lot of others that I just love, but they were saved on my other computer and I didn't have the energy to hunt of them. Maybe I will post those inspiration pics tomorrow. I apologize to anyone whose photo I am using. I am not trying to steal the credit for your creativity.

Enjoy your weekend.
Jen D.

Another Cloth Diaper Post

2009-05-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

I ordered some brand new diapers from the Swaddlebees outlet store yesterday. I am so excited. These are sized diapers, but the cool thing is they are stuffable AIO’s. I purchased a few off of Craigslist on Monday and then I found some seconds on sale at the Swaddlebees outlet store for a great price so I purchased those. It is amazing how excited a person can get about diapers. I never thought that I would get so much joy out of cloth diapering and out of trying different ones, but I do.

Lately, I have been drooling over these beauties. The first few pictures are from this etsy site. Now I don’t usually like fitted diapers, but I have heard some good things from other cd’ers about fitted diapers. I have not had a lot of luck with them so far because my kids seem to be heavy wetters. I am still interested in trying these though. The second group of photos is called Little Fancy Pants. I really want to order some of these for this baby girl I am carrying. I just love the floral prints. They remind of good mama’s, but they seem to be a little cheaper than the beloved Good Mama’s. I have yet to try a Good Mama diaper. I want to, but I just can’t bring myself to pay that much for one diaper. This is especially the case since cloth diapering is supposed to be saving me money and it will, but not until I stop buying new fluff when I find it at a great deal. I have been very frugal about it so far, but since I am also trying to get some sort of stash for this new little baby together it is probably not saving much if any money yet.

With that said, cloth diapering sure is saving me a lot a trash. I only use disposables at night on my kids when I work and then at the sitters house. So I am maybe tossing between two and four diapers a day three days a week and the other days I am cloth diapering so I don’t have any garbage from those. It is fabulous. My husband has even commented about the smell of our laundry room being less stinky now that I am cloth diapering. I do wash the cloth diapers every other day so they really don’t have much time to get too stinky. It is funny how I don’t putting and folding our other laundry, but I have no problems folding and putting away the cloth diapers. 

Do you cloth diaper and want to share your experiences? Please post a comment. I love to read about how others CD and their experiences.

Jen D.

Borrowed Book on Parenting

2009-05-13T20:58:00.001-07:00

As you can see from my posts lately, I am losing the battle of the wills with my three year old, especially when it comes to potty training. Well today at work a colleague of mine recommended this book (Your Three-Year-Old: Friend or Enemy by Louise Bates Ames, PhD and Frances L. Ilg, MD) to me and actually let me borrow her copy. It is not a new book and was originally published back in the seventies, but I read a few reviews from today’s parents that say it is worth the read. So I am going to start reading it tonight. I have always subscribed to the Love and Logic approach, with natural consequences, etc. However, that is not really working for me with my spirited daughter, especially in the area of potty training. I am looking for some real solutions, strategies, whatever I can that I can try to help me parent and not lose my mind. I apologize for the short post. I am just exhausted. A certain person has been keeping me up with snoring. I get up to go use the bathroom several times a night, but then I can’t seem to fall back asleep because of the snoring. Ugh, the joys of being pregnant.

Doctor's Appointment

2009-05-12T20:10:00.001-07:00

I am thinking I will post two posts tomorrow to make up for this not so great post that I am posting now. I am trying to get a post done everyday, but it is not easy.

I had my doctor's appointment today. Things seem to be going well with the little girl inside me. She is measuring perfect and I got my glucose test back and it was negative. I am however slightly anemic, but I would rather be a little low on iron than be diabetic. I am so glad that I don't have to go through the ordeal of having the three hour test. Unfortunately, being anemic means I will need to start taking an iron supplement (hence the picture of pills). Not fun, but better than a special diet for GD. On a not so great note, the new practice that my doctor is with will not even give me the option of a VBAC. To add insult to injury they won't even consider scheduling my mandated c-section anytime before 39 weeks without an amnio and I have no input into the date. My doctor just submits a request to scheduling and that is it no input from either of us. This is a real bummer since I have the same due date with this new little baby that I had with little a. Plus I was really hoping to have her birthday be at least a week earlier than his. Now it looks like unless she decides she will be born on a different day that I may even end up going the full 40 weeks. I think I may resort to inducing my own labor if that is to happen. I am so done with being pregnant now as it is. I can't even wrap my mind around having to go full term. Ugh! I just keep saying this too shall pass, but now it will be a little longer than I had hoped it would be. I have never been accused of being lucky and I definitely know why. Plus with little a I spent the majority of my summer just waiting for him to arrive. I was really hoping to not repeat that this summer. Plus being pregnant in the summer is miserable (plus I am already a terrible pregnant), especially without AC. There is nothing I can do at this point. I am learning that I have very little control over anything in this life. Well hopefully your Tuesday was not as disappointing as mine.

Hodge Podge Post

2009-05-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Well today was a much better day than either this Saturday or Sunday. I can’t believe I am posting this, but I seem to be transparent on this blog and so why start being something different now.

I pretty much lost it on Saturday. Big A went poop in her pants again and I just couldn’t deal. I felt the world closing in on me. I had a huge breakdown. Obviously, if I am okay blogging about it now I survived and I am okay. The picture is of me crying in my car, parked in my garage. I was going to go somewhere, but I couldn’t think of anywhere to go and I knew that in my emotional state I shouldn’t be driving, so I just stayed in my car. I called my mom and cried for a while on her shoulder. I got some potty training advice from her and then both my aunt and uncle. I wish that I could say that helped, but it didn’t. I was pretty shook up. The poopy pants incident was just the straw that broke the camels back so to speak. I have been feeling pretty horrible lately. As I have mentioned before pregnancy just doesn’t agree with me. Well in the car I tried to pull it together so I could go upstairs and face the rest of the night and my so called life. I had posted on Facebook that “I wished there was a place where you could exchange lives.” This was before I got in my car. In the car I was trying to delete that status from my phone, but was unable to. I am still learning how to use my phone. Anyways, playing with my phone was a good distraction and I took this self-portrait in the mirror of my car with the phone. I am a mess. You can see my make up is all smeared and I have black circles around my eyes. I prayed, listened to some praise and worship music and tried to pull myself together. I am hoping that I will feel better about my life and myself one day soon, but until then I guess I will just have to fake it until I make it.

Sunday was just like any other day around our home. I cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids, went to church. You never would have known it was Mother’s Day if you were just peaking in the window. I was bummed about it at first, but I am sure there are a lot of us out there that had similar experiences. I love my kids and I am glad to be their mom, even if it is a very disrespected, never ending, all consuming job. My poor hubby was having a bad day with his own stuff so he was unable to physically do anything to help out. I am starting to accept that life is just hard sometimes.

So today was a much better day. I don’t teach on Mondays so I took Big A and little a to a coffee shop with a friend and her kids. It is a coffee shop that has play area with a paid babysitter that watches your kids. It was my first time going there. It was a lot of fun and my friend and I got to chat and hang out. My kids didn’t stay in the area the whole time, but it was fine. Big A didn’t have any potty accidents so we went to a fancy grocery store afterward our play date and she got to push a cart all of her own. She was so happy. It was very cute. She did pretty well on peeing in the toilet today, but those BM’s are something else. I pray that she just gets it soon.

Before meeting my friend I went and met a lady selling some diapers on Craigslist. I ended up getting some new fluff for the little girl due this summer. I am so excited about these. They are stuffable AIO diapers made by Blueberry and Swaddlebees. I have two Blueberry diapers that I just love already and Blueberry/Swaddlebees is the same company. I can’t wait to try them out. A few of them should fit Big A right now so I might try them on her stuffed for overnight on Thursday. I am washing diapers now. I won’t cloth diaper again this week until Thursday night. I don’t tend use them when I am working. It is just too much for me. I am looking forward to the summer when I can cloth diaper almost a hundred percent. Adding great diapers to my stash always makes me smile and getting a good deal on them is even better.

Well I am doing pretty good on my postings. Now I just have to plan for the rest of the week when I am busy working. Tomorrow, I have a doctor’s appointment and get to see how the little mover and shaker inside me is doing. I will try to post an update either tomorrow or on Wednesday. Have a great week.

Jen D.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you moms out there are having a fabulous Mother’s Day. I am not really in the mood to celebrate motherhood right now. I guess I don't really feel very good at the whole mommy thing right now. I think the potty training thing is just getting to me. I sure have failed as a mom in that area. There are tons of other things I fail at as a mom as well. As you can see the hormones are out of control these days. Yes, I can blame it all the hormones…they have to be good for something, right? Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Do something special for yourself!

Gdiaper Cloth Inserts

2009-05-09T15:08:00.001-07:00

I started using Gdiapers about six months ago with my 14 month old. I don’t use them all the time, especially since now that I cloth diaper, but I really do like the flexibility of them. First things first, the Gdiaper little g pant is just too cute for words. They come in a variety of colors and the medium size fits from about 15 pounds to 28 pounds. We got some good use out of our mediums and for my son he is now into the larger size. The disposable inserts that you can buy for them are great and I love the convenience for traveling, etc. I prefer to use the little g pant with cloth inserts though. I made about ten inserts for little a about five months ago using fabrics that I already had lying around and then some microfiber towels that I purchased from the automotive section at Target. They have worked out quite well for us. I use them in a rotation with the little g pants and my slow growing cloth diaper stash.

Well this morning I decided to make some small inserts to go in the little g pants I purchased for our little girl to be born this summer. I pretty much followed the same process that I did for making the large size cloth inserts, but just cut these smaller. I think they will work great. I used two microfiber kitchen towels for the small inserts and two receiving blankets that were used and given to me by a friend of a friend. I am so excited about how they turned out. I hope they will work well for the little girl. I figured out that each insert costs somewhere around 30 cents. I love how cloth diapering not only saves the environment, but also my checking account. These are extra green since I recycled the receiving blankets. This makes me happy.

Over the past few months I have been building up a stash of diapers for her. I have 11 little g diaper pants, 10 Sassy Pants AIO diapers (I bought used on CL), 2 brand new Sassy Pants pocket diapers, 8 infant prefolds (I will probably just use these as inserts in pocket diapers or something…prefolds are not my thing usually) and 7 Fuzzi Buns that my friend used and gave to me for this baby. I don’t think that will be enough considering how frequently a little one goes, but I am well on my way.

If you have cloth diapered an infant please share your wisdom with me. I am still very new to cloth diapering and would love any advice from a veteran. Please share your experiences, stories or advice in the comments section, especially on diapering an infant or newborn. My cloth diapering experience started just a few months ago when my son was about 16 months old, so I have no idea how it will be with this new little girl.

MOPS Carnival and Painted Belly...

2009-05-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

This morning was our second to last MOPS meeting for the year. The year has flown by so fast. I am thankful to have found MOPS. It has been wonderful to be a part such a great team this year that works so hard to put MOPS on for the local moms. We had a carnival for our second to last meeting. It was fabulous. We had games, prizes, carnival food, face painting, group photo session, and a picture frame craft. We also had a few group games to start out. It was a blast if I do say so myself. We had a great turn out and I think all the ladies really enjoyed themselves. I am excited to continue to be on the steering team next year.

So while everyone was cleaning up (usually I help as well) the face painting gal was kind enough to stay and paint a design on my HUGE belly (see the design above). This is something totally out of character for me have done. I mean I am very modest and usually don’t just show my belly to anyone, anywhere. There is another gal there who is a totally cute pregnant gal, unlike me and hers looked so cute so I thought I would give it a try. I guess I am glad I did because I would never know unless I tried. After this experience, I have decided that nothing really makes me cute when I am pregnant. I am just huge (and still have a few months left) and not cute and that is just how pregnancy is for me. I am learning to accept it. I mean this is my third pregnancy in less than four years. I have had a lot of practice with it and should just know by now that I am not cute and have not felt good about me since I got pregnant the first time. I am hoping one day I will feel better about myself and that I will feel more like me eventually. I am still working out (not that you could tell) and I try to eat relatively healthy. I don’t use being pregnant as an excuse to eat more, but it doesn’t seem to matter, I am still huge. Oh well!

I remember when I was first pregnant with Big A. I had all of these grand plans of how great pregnancy would be and that I would just stay the same, but add a belly. Boy was I wrong. Pregnancy and I just don’t mix. I gained weight everywhere with my first and then I got pregnant seven months later with my second and couldn’t seem to lose the weight from the first before getting pregnant. I gained less with my second and I have gained less with my third (I haven't gained anything in two months, but I am still gigantic. No, I am not a cute, glowing pregnant lady, more like a huge, unattractive, blob. I have lost hope now that I will ever be the same again. Oh well, such is life. I was definitely not blessed with good genetics that is for sure. I often wonder how and why God made me this way. One day maybe I will feel better, but for now I am just pregnant and positively miserable. The good news is the pregnancy will come and go and out of the whole ordeal I get a baby to love and raise for the next however many years. The good and bad news is I will never be me again now that I have had children. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that one. Some days are okay and I can accept that. There are other days where I just want to run back in time and be me again.

An update on the potty training journey…Big A didn’t have any accidents at MOPS, but she did have two accidents within an hour of each other at a MOPS lunch that we had after tear down and clean up. I was bummed that I had to leave, but I didn’t have any clothes for her and I told her if she had another accident we would be going home. She started to throw a fit, but ended up making it out of there without kicking and screaming. I don’t know what I am going to do with that girl. I am thinking of having the two older neighbor girls make fun of her for wetting her pants. Is that just mean of me or what? It sure doesn’t matter when I tell her that “Babies pee and poop in their pants. Big girls pee and poop in the toilet.” She doesn’t seem to care about anything. Nothing motivates her, but the little girl at the babysitters. What am I going to do?

Well I hope everyone enjoys a great weekend. I am still going to try to keep positing once a day for the next eight days. 

Cloth Diapering: The first of many posts...

2009-05-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to post something today. Here is my post for today. Give me a break, it was written pretty late at night so hopefully it is coherent enough to read. :)

Cloth diapering is something that has become somewhat of an obsession/addiction with me. I know that sounds completely insane, but just wait. If you try it and really give it a chance you might just get hooked like me.

Here are two common questions that I get when people find out that I cloth diaper.

Do you wash your own diapers and isn’t it horrible if you do?
I do wash my own diapers, every other day. I actually do not mind washing the diapers. The process is very easy. I simply dump the bag of diapers into the washing machine, turning the wet bag inside out as I put them in. I toss the wet bag in and wash. Since I have a front loading machine, which is great for the environment and energy bill, but not so good for washing cloth diapers, I am still working out a good washing procedure that works for me. It really is easy and for some reason I don’t mind it. I actually get a lot of satisfaction from cloth diapering and even the stuffing the pockets, the folding and putting away.

What about the poop?
I must admit that I am not a dunker. I cheat. I use liners that are biodegrable, flushable and for the most part contain the poop. I have had a few leaks here and there off the liner, not out of the diaper, but those are rare. I actually have more trouble with my three year old in cloth training pants pooping and having to clean those up. The liners really make cloth diapering simple and less messy.

This post is just the first post of many on cloth diapering. I have learned a lot about it in the past six months. Although, I have only been cloth diapering for four months (and not on the days that I work) it took me about two months to research, purchase and get ready to start (I was also in my first trimester of pregnancy for part of that and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle washing the diapers then). Well I hope this post peek’s your interest in cloth diapering, but in all honesty I am not writing it to convert anyone. I just want to share my experience, document it, enjoy it and well like I said in the beginning I am addicted.

Mother's Day Give Away at Kelly's Closet

2009-05-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Kelly's Closet is hosting a fabulous and I mean fabulous give away in honor of Mother's day on their blog The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. Please go check it out. It is amazing what they are giving away. What a great package for some lucky cloth diapering mom out there. Wowsers! Are you feeling lucky? Go enter to win. If you don't need the cloth diapers I am sure you could find someone who would just love and adore you for giving them to her (including me). :)

Happy Birthday Honey!

2009-05-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

This post is in honor of my husband. I may not always say it with words (especially lately), but I love you so much honey. You are a good dad, a good husband and a good man. I hope you have a fabulous birthday.

We are planning to celebrate with a dinner out with the kids and then a homemade cake. Since I am writing this post in advance I am hoping to make him a fabulous homemade cake that he will love, but we will see if my intention ends up coming to fruition. I have a lot of plans these days and sometimes they happen and sometimes I am just too tired, pregnant or exhausted to make a dent in them. I hope for my honey I will come through.

Mr. D already got his birthday present a little early. Check out this post if you are wondering what he got for his birthday. 

Jen D.

Diaper Cake Baby Shower Gift

2009-05-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

Diaper Cake….
Here are some pictures of the diaper cake that I made for my co-worker. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend her shower and my husband forgot to take it into her on Thursday (the shower date) and then on Friday as well. Oh well! I hope to get it to her this week. We will see. I think she might already be on leave. This is her first baby and they know they are having a little girl. I thought it would be fun to make her a diaper cake.

This is the fourth diaper cake that I have made. I wish I took pictures of it before I put in the bag. They are so much fun to make and even more fun to give. I hope that she likes it. I am sure that there will be more babies for me to make diaper cakes for shortly. I will try to do a diaper cake tutorial next time that I make one. That way you can see how it is done. It is very easy and such a fabulous gift for any mom to be.

In this diaper cake there are approximately 75 size 1 diapers, a receiving blanket, a teething toy, a bib, 2 baby bottles (BPA free), a girlie onsie, and one pair of newborn pajamas.

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful day!

Jen D.

Weekend accomplishments or lack there of…sorry for the long post

2009-05-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am in my twenty eighth week of pregnancy (my third) and starting to get a little antsy that things are not getting done. I have a HUGE to do list (not to mention belly right now) and I don’t seem to be able to cross much of anything off the list lately. I already feel so far behind and I know that I need to get a lot accomplished before she arrives because after that, things will be even more chaotic then they are now.

Weekend Snapshot
- Went to see Marc Morris Dance Company in Seattle with a good friend. It was a lot of fun. My MIL gave us the tickets since she couldn’t use them. We splurged and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory after the show. I normally do not eat after 7, but the hubby didn’t get home from an appointment until a little after 6 and with the drive into the city we had to wait until after the show to have dinner. The cheesecake was well worth the wait. We split the oh so yummy Tuxedo Cheesecake. It is one of their best I must say and even worth the bazillion calories that I am sure it is. We split it so that is half the calories right? It was a good night. Made me think, why I don’t go into the city more often. This was a special treat and I never would have gone had the tickets not been given to me. Boy do I miss going to plays, the ballet, cultural events.
- Saturday: Worked out, went to Costco, dropped stuff at Goodwill, came home put the kids to bed, hubby napped, I cleaned and then napped for a little while, cleaned some more, cooked dinner, washed diapers, cleaned a little more and went to bed early. As you can see not very productive.
- Sunday: Went to church (this is a real victory in itself, because it is hard to get the whole family out of the house, on time and for some reason we tend to have someone sick every other week and so we miss every other week,) cleaned out the diaper bag, sanitized the diaper bags (Big A peed her pants at church and then pooped in the fresh pair of training pants once we got home…dare I say more), made lunch, cleaned a little, blogged a bit, cleaned out the freezer, did four loads of laundry, put away clean diapers and kids laundry, cooked dinner with whatever I could find in the house, made a weekly meal plan, played on the computer, (now you have to remember that while I was cleaning, my hubby was napping yet again,) made dinner, cleaned up some of the kitchen (but not all…just too tired), tried to go to sleep early because exhausted (not so successful because hubby was watching TV and I struggled to try to get to sleep with the TV on). Yet, another not so successful day or fun day. Did I mention I took care of a 21 month old and 3 year old all, changed all of the diapers and all of the training pants? I guess that would help if I mentioned that.

Today I am trying to be more productive. I have accomplished quite a lot already, but it is not easy with two kids. It is nap time as I type this post out. I am going to try to clean and organize something while the kids sleep. We will see if that happens. Part of me just wants to lay down for a nap too.

So if you are reading this and have tips for staying on top of the housework please let me know. I would love some easy ways to stay on top of things. I am trying to balance way too much right now any help is greatly appreciated.

Jen D.

My challenge and A Sweet Little Splurge...

2009-05-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

So in an effort to try to post more frequently and try to post a little more positive posts than I have been posting I am challenging myself to blog everyday for a 2 weeks. I was going to make it a month, but I am not sure I can do that or a week and that seemed too short so I am going to try for 14 days starting yesterday. Now some of these posts will be pre-written today and tomorrow since I am working and will not have the time to write them Tuesday through Thursday, but others will be written that day and posted.

This would count as my second post.
So those of you who know me personally and are friend of mine on FB know that I bought myself a little present on Thursday. I had been saving my Christmas money and Birthday money for this little thing. I had to wait until our phones were up for renewal with our current contract. They would not let us upgrade any sooner than Thursday, but I am oh so glad that I did. Now I realize that the new version might be out as early as June, but I am still thrilled to have an iphone. I tried in December to get one and due to that silly contract was unable to. I am still on a huge learning curve of figuring out all the bells and whistles, but I am sure once I sit down and have time to play with it I will be up to snuff in no time.

Now for those of you who know me, you know this was a huge splurge for me. I am frugal minded. I try to re-use, reduce and recycle (when possible); after all I have switched to cloth diapering. I am very excited about this little splurge though. I think it is amazing how far technology has come in such a short time. I am old enough to remember getting my first cell phone in college or shortly there after. It was nothing like this new phone. AMAZING! In order to pay for the increase in our bill each month the hubby has agreed to forego cable television. We will be canceling as soon as our current overpaid balance runs out. This will help cover the costs, but it won’t completely cover it, especially since we will be getting some sort of DVD membership to either Netflix or Blockbuster or somewhere with no late fees. It will help though. Plus, I am not much of a TV watcher these days. For one I don’t make the time and number two being pregnant I have little interest for some reason. I am sure that will change once the baby is born, but I would so much rather read a good book or catch up on blogs than watch TV. Now there are shows that I enjoy, but not a lot as of late.

So here is my new toy. I think I am going to have this entry serve as not only a blog post, but I will scrap book it as well. I like getting two things done at once. Oh, I forgot to mention that my hubby got one as well. His birthday is Wednesday, so how could I say no. He has used his a lot more than I have used mine thus far. Unfortunately, he chooses to play with it anytime he is not doing something else...which these days seems to be a lot.

Happy Day!
Jen D.

Feeling Done...

2009-05-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Image taken from the http://greenbabyguide.com/

Do you ever that feeling that you have just had enough? That feeling that you need to be done. I am having that feeling and have been for at least a few weeks. I think I am just in a funk right now during this last trimester. It happened when I was pregnant with little a as well. We will see how long it lasts. So here is my done list.

I am done with…
+ Being pregnant, although this time around I was done before I even found out I was pregnant.
+ potty training since I have been attempting it for almost a year with a few months off here and there.
+ With disappointment
+ With this body of mine
+ With this crazy, chaotic life
+ With not sleeping
+ With trying so hard
+ With my hubby’s health problems
+ With the never ending house cleaning that gets done and then is messed up with in minutes
+ With laundry that is also never ending
+ With pets
+ With just about all of the you know what of this life

The thing is I am not done, not really. I still have to figure a way to be pregnant for at least eleven more weeks, officially ten days longer than that, but I am so hopeful for an early (but not too early c-section.)

At this point in time it is not looking good for the potty training to be over any time soon and since I am the parent that does most of the potty training I think I still have a ways to go. Plus, that is just with Big A, there is still little a to train after that and then this new baby girl a few years later. I think potty training is going to be part of my life a lot longer than it is welcome.

Disappointment is just part of life. You would think I would be used to it by now.

This body has failed me so much in recent years. Unfortunately, it is the only one I have, it is not a great one at that, and statistically it will probably last me at least forty more years. I just wish it worked how it was supposed to. I am ENORMOUS and I still have 12 weeks or so to go. I am swollen even though I workout and drink a lot of water. I can’t blame it all on this pregnancy. I haven’t exactly been happy with my body ever, but especially since my first pregnancy. It failed me in nursing (at least only nursing…I had to supplement) and then it failed me with losing this baby weight. This is probably the thing that I am the most done with, well at least tied with being pregnant and potty training.

Adding a third child to this family is not going to make life any easier, simpler or less chaotic. Somehow, I need to find a way to embrace some of the craziness.

Not sleeping is probably also here to stay since I will have a newborn and my track record for having great sleepers is really poor. My kids usually don’t sleep through the night until well nine and six months. A friend of mine is blessed with easy children. Her children are fabulous sleepers starting right off the bat. She just had her third and she is already sleeping through the night. She sleeps for about seven hours, takes a bottle and then sleeps for another four to six hours. Wow!

Trying so hard is one thing on the list that could probably go. Although, it is a personality trait that has been with me since I can remember. Now please don’t confuse trying so hard with things turning out well. I might try hard at things, but I often am not so successful.

The hubby has back problems. He has had two semi-successful back surgeries, but has still been in chronic pain now for 18 months. This is a really hard thing for anyone to watch their spouse go through, but for someone with two young kids and a third one on the way it is a depressing, devastating reality that life for her is only going to get harder and there is not much she can do about it. My hubby is a good father, but he is limited in what he can do with the pain. It is a financial strain, an emotional strain and a physical strain on us and our marriage. Oh I so wish I was done.

I am so done with our pets. I am trying not to post negative things about them, but our cat Jordan has to be the worst in this area. We tried to give her away to a good home, but she wore out her welcome there with in a week. I don’t know what to do. She is a beautiful cat and sure costs us a lot of money, but she has a sensitive digestive track, is picky about how clean her litter box is and sheds like crazy. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with her or any of the pets right now. It seems like all of the pets and our children are extremely high maintenance.

I wish I was just done with all of you know what to this life, but I am not. I can’t say that I would miss any of it. I am so ready to say goodbye to it and welcome happiness, but there is no end in site. I am also wise enough to know that there will always be stuff going on in my life that is unpleasant. I just have to find a way to suck it up and deal.

Maybe once the sun returns I won’t feel so down. We will see. I guess I better stop blogging and go do some laundry that is piling up or clean some of my house or attend to my kids, wait they are in bed. Oh what a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night. II don’t mean to sound ungrateful for the blessings that I do have in my life. I am just in a funk today. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Update on Potty Training and Overwhelmed Feeling…

2009-04-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well I am still overwhelmed, but I wanted to update the blog with what has been happening lately with the potty training saga.

Big A is wearing cloth training pants and plastic pants during the day and then cloth diapers at night (except on the nights I work, then she wears a disposable). She typically has an accident at least once a day and unfortunately, it is usually a BM accident. She did have two dry days this week at the babysitters and then at home for a few hours before bed. We rewarded her by mommy painting her finger nails one night and her toenails on another day. As I was typing this she came up to me and said. “Mommy I have to go change my pants.” Yep, you guessed it she had another accident. She is usually really good with potty training at the babysitters with potty at least. The BM’s are hit or miss. I almost have to catch her in the act. She actually had to very small BM’s today in the toilet. We praised her a lot for this success, even though it was very small and I am sure there are more BM’s in there. Here is what we are trying now:

Pro-active Potty Training Strategies
-Cloth training and plastic pants all day long
-Praising her when she is successful
-Potty treat when she remembers
-Talking about big girl things she can do when she I potty trained.
-Reminding her about being a big girl and using the toilet

If she has a goes pee in her training pants:
-she is responsible for putting her wet clothes in the washer, getting new cloth training pants and plastic pants on, sitting on the potty and cleaning herself up. (We are trying to make it as uncomfortable and inconvenient as possible for her when she goes in her pants.)
-She has to apologize to us each and every time she goes in her pants.
-She is unable to special things. For example: she can’t go over to a friend’s house and play if she is having accidents. A friend’s mom is not going to want to deal with my spirited little girl having accidents. This is one of the closest to natural consequence for not potty training that I can think of. Another example of this would be she can’t go to preschool unless she is potty trained. This is their rule, not my rule, but if it motivates her in any way that will be great.

If she has a BM accident we clean her up and take care of the mess. She is still responsible for changing her clothes, helping with putting her clothes in the washer, and apologizing for going poop in her pants.

We have tried in the past:
-Toilet Training Sticker chart
-Toilet Training small toy prizes
-Letting her save up for a big toy prizes at the end of the week if she is successful
-Taking toys away for accidents (this was my mom’s idea and unfortunately she didn’t really care that much…no connection between the toy being taken away and going in her pants)
-The doctor told her that she needed to be potty trained
-The majority of her friends are potty trained and she knows that.
-We tried in the beginning to do the one day and three day potty training with no success at all.
-Taking pictures of her on the potty and making a big deal about it
-Have a potty party (didn’t work at all)
-Telling her she cannot go to preschool unless she is potty trained.
-Explaining to her that big girls wear big girl underwear and use the potty ALL the time and that babies wear diapers or pull ups or go in their pants.
-We’ve had her watch us use the potty.
-We’ve even had her younger brother little a use the potty to try to motivate her.

What has worked so far…
-This has worked at the babysitters and there only. There is another little girl almost a full year younger than Big A there and she is potty trained. Big A is very motivated by this little girl Big L cheering her on when she goes in the potty. She is very successful at child care with this; too bad I don’t have a way of duplicating it at home.

I just put Big A down for a nap in her training pants and plastic pants. Oh I hope she wakes up if she is has to pee. She did really well with this on Friday and at the babysitter’s house this week so we will see. I am hopefully, optimistic about it.

If you have a success story that you think may help me please share it; however, if your child potty trained themselves or was easy to potty train please spare me the grief. I am so happy for you, but I have a lot of friends where potty training has been no big deal. I am glad for their luck, but I am not sure I can handle anymore of those stories right now. If you can’t tell from this post or my previous posts I am a little down with the whole potty training struggle. I hope you can understand where I am coming from.

Happy Sunday!
Jen D.

Looroos Diaper Give Away at the Natural Mommie

2009-04-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

The Natural Mommie is having a fabulous give away of six cloth diapers from Looroos. Check it out. I have not tried these diapers, but they look fabulous. Amanda gave them a great review in the post, even for overnight. With a third baby on the way my hope is that I am lucky the winner of this give away, but if I am not I would love for them to go to a good home of someone that reads my blog. So if you have little ones in diapers, check out the Natural Mommie and enter for your chance to win.

What Have I Done? I don’t want three kids in diapers…

2009-04-08T13:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I signed Big A up for preschool. She is excited about going to school and I think it will be good for everyone, including me.

Today I am not only have second thoughts about preschool, but about having three kids, three and under. I am starting to panic. I am starting to think I won’t be able to handle it.

Big A has had five accidents this morning. I think she is going to put me over the edge. Why can she go all day long at the babysitter’s house without an accident and then when she is home she can’t seem to go in the toilet to save her life. I am scared! I fear she won’t be ready for preschool. I fear that I will have THREE children in diapers. Dear Lord, I am telling you now that I cannot handle three children in diapers. I fear that I am just an inferior mother and Big A not potty training like a normal child is a slap in the face. I fear that this little girl that I am carrying is going to be just like her sister. I know from the depth of my soul that I CANNOT handle another Big A. Seriously! I love her, but she is a challenge. Everything has always been a challenge with her. Just for once I beg that something come easy. I can’t handle it anymore.

I am crying right now as I start to breath heavy. I just don’t know if I can handle this life. I am overwhelmed and so disappointed in how my life has turned out. I so miss my old life (i.e., before children). I would do almost anything besides give them back to have my old body back. That is an entirely different post. There are so many things about motherhood that I didn’t expect, desire or want. I am sure I am sounding selfish right now, but I think anyone who in four years has spent the last 40 months pregnant or nursing would have a complaint or two. I am not a good pregnant person and my oldest is not making this pregnancy any easier. My husband isn’t either. This third pregnancy was a surprise and I am excited about the little girl to come this summer, but definitely overwhelmed by the stresses of life without adding a new baby to the mix.

I am feeling lonely and just sad right now. I feel like I am already as big as a house and I am only on the verge of the six month mark. My feet are already so swollen. I still have four month to go, well maybe three and half since a woman is pregnant 40 weeks typically and after Friday I have 16 more week unless I deliver early which I probably will since I am having a c-section and I don’t want the baby to be born on little a’s birthday. I am hoping they will deliver me at 38 weeks. We will see. I am so unlucky they will probably make me wait until after little a’s birthday and go the full 40 weeks in the middle of summer and hot weather.

Don’t mind me. I am just a venting, tired, overwhelmed, pregnant mama who is disappointed with her life and has been for at least the past four years. Please excuse me, now I need to go change my three year old’s poopy cloth training pants as I ponder the questions that keeps me awake at night… “What have I done?” The famous “Why me?” question might also cross my mind, as well as… “When will this pass? When will I be happy again?” “Will I ever feel like myself again?” Great questions to consider as a I plug my nose and grit my teeth and change the three year olds dirty, poopy bum.

Random Post Before 6 a.m.

2009-04-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

(Image from http://www.seattlepi.com/dayart/20080322/621daily17.jpg)

Here is our Easter menu for this year. I am actually looking forward to Easter. This will be the first year of hiding plastic eggs for the kiddos. Although, I won't really be able to enjoy sugar on that day. I have that horrible glucose test the following day. I just pray that I do not have gestational diabetes.

I need to charge my camera so I can start taking pictures again. The things that slip away when you are pregnant, again. It is early here, before 6 am. I thought that the garage door might not be closed and ran down to check. Thank the Good Lord it was closed.

I am going to try to start posting a minimum of three posts a week. I figure that should be doable, but I have been so bad with my blog and updating it that I am not sure it will survive. We will see. Happy Monday Everybody!

Easter Menu
Appetizers
Stuffed Mushrooms (pending recipe from friend)
Cheese tray with breads and cheeses
Fruit and Veggies

Main Course
Ham

Side Dishes
Artichokes
Twice Bake Potatoes
Citrus Salad

Dessert
Strawberries with Homemade cake and whipped cream

Ask Design Mom

2009-03-30T14:31:00.001-07:00

Design Mom is having a contest worth $300 yes, three hundred dollars. Go here to check it out. It looks like a lot of fun, not only is she answering questions, but giving great spring clothes for your kids.

The Third Baby Davis

2009-03-07T17:41:00.001-08:00

What is life without surprises? We were surprised to find out the day after Thanksgiving that we are expecting our third baby in less than four years. Obvious this little one was not planned, but definitely wanted. Here is one of the first ultrasound pictures of baby #3. We are excited to find out if the baby is a girl or a boy. I am feeling pretty good. I am a little over 19 weeks along. Pregnancy doesn't really agree with me, so I am already looking forward to being done. :) We are just hoping and praying for a healthy, happy, easy baby.

My first Give Away!

2009-02-10T20:49:00.001-08:00

So my friend Katie posted this on her blog and I responded so that means I need to have a give away. This will be first give away ever. I am so excited. Now just like Katie:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be specially made just for you
3. It will be sometime this year (probably sooner)
4. It will probably be something crafty, but it could be something else

Here is the catch. You have to offer the same to the first five people that respond on your blog. Also once I send you your fabulous handmade present by me please post a picture of yourself with the present. This is meant to be fun so please go with it. 

I am a little nervous because I don’t really think anyone reads my blog. Which is my own fault because between this pregnancy, my two kids, my husband, MOPS, work, etc. I really don’t have much time to do much with it.  I hope to change that really soon. Help inspire me to get crafty and bloggy by responding to this post with a give away of your own.

Menu Plan for the week of February 7-14

2009-02-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

Menu Plan
This week I am still trying to figure out as far as a menu goes. We will see how things go. For those of you who read my blog and don't know me; I am 15 weeks pregnant with my third child and my other two children are not quite three and 18 months old. It will be a little chaotic around here to say the least. We are excited about the baby, but I am not a very good pregnant person. I just haven't felt like me since I was pregnant with Big A over three years ago. :( Pregnancy also makes meal planning a little more difficult since I am usually not in the mood for what I plan to cook. :)

I hope you have a great week.

Meal Plan
Sunday: Grilled fish, chicken rice and artichokes
Monday: MIL cooking SURPRISE
Tuesday: Leftovers from Monday night (Yeah! Two nights of no cooking)
Wednesday: Soup and Salad
Thursday: Mexican either enchiladas or quesadillas with a veggie
Friday: Homemade salmon pizza and salad
Saturday: Valentine's Day supposed to go out. :)

One Word Answers

2009-02-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

USING ONLY ONE WORD??? Not as easy as you might think! Now tag, change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Remember - you are only supposed to use one word answers :-)! Copy past this into Profile add new note...

• Where is your cell phone? purse

• Your significant other? sleeping

• Your hair? down

• Your mother? Arizona

• Your father? Heaven

• Your favorite thing? Scrapbooking/cardmaking

• Your dream/goal? Healthy

• What room are you in? office

• Your hobby? Scrapbooking/cardmaking

• Your fear? kidnap

• Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy

• Where were you last night? Home

• Something that you aren't? outspoken

• Muffins? unhealthy

• Where you grew up? California

• Last thing you did? sleep

• What are you wearing? clothes

• TV? When?

• Your pets? work

• Friends? love

• Your life? busy

• Your mood? sad

• Missing someone? yes

• Your car? dirty

• Something you’re not wearing? socks

• Your favorite store? thrift

• Your favorite color? red

• When is the last time you laughed? A.m.

• Last time you cried? A.m.

• Where do you go to over and over? bathroom

• My favorite place to eat? Ginger

• Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? No Idea

Itty Bitty Dots Papertrey Inc. Ribbon Challenge

2009-02-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is a card I did for the Papertrey Inc challenge. I had fun doing it, but didn't have much light in my craft space due to three blown light bulbs. I need to replace those tomorrow ASAP. It is a simple card that uses scraps from my collection. I tried to tie in the dot part with the pink Brazil Basics cardstock strip and then the blue ribbon actually has polka dots on it. I didn't realize I had so little time for this challenge, but I am glad that even in my pregnancy state I was able to do it. :)

Meal Plan: First Week of 2009

2009-01-05T15:32:00.001-08:00

Well here is my menu plan. I guess late is better than never this week. I am still struggling with how to cook healthy, simple, frugal meals for my family. I have been researching buying local produce, dairy and meats lately. I will write another post on that, but this is one of my hot topics for the moment. It is not as easy as you would think to know exactly where your food comes from. If you are buying locally please leave me a comment with any tips for me as I try to provide local foods for my family.

Menu Plan

M: Open faced Cheeseburgers on homemade bread, salad, sweet potato fries
T: Chicken cacciatore over brown rice *this is a wonderful almost one pot meal where the veggies are in the main dish so no side dishes
W: Make your own cornmeal crusted pizzas, loaded with veggies
TH: Frozen Meal (this is my third day on at work…I need a little reprieve)
F: Homemade soup, salad and bread
S: Hubby is cooking (I am going out with the girls to celebrate a friend’s birthday)
S: Main Course will be some sort of salad with chicken thrown in for protein

Meals for the last week of 2008

2008-12-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

This is a simple meal plan for the week because I really didn’t know what to serve. I am still recovering from all the holiday festivities. I have no appetite for anything, which makes meal planning difficult. I am just trying to keep it simple, mostly healthy, inexpensive and kid friendly.

Meals for the last week of 2008
Sunday: Pizza and salad with family
Monday: Left over buffet night
Tuesday: Some kind of salad as the main course
Wednesday: Something special for New Year’s Eve. I just don’t know what. Growing up my family would have appetizers all night as we counted down the hours and minutes to the new year.
Thursday: Chicken cacciatore served with brown rice and a dinner salad
Friday: Soup and salad with homemade bread
Saturday: A freezer meal

Sugar Cookie Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-12-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

This has to be one of my favorites. I just love this little number from Grosgrain. It is darling. I bet Big A would love it too. What a wonderful little after Christmas present it would make. Please head on over to Grosgrain and enter to win this little frock for a little girl in your life.

Sugar Cookie Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-12-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

Isn't this adorable? I just love this little dinner party dress from Grosgrain. Please check out her contest at her website. She is amazing and this is a stunning little dress that you could win for a little girl close to you. I would love to see Big A in it. :)

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Recital Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-30T19:31:00.000-08:00

Please go over to Grosgrain and checkout her newest give away, this gorgeous little recital dress. I just love her creations. I keep blogging about them, thinking that I will either win one day or get up enough motivation to start sewing myself...neither have happened yet. :) Here is the link.
Recital Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Addicted to Feist Sesame Street 1234

2008-11-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we were watching Sesame Street (the greatest kids program on TV) and Feist was on their sing this song. We already loved their original song, but this one was perfect for my daughter to sing, dance and of course count to four to. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. I am not sure if I pasted this in right, so hopefully it works.

Feist Sesame Street 1234 Lyrics

One, two, three, four
monsters walking 'cross the floor
I love counting, counting to the number four

Oh you counting, counting with me
to one less than five, and one more than three

Oh, Oh, Oh, we're counting to four
Oh, Oh, Oh, let's count some more

One, two, three, four
penguins that went by the door
I love counting, counting to the number four

I see four here, I see four there
favorite number, nothing can compare

Oh, Oh, Oh we're counting to four
Oh, Oh, Oh let's count some more

One, two, three, four
chickens just back from the shore
I love counting, counting to the number four

Oh, Oh, Oh we're counting to four
Oh, Oh, Oh lets count some more

One, two, three, four
chickens just back from the shore

One, two, three, four
penguins that went by the door

One, two, three, four
monsters walking 'cross the floor

balm balm balm balm (repeat 2x)
Ohhh
counting to four
Ohhh (repeat 2x)
counting to four (repeat 3x)

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

She has done it again. The blogger Grosgrain has another darling give away for little girls. Isn't this set just too cute for words? I am hoping that I can win it for Big A. I am not sure why I keep trying. I am not really lucky when it comes to these things, but it is still fun to try I guess. Please check it out and enter to win. Even if you don't have a little girl you have to know someone who is between the ages 2 and 4 to give it to. :)
Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

This is an adorable and very usable camera strap from Grosgrain and Shealynn. Check it out. I am hoping that I will win this to make my camera a little more of a chic accessory. We will see. Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Just a little about me...

2008-11-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

Thought it would be nice to share a little about me!

I am: a mom, a wife, a teacher, a woman

I think: of everything that can go wrong

I know: that tomorrow will be another day

I want: to simplify life, find contentment

I have: a headache

I dislike: very hot weather

I miss: my family and friends in California

I fear: that someone I love will get hurt, sick or pass away

I feel: rather tired

I smell: nothing which is a good thing with a dog, a cat, a smelly husband and two smelly kids

I crave: other peoples cooking (going out or somewhere I don’t have to cook…this doesn’t have much here)

I cry: a lot when I am pregnant or post partum, I always cry at certain movies

I usually: workout daily

I search: for the perfect outfit every morning with not much success

I wonder: if I will ever wear my pre-pregnancy clothes again

I regret: a lot of things unfortunately

I wish: I was happy/content and others were happy too

I love: my husband and my children

I care: for my hubby, my kids and my students

I always: look for bargains

I am not: my mother

I remember: a simpler life

I believe: in natural consequences

I sing: to my kids and to the Lord

I don't always: have the answers

I argue: (advocate) for my students and my children

I write: in a journal, a writer’s notebook, in baby books, on blogs, letters, scrapbook journaling, cards, poems, books for kids, books on teaching

I win: rarely (not lucky and you may catch it from me so it is best not buy a lottery ticket or gamble when I am around)

I loose: a lot at games or things that I want to win, except this baby weight

I don't understand: why men have to take such a long time in the bathroom several times a day

I can usually be found: with my kids

I need: Me time

I forget: what it is like to be single and have no kids and to buy things for myself

I am happy: when I feel good about me

Menu Plan Monday: Week of November 16th

2008-11-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well here is this week’s menu plan. I am excited about cooking one large thing and using all of the leftovers for other meals for the week. I bet my family will be tired of eating turkey by then and it won't even be Thanksgiving Day yet. This is only if I get my bum in gear and actually cook the turkey tomorrow. We will see how things go. I am switching my schedule this week; going from working four reduced hour days to three full days a week. We will see how it goes. I am a little nervous about it, but excited. This is what I wanted. I hope it works out for everyone involved. Enjoy your week!

Without further ado here is our meal plan for the week.

Sunday: Thai Green Curried Veggies and Chicken, with brown rice
Monday: Hamburgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Beans
Tuesday: Turkey served with brown rice, salad
Wednesday: Turkey & Veggie Quesadillas with a small salad
Thursday: Turkey Soup with tons of veggies
Friday: Turkey Enchiladas, Spanish rice and salad
Saturday: Turkey Southwestern Salad

SheetLoad's Blog Candy Blow Out

2008-11-14T20:03:00.001-08:00

If you love blog candy, check out this load for your sweet tooth. This looks just delish to me. Enter to win a set for yourself by heading over to Sheetload’s Blog and blogging about the contest yourself. I am a sucker for these things, even though I am not lucky I still play the games for the candy. I guess I just have a compulsive sweet tooth, especially for stamping and scrapping stuff. Good luck!

Fabulous Holiday Card Give Away at Skip to My Lou

2008-11-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

Skip to My Lou Blog is giving away a photo holiday card jpeg that you can use to print your own holiday cards. It is a fabulous gift. I would personally love the stress relief of not having to worry about creating my own Christmas cards. She is also throwing in some photo stamps to mail your cards in style. Check it out at Skiptomylou.org .

Depression Post...sorry I have been positive on this blog until now, but I can't be today

2008-11-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

I am not a lucky or blessed person. I have known this for quite sometime now. I am under no allusions or delusions. I am unlucky in life and all the games, races and what not that go with it. I still put on a happy face at work and try to be a positive, happy mom to my children. Today something changed; I realized today that my luck is not changing and more than that is not going to change. Although, I have felt unlucky most of my life (until today) I guess I still had hope that my luck would change. I have no hope now. I know that I am unlucky and that I am just going to have deal with it.

Nordic Bo Peep and Long Lost Sheep Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

So this over the top one the most amazing give aways I have seen in a while. Check out the newest giveaway at Grosgrain. Not one, but both of these costumes are going to be given to some lucky family. I just hope the lucky family is mine. Anyways, please go check it out. This gal is an amazing sewer and she has also opened a new store where she is selling her wonderful creations.

Nordic Bo Peep and Long Lost Sheep Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

GrosgrainStore.com Grand Opening & Giftcard Giveaway!!!!!!!!

2008-11-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

The talented Kathleen at Grosgrain has opened up a store sharing her fabulous kids clothes with everyone. She is offering a giftcard to her store for one lucky winner. Check out her store here GROSGRAINSTORE.COM and enter to win the giftcard here .

GrosgrainStore.com Grand Opening & Giftcard Giveaway!!!!!!!!: "GROSGRAINSTORE.COM so"

Menu Plan: Sunday November 2-9

2008-11-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday Everyone!
Well this week’s meals are pretty basic. I tried something new and asked my husband for input. He actually said he would like to have Taco Salad one night so I added that to the meals this week. I think I might have to try soliciting his input more often on the menu plan.

Well here is our menu this week.
Sunday: Leftovers and My Favorite Salad
Monday: Spinach Frittata with turkey sausage
Tuesday: Taco Salad
Wednesday: Special Casserole Freezer Meal
Thursday: Turkey Burgers, sweet potato fries and salad
Friday: Crock-pot White Chicken Chili
Saturday: Might have company...still in the works

Enjoy your week!

Jen D.

Menu Plan for October 26 through November 1st

2008-10-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

This week is another crazy week in the lives of the Davis’s. I am so excited about Halloween on Friday. I have a special menu plan that I have included just for Friday. I was thinking how fun it would be to have pumpkin food all day for Halloween. We will see how the kids and the hubby like that one. We are having lunch at a friends that day so it is only pumpkin for breakfast and dinner. Enjoy a wonderful week.

Menu Plan for October 26 through November 1st
Sunday: Roasted Whole Chicken, chicken brown rice and spinach salad
Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup (my hubby loves beans in his soup) and a salad
Tuesday: Turkey Meatloaf, special tomatoes avocado salad
Wednesday: A Special Salad inspired by CPK
Thursday: Frozen Chicken Catatore (don’t you love freezer meals)
Friday: Breakfast Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread (oh who am I kidding, it is cake, just say it) Dinner will be chicken and Penne in a Pumpkin sauce with a salad (obviously, we are not going low carb today.)
Saturday: Veggies and more Veggies…salad…I am thinking that we won’t want any carbs or any fat on Saturday…especially no candy, but I could be wrong. I think a salad sounds good. We will see. This meal is a little up in the air right now, depending upon our week.

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-10-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! This talented designer is opening up a store. I can't believe our luck. Please check out the store on November 6th and click on the title above to go directly to her blog that started it all. She is giving away these adorable toddler outfits. I only hope that I am able to win for Big A.

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

Jen's List of Eight Things

2008-10-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

I typed this out a while ago when someone tagged me and for the life of me I cannot remember who tagged me. It was difficult to come up with eight things for each and on one I just couldn't. :) Enjoy reading a little more about me. I realized that I need to spice up the content of my blog. These days I am just posting things like menu of the week or other bloggers contests. Things have been so busy. It is difficult to make the time to do the things I have to do let alone do things that I enjoy like scrapbooking or blogging. Well I hope everyone is doing well. Happy Friday!

If you have not been tagged...you are it.

Jen's Favorites in Eights

8 Favorite TV Shows
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Brothers & Sisters
3. The Closer
4. Private Practice
5. Bones
6. Dancing with the Stars
7. Find Your Style (HGTV)
8. The New 90210 (yes, I watch it…I admit it…I think it brings me back to being a teenager 

6 Favorite Restaurants This one is difficult…we really don’t get out too much!
1. Wild Ginger
2. Main Street Bistro (back in Cali)
3. The Cheesecake Factory (this has to be my favorite chain)
4. Sushi Zen
5. Great Harvest Bread Company (my second favorite chain )
6. Arnies (a great local place that looks over the sound)

8 Things I did Yesterday
1. Worked
2. Exercised
3. Laughed at my daughter
4. Kissed my kids
5. Snuggled with my hubby
6. Got registration stuff ready for MOPS meeting
7. Spent time with God
8. Cried (read a very moving blog)

8 Things I Love About Fall
1. The leaves changing colors I love this!
2. The crispness in the air
3. Pumpkins
4. Going to the Farm and picking out pumpkins
5. The colors of fall
6. Harvest time
7. Celebrating my anniversary
8. The holidays just around the corner

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Having no one in diapers (someday,right? Big A is almost there)
2. Kissing my children goodnight
3. Laughing with my friends and family
4. Date night (this needs to happen a lot more regularly)
5. My kids birthdays
6. Simplifying my life…reusing, recycling and repurposing
7. Teaching fulltime and having my own classroom again
8. Living off the land (starting my garden, composting, buying local produce, dairy and meat/poultry)

8 Things I Wish For
1. A cure for cancer…all illness
2. Economic stability/financial stability
3. A simpler, happy life
4. Happy, Healthy, loving children
5. No debt
6. A new body…pregnancy has taken it’s toll on my body and my spirit
7. That I would be able to enjoy the moment, live in the moment

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Okay first of all this is amazing! I can't believe how talented she is at sewing these amazing creations. What a beauty her daughter Lilly is in the costume. I think Big A would love this costume. She would also look just darling in it, very southern. If you have a little girl who needs a costume or loves to play dress up this gown is up for give away over at grosgrain. Please check it out, or don't and give me a better a chance at winning it for Big A.

Menu Plan Monday: Our Menu for the week of October 19th

2008-10-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well here it is Sunday and I actually planned our menu this week. We celebrated our five year anniversary this weekend. We even were able to get out without the kiddos. It was so much fun. We ate at a wonderful restaurant and then just dilly dallied home. It had been almost a year since we had been on a date. We both realized how we really need to make date night and with that each other a priority in our relationship.

We took a little hiatus from our diet modification of no bad carbs and have slowly let a few creep back into our diet. This week we are going to go back to limiting our carbs, mainly focusing on eating lots of fresh veggies, low glycemic index fruits, low fat and higher protein foods (i.e. no pasta, potatoes, rice, flour laden foods, all the good stuff like bread). In one or two weeks we will slowly incorporate whole grain carbs back into our diet. We just feel better when we eat lower fat, lower or no sugar and less heavy carbs. It is a matter of healthy, weight loss and just feeling better about ourselves. Anyways, this is why the menu looks like it does. Plus, I scored today at Costco and purchased a 2.5 pound bag of fresh spinach for $3.99. This is why the focus of many of our meals is spinach. I couldn’t resist. I guess sometimes a healthy diet isn’t always more expensive. We really are focusing on just eating healthy. Of course my kids still eat plenty of whole grain carbs and a few white flour carbs, but they are kids. For the most part they also eat pretty healthy.

This week on the menu:
Sunday: Salmon Salad with grilled salmon and fresh spinach
Monday: Grilled Chicken and Spinach Dish (I am still searching for a recipe)
Tuesday: Chopped Salad kind of like California Pizza Kitchen
Wednesday: Turkey Meatloaf with a side of spinach
Thursday: Grilled chicken salad
Friday: Egg, spinach, mushroom, goat cheese frittata
Saturday: Grilled veggies, sausage and a salad

2008-10-12T19:51:00.001-07:00

I have been falling down on the menu planning. I think everything sort just caught up with me the last few weeks. I am finally starting to get in a bit more a groove between going back to work, MOPS stuff and now I am getting my Professional Certification (Don’t ask…it is not a happy topic). I am hoping to stay on top of things a little better, but I have a new motto when it comes to life, “Progress, not perfection.” We had a great speaker at MOPS on Friday and I was encouraged to look at my life and what striving to be perfect is doing to me and others I love. I will never be perfect, but I can strive for excellence in all that I do and progress in what I am aiming for. The Lord has really encouraged me in this area. I am not going to instantly be supper mom or quit trying to be the best I can be, but I will give myself a break, acknowledge the progress that I do make and most of all look to Him to help me with it all with excellence.

My meals this week are once again focused on low carbs, but not no carbs. We have slowly added less refined or processed carbs back into our daily diet. I still try to have a few meals that are really low carb every week, but a few that are just healthy good meals. I am working on just feeding my family healthy, delicious, low fat, easy meals. We will see what I can do. I will be attempting to alter a new recipe this week. We will see how that goes. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Sunday: Turkey Salsa Meatloaf, Coconut rice and Fiesta Veggie Mix (frozen, but it is better than no veggie)
Monday: Freezer meal already made Enchilada casserole (hubby is home with the kiddos without me, I am at my first Pro-cert meeting)
Tuesday: Indian Chicken, Indian Cauliflower and a salad
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Salad
Thursday: Curry Chickpeas and Veggies, brown rice
Friday Night: Pork Tacos (crock pot), taco fixings, broccoli and Spanish brown rice (company tonight)
Saturday Night: Dinner out! Hubby and I celebrating our 5 year anniversary  The kids are with Granny and Grandpa  This is a different post that I hope I will make time for.

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Kathleen has been at it again and has created this adorable period dress Halloween costume. It is just gorgeous and I so hope Big A can wear it this year for Halloween...that would mean that I would win this little dress, but you should still enter and see if you can win it for a little girl in your life... go visit grosgrain and see all of her beautiful creations.

This is what the designer has to say about the dress:

The time period of this this costume is set in the 1800s somewhere around the civil war- hence the Shenandoah reference. I used a light olive green taffeta material for the dress. To billow out the bottom the skirt is tiered and I added a crinoline slip. I added black braided trim all around the edges of the skirts and around the sleeves as well as a contrasting white lace trim around the wide pilgrim collar and bodice.shenandoah costume

But what I think makes this so great for Halloween is that the sleeves and skirt are long enough so that you can wear a sweater and jeans in case the temperature drops for the big night (which always seems to happen here in Pennsylvania). The white billowy undershirt is sewn into the dress and the oversleeves are sewn with a wide tapered cut allowing tons of room.

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!: "This giveaway is for the jacket only. If you like the sweater dress they are still selling them at the Gap for kids. It's on sale for $30, but I found a better, cheaper one online at Old Navy for $20. I bought the knee highs at Gymboree. Believe it or not, it's hard to come by a pair of knee high socks. It seemed as though they were all a girl could wear when I was growing up."

Grosgrain is at it again. This time she is giving away this lovely jacket. Check it out at her website. I am sure you must know someone who would love a cuddly, soft jacket like this one. :)

Meals September 14-21st

2008-09-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Meals September 14-21st
Meals this week once again are focused on eating low carb. I am trying to make them very veggie heavy, but still be packed with protein. I am not a happy person not eating the bad carbs. It has definitely taken a toll on me this week and weekend. I just like having a little sugar everyday. I am hoping all this no carb business is worth it and I start see it in the way my clothes fit or ideally hang off my body, or even better when my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. I have not worn my beautiful clothes in three years now. I so miss my clothes. Anyways, back to the subject at hand. Here is our family menu for the week. The kids get plenty of carbs throughout the day so don’t worry about them, plus they usually always have a side of some kind of fruit with each meal. For breakfast they usually have carbs in the form of a oatmeal, a multigrain waffle or whole wheat English Muffin. They also snack on high carbs food too, so they are not being deprived of any food group that they need.

Meal Plan
Sunday: Spinach Salad with mushrooms, ground turkey, cheese (very little), olives, green bell pepper and black beans
Monday: Spinach, squash, mushroom, ground turkey hearty stew
Tuesday: Grilled Salmon, veggies (kids can have rice)
Wednesday: Beef salad of some sort
Thursday: White bean chili with chicken or turkey meat
Friday: BBQ Cheeseburgers (WO buns), grilled veggies
Saturday: Leftovers

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-09-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love this little number! Have you ever seen something so little girl, but yet so elegant before? I would love this outfit for Big A. It is just perfect for a dinner party or for pictures. I love the colors. I would love to have Big A's picture taken in this outfit. Well as I wipe the drool from my chin go check out this fabulous outfit at the grosgrain blog. :)

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Sleepytime Bear Nightgown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Checkout this darling nightgown from the talented grosgrain designer. Wow! I can just picture Big A wearing this. I love the crocheted trim on it. A lot of her creations seem to go back to a simpler time. I like that. What a great Christmas present for a little girl in your life or enter to win the nightgown for my little girl. :)

Sleepytime Bear Nightgown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Menu Plan Monday: September 7-14th

2008-09-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Well this is our second week back at work. We will see if things go a little smoother this week. It was okay last week, nothing crazy, but I think the whole family is adjusting to a new routine. The kids have done well at the sitter’s house, but have been a little extra needy at home. This weekend has been a little challenging as both kiddos have been extra, extra, extra needy, overly tired and both kids have a runny nose (this started on Thursday afternoon). I hope that we start to get into a nice groove here soon and things just start to flow nicely.

This week’s menu is a little different. The hubby and I are cutting out sugar and limiting the bad carbs to see if that helps us to feel better (and I hope it will help me lose some of this baby weight I am still carrying.) I was not one of the lucky many that lost the baby weight right away. My size four and size six clothes have not been worn in three years now (pre-pregnancy). I don’t know why I still hold onto them…maybe just to keep some hope alive. The kids will still have plenty of fruit and carbs, but the hubby and I will try to stick to very few. It is only for two weeks, it should be alright. We are mostly following the South Beach Diet Phase I plan. We will see. We tried once before, but I had to quite because I started to lose my milk supply. This of course was back when I was nursing. I didn’t see any results then, but I hope that I will see more results this time.

Menu Plan This Week

Sunday: Grilled Asian Salmon, Broccoli and rice (for kids only)

Monday: Grilled Chicken, Veggies (fruit and chicken rice for the kids)

Tuesday: Southwestern Chicken Salad (some variation of this for the kiddos) See recipe below

Wednesday: Pan Roasted Steak and onions (see recipe, pasta for the kiddos) with some sort of veggie side dish

Thursday: Egg Oven Omelet full of veggies, a little cheese and some sort of meat

Friday: Southwestern White Chicken Chili (some variation of the recipe below)

Saturday: Some sort of Salad

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad

Four main-dish servings. A Healthy Living recipe from www.kraftfoods.com. Total Time 20 min. A good main-dish dinner salad.

8 cups torn mixed salad greens

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, grilled, cut into strips

1 large tomato, cut into wedges

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup KRAFT Four Cheese Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

Kraft Light Done Right Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing

Taco Bell Home Originals Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Cover large serving platter with salad greens. Top with chicken, tomato, beans and onions; sprinkle with cheese.

Serve with dressing and salsa. (Mixing the ranch and salsa together gave it a kick.)

Take a Shortcut: Prepare as directed, substituting 1 pkg. (9 oz.) LOUIS RICH Grilled or Southwestern Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips for the grilled fresh chicken strips.

Southwest White Chicken Chili

Two main-dish servings. From www.mccormick.com: “A special spice blend, chicken, Cannelleni beans, and Monterey Jack cheese make this Southwest Chili “white.” Prep time 10 minutes, cook time 25 minutes.

1 teaspoon McCormick garlic powder

1 teaspoon McCormick ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon McCormick oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon McCormick cilantro leaves

1/8 teaspoon McCormick ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped onion (I use 1/2 cup)

1 can (or 2 cups) chicken broth

1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chilies

1 can (15 ounces) white kidney beans (Cannellini) drained and rinsed

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Combine garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and red pepper in a small dish and stir until well blended. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken cubes and stir-fry from 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add onions and continue cooking for a few minutes, until onion is translucent. Stir in chicken broth, chilies, and spices. Simmer over low heat 15 minutes.

Stir in beans and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. If soup is too thick, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup water to desired consistency. Pour into serving bowls and top with cheese and sliced green onions.

Pan-Roasted Steak and Onions

Four servings. From allrecipes.com.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound flank steak

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fat-free chicken broth

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings

In a large non-aluminum baking dish, combine the oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic. Add the steak; turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight, turning once.

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steak with the pepper and salt. Brown for 2 minutes per side. Add 1/2 cup of the broth; cook, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes per side (for medium-rare). Remove the steak from the skillet; cover the steak loosely to keep it warm. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion slices to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Add the remaining broth as needed to prevent the onions from sticking.

Thinly slice the steak across the grain; serve with the onions.

Meal Plan: Back to School Week

2008-09-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Oops the day got away from me and I am posting this menu plan a little late.

The first day of school is Wednesday so I need this week’s menu to be fairly simple. I am hoping to use a few freezer meals. I also have a lot of extra stuff this week to attend. I have stamp club on Thursday night and Friday morning I have a MOPS steering meeting. I have a lot going on with going back to work, volunteering in MOPS and of course taking care of my kiddos and hubby. I am hopeful that the week goes well and I am pleasantly surprised at how things turn out. It has been easier than I thought to go back to work. I miss my kids, but things are a little hectic this time of year at school, so I don't have a lot of extra time to ponder missing them. Well moving onto the subject of this post...the menu.

Menu for September 1-7th

Sunday: Chicken sandwiches, leftover black bean salad and mango salad
Monday: Chicken Enchilada's in white sauce and a side salad, mango for the kids
Tuesday: Potato Veggie Frittata
Wednesday: Chinese Chicken Salad
Thursday Night: Freezer Meal (Stamp Club)
Friday: Crock-pot White Chicken Chili
Saturday: BBQ (we have to enjoy all the BBQ we can before it gets too cold in the Pacific Northwest to BBQ)

Enjoy your week!

Menu Planning Monday:

2008-08-25T06:50:00.001-07:00

Well this week I return to work for a few days so my meals need to be quick and definitely planned out. We are going out of town for the holiday so I also included those meals. I have been lagging on going to the grocery store so last weeks meals used a good chunk of my stock pile, although, I was still able to make a little extra in some cases to freeze. This week I am going to try three new recipes. I am not sure if the order here will change, but I hope to make all of these meals. I hope you enjoy your week.

This week’s meals:

Sunday: Three Bean Stew/Chili over brown rice

Monday: Curried Rice and Shrimp (Real Simple Magazine) and an Asian inspired salad

Tuesday: Chicken with creamy spinach (Real Simple Magazine) and chicken rice

Wednesday: Brats, French fries and veggies

Thursday: Egg Frittata with sausage and veggies (something simple because I am making freezer jam with a friend after dinner, plus I have to work all day)

Friday: BBQ, baked beans, grilled veggies (Out of Town)

Saturday: Pork Tacos, Spanish rice with a salad and taco fixings (Out of Town)

Summer by the Lake Swimsuit GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Summer by the Lake Swimsuit GIVEAWAY!!!!

Check out this little swimsuit for your little girl. I don't know how this mom finds time to do everything she does and is so creative and generous at the same time. She truly amazes me.

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Check out this darling dress. Yes, from the talented designer at Grosgrain. She is amazing. I agree with her that it would be nice to have this little number in an adult size. Well that is when I get back to my pre-pregnancy size. A gal can hope now. Enter the contest for your little garden gal here.

Family Meals for the week of August 17th-23rd

2008-08-18T08:22:00.002-07:00

Well last weeks meals were adjusted a little bit with my MOPS steering team retreat this past weekend. My hubby ended up cooking for the family on Friday and Saturday evening. I had planned a frozen meal for Friday and Brats for Saturday, but he had his own meal plan. The kiddos ate Mac and Cheese (his favorite meal beefed up, but started from a box of Kraft) and then he used the Brats to make Jambalaya. I am just thankful for him for watching the kids and cooking. I enjoyed a wonderful 24 plus hours of no kids, no diapers, no one saying “Mommy," it was bliss; however, with all that said I still missed my kids. Isn’t that strange? When I was a younger teacher I use to feel the same way on my summer vacations, or holiday breaks with my students. I was thankful for the rest, but I missed them. This concept is even stronger with my kiddos who are two and one.

Well on to menu planning for this week. Last night (Sunday) we enjoyed a freezer meal. I didn’t want to use a freezer meal (since I am trying to stockpile for my return to work), but it is way too hot to cook and I don’t have a lot of food in the house at this point. Well enjoy my meal plan. I can’t wait to checkout your meal plans. I always get some great ideas.

This week’s meals:

Sunday: Pork Tacos, Spanish rice with salad and taco fixings

Monday: Dinner at a friend’s house

Tuesday: Special Casserole and a wedge salad (mom is out tonight so making Dad’s favorite)

Wednesday: Stir Fry with brown rice

Thursday: Egg Frittata with sausage and veggies (something simple because I am making freezer jam with a friend after dinner, plus I have to work all day)

Friday: BBQ, baked beans, grilled veggies (getting my hair done tonight)

Saturday: Three bean chili, spicy Indian Cauliflower and a salad

Nantucket Weekend GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Checkout this adorable give away from Grosgrain. She is amazing and she also does volunteer work with MOPS. Wow! I wish I had half of her talent. I would love to win this for Big A. She would look so darling in it and it would be the perfect size for her to enjoy this summer and maybe even next summer.
Nantucket Weekend GIVEAWAY!!!!

Menu Plan Monday: August 10th through 16th

2008-08-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well this week seemed to fly by. We are getting ready for the kids to head off to childcare and both mommy and daddy to go back to work. Yes, we have both been off this summer since we are both educators. Now be careful what you wish for (or wish you had) because it is not all bliss to both be home all the time at the same time. I could give you many examples of this from this summer and previous summers, but I try not to air my dirty laundry on this blog.

This week’s meals are aimed at feeding the masses. I am also going to try to double up and build some freezer meals into the mix this week. I don't have much of an appetite these days. I am going to take advantage of the no little appetite and make some family favorites that are not necessarily something that I would eat (I am not a big pasta fan or meat). That is a little background into this week’s meal.

I am getting a little nervous about going back to work and how it will impact things at home. I had a difficult time staying at home, taking care of the kids and managing the home. I feel like now I am just adding a sixty percent job on top of all of that I already do and yet I can't do everything I have to do as it is. Oh well! Maybe it won’t be as bad as I think it will be. I don’t really have a choice so I am going to make the best of it.

This week’s meals:

Sunday: Shells and sausage casserole with a side salad

Monday: Three bean chili, spicy Indian Cauliflower and a salad

Tuesday: Take out sandwiches on sale at a local grocery store $2.99 a sandwich (we’ll get two and the kids will share mine.)

Wednesday: Egg Frittata with sausage and veggies

Thursday: Grilled Chicken, chicken rice and grilled veggies (definitely white corn)

Friday: enchiladas, my favorite salad and Spanish rice

Saturday: grilled brats, grilled veggies and a side of some sort

Check these dogs out...

2008-08-05T19:54:00.001-07:00

I already have a real, live, heavy breathing, smelly, barking, Beagle dog that my children adore, but I think these dogs are more my speed than our current doggie. Check these out. They look so real and yet they don't make any of the mess that a real dog does or take any of the resources (time, love, attention, time). I am hoping to win one for my kids. We would be a great home for one these dogs. I'll trade you...my Beagle for one of these life like stuffed animal dogs. :) Check out the contest here...

Paperdoll Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

Checkout this adorable give away once again from the fabulous grosgrain designer. She is too talented for words. I hope I win this one for Big A, although, I don't know how I would keep her clean in this adorable little white number. Check out the cute clips if you leave a comment and win the dress they could be yours as well. On second thought, if you don't enter that may give me more chances to win. Just teasing. Check out this darling little number right here.
Paperdoll Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

A Playhouse of a Little Girl's Dreams

2008-08-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have been drooling over this darling little playhouse since I read it on Linda’s blog last week. Check it out. Isn’t it just too cute for words? I wish my hubby was up for something like that. We have too much other house stuff going on right now, but a mom can dream can’t she. Isn’t this playhouse a little girls dream? I love the attention to detail that Linda used in decorating it and she was thrifty about it as well. Sophie is a lucky little girl.

Meals August 3rd through August9th

2008-08-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am struggling with my meal planning today. I want to plan wonderful, tasty, nutritionally dense, healthy meals for my family; however, I am confined by a budget and time. I have been trying to have meat be less and less of a focus of our meals, but that is not always easy, especially with a hubby and a son. Big A is fine with just fruit and carbs, but little a really likes meat and dad is a huge fan of it as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. How do you feed your family healthy and yet maintain a budget?

Tonight, I made quesadillas for the hubby and myself using part of an appetizer we had left over from company last night. I also made a salad with a bunch of leftover food, but I will be serving it tomorrow night since hubby filled up on the quesadillas. The kids had leftover turkey burgers, olives, beans, cheese and some fruit. We ended up having pork tacos last night instead of that wonderful “Not Your Mother’s Pasta Salad.” We were having company and I thought it would be a terrible night to try a new recipe. I have moved the pasta salad over to this week’s meal since I was unable to make it this past week. I did try the Mu Shu Pork recipe and the hubby liked them. I think I would alter the recipe a little if I make them again.

This Week:

Monday: Left Over Salad

Tuesday: Grill Chicken, brats and Veggies

Wednesday: Three Bean Chili with Spring Pesto (Real Simple Mag. April 08) served with a salad

Thursday: Not Your Mama’s Pasta Salad

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Date Night…a night off from cooking

Popcorn Bloomer and Blouse GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-07-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Popcorn Bloomer and Blouse GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

This set is so darling. I only wish it was a larger size so Big A could wear it. I guess if I win I will give it to a friend with a younger, smaller daughter. The gal from Grosgrain is simply amazing. Check out her website and enter the contest for yourself. :)

Menu Plan Week of July 28th - New Recipes

2008-07-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Wow the weekend has just flown by. My son, little a celebrated his first birthday yesterday. We had a wonderful party with family and friends. It was just delightful I couldn’t have asked for a better celebration of my sons first birthday.

Consequently, our plans changed tonight. We were supposed to go see a concert tonight at a wonderful, small venue theater in the city, but we were just exhausted. We didn’t sleep much and then cleaning before and after a party really wears you out. I was thinking about tonight’s meal. I ended up having my in-laws over for dinner (wearing my pj’s) and I was not really planning on making dinner tonight since Mr. D and I were supposed to go out. Well my in-laws were going to baby-sit and since they didn’t get to they wanted to see the kids and spend time with them. I decided to use the left over grilled chicken from last night to make enchiladas. They turned out great. We also had Spanish rice and a citrus salad for dinner. I was amazed at how easy it came together. If that would have happened to me five years ago I would have ordered pizza. My FIL is an amazing cook and I still get nervous cooking for him, especially when he had lunch at a gourmet restaurant in the city. Well he liked the food tonight enough to have seconds, after telling me he wasn’t hungry. It was great.

So as for a meal plan this week I am still in the deciding phase right now. This is all tentative below. I snuck a peak at some other menu plans and decided to use some of your recipes this week. I am excited to try a bunch of new recipes.

Menu Plan

Monday: Left over chicken enchiladas, from scratch Spanish rice and salad

Tuesday: Thai Chicken (Crock-pot recipe I borrowed from Laura at Organized Junkie), spicy cauliflower and brown rice

Wednesday: Mu Shu Pork Wrap (a variation of this recipe) and some sort of salad or additional veggie

Thursday: Walnut Pesto Pasta, wedge salad and homemade bread

Friday: Spicy beans and sausage over brown rice with a veggie side

Saturday: Not your mom's pasta salad (recipe here)

Reversible Bird Seed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-07-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Reversible Bird Seed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

What an adorable little skirt. I hope I win the whole outfit for Big A. Check out Grossgrain's blog. She is so talented and who doesn't want the chance to win something so precious?

New Spaces

2008-07-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

We moved into our home new about three years ago. We love the neighborhood. We have wonderful neighbors with lots of kids about our children's ages. It is a nice neighborhood walking distance to a lake and our town still has that small town vibe. We have beautiful views from the backyard and upstairs bedrooms. Although we are grateful for our home and enjoy it a lot we have thought about moving a few times for a several reason. The first and main reason is the space layout of our home, starting with it being three levels (basement, main level and upstairs). Plus the house only has three official bedrooms (on the top floor); however, it has two bonus rooms one in the basement and one the main level. Plus an additional living room and family room. We decided to improve upon our living space in our current home instead of going through the hassle of moving. About six months ago we started the process of finishing our lower level basement (adding a bathroom, a rec room space, a kitchen and turning the previous bonus room into a bedroom). We also decided to build a wall to create a hallway and a closed office where our living room used to be. Here are the before and after pictures of the office. I am so excited that the space is finally completed. We are about 90 percent finished with the basement and I will be posting pictures of that project soon as well. I feel incredibly blessed to have this new space and use it daily.

The new wall being construct.

Now the new wall is complete, the doors are painted and my office is already moved inside. Here Big A and the dog are standing in the newly constructed hallway. What a difference!

Here it is with the French doors open. You can see all my craft stuff on the shelves.. I am still working on organization with only open shelving. I wish I had some closed storage, but overall I am very happy with my new space.

Menu Plan July 20th through the 27th

2008-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

I must say the fish tacos on Saturday night were great and really easy as well. Little a just loved them. He couldn’t get enough. I am going to try to make more recipes that use things that we already have on hand this week. We’ve had a lot of expenses this month and it will be nice to not have to go to the store this week for more than a few items and little A’s birthday party supplies. Yes, my little man turns one on Saturday. I will elaborate more on that in a different post.

Menu Plan

S: Spinach salad with mangos, avocado and grilled chicken and orange vinaigrette dressing

M: Smoked salmon pizza with white sauces, served with a side salad

T: Grilled Chicken, grilled mango, coconut rice and a wedge salad (homemade bread) (friends coming for dinner)

W: Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish rice and artichokes

Th: A pasta dish of some sort with veggies (This is my Bible study night and since I won’t really eat dinner it is a great night to serve pasta)

F: Smoke Salmon Quesadillas with a side salad and Spanish rice

S: Little A’s birthday party BBQ hot dogs, hamburgers, beans, salad, chips, fruit, veggies and a messy cake show.

Summer Cleaning...Stamps for Sale

2008-07-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am cleaning out all of my crafty stuff as I get ready to move everything into my new office. I just don't have the room to keep everything so I realized a few months ago that I would need to downsize my stamp collections and so I am posting these stamps here and on Craigslist. Here are the Stampin Up stamp sets I am selling. Most of the sets below have only used a few times if any.

I have priced them individually, but I would sell them for less all together so please make me an offer. I am also willing to ship these with buyer paying shipping charges. I would only charge whatever the exact shipping and would not profit from shipping.

Thanks for looking.

Stamp Sets for Sale
Mostly Flowers $5

Occasionally $15 (only two have been mounted and used, the rest are un-mounted)

A Greeting for All Reasons $12 Reduced because the set is missing the butterfly and the squiggle stamp 12 stamps total, originally 14

Block Party $15 (Regularly price $28.95)

Swirl Fame Fun $12

Bold Mini Greetings $5

Quick and Cute $10

Delightful Doodles $5

Petite Patterns $5

Tiny Teapots asking $5

Wedding Day $10

Sketch it $12

The collage is a picture of the sets, but I did not take the pictures. My digital camera is out of batteries and I wanted to get this posted. If you are interested in all the sets or a few just email me and I will take a picture of that exact set and let you know the details of it.