Journal # 34 -- Life is Good!

Out My Window:

Well, it is dark now, but it was in the 80's today and sunny. Still summery, but not too warm.

Clothing Myself In:

Black t-shirt (advertising boots) and green gym shorts I bought back in college. Some day I will grow up and wear "adult clothes". . . probably. But today is not that day.

Around the House:

Gordie built another triple bunk bed. (Well, technically he did not build the last one, he adapted a regular two-bunk bed to work as a triple bunk, but he still gets credit for "building it" in my eyes.) This allowed us to put up Miriam's toddler bed so we had room to move Zipporah's pen into the room with all the other kids. Eventually Zipporah will sleep on one of the bunks like everyone else, but since she does not climb out of her current bed, I am in no rush to be rid of it. I  am sure her transition to remaining in her own bed -- with no physical boundary to keep her there -- will be long and painful as it was for all the other children.

Peter now has his own room and my "nest" has been moved in there (aka the easy chair and my laptop) so I can relax while nursing him. Peter is our first child to use a mat on the floor as his bed, instead of a crib (as we finally threw the crib out since it was so old and recalled). He seems to like his mat, but has already shown that he can roll off it and I am sure before too long I will have to hunt for him when I come to get him. The plan is to give him Zipporah's pen once she no longer needs it (aka starts sleeping on the bunk beds with the other kids). We'll see if the stars align for that one.

The Baby:

Peter seems to really like his room. He has been sleeping longer and longer stretches. He gave me seven hours straight a few days ago!! He would probably be consistent, too, if I were not constantly messing with his preferred schedule as I run after the other kids and entertain a social life of my own. All in all he does well to adapt. Yesterday I got home LATE - like almost midnight. I had taken him with me and he had napped some at my social engagement, but obviously a good chunk of his night was lost. He made up for it by sleeping in until after 11am (he woke up to nurse once in there).

Generally he is becoming more and more adorable. I really love his grin and his squeals. He enjoys watching his siblings and especially likes music. We have several musical toys that he is fascinated with. But nothing beat Miriam parading around him yesterday with a baby bell in her hand, shaking it for all she was worth and smiling at Peter as she did. He had been in full melt-down, but stopped to smile back at her. She was able to calm him two more times this way while I finished up the meal I was preparing.

The Kids:

Zipporah and Miriam get closer all the time. Those two girls are just hilarious together. A few days ago they were pulling old keyboards across the living room, by their cords, pretending they were dogs. My favorite, though, is when they play dress up or have a tea party. They are adorable.

Miriam really likes her "cow book." (Which is actually a Kumon Pasting book for preschoolers that happens to have a cow on the front. All the kids love the Kumon workbooks.) This gorilla came from said book.

Samuel remains the favored playmate. Jacob and Paul both love to play with him and in Paul's case, do everything he does. Paul would pick Samuel as a playmate over Jacob every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Poor Jacob. Course, he doesn't care. Jacob does his own thing. But he still likes to play with Samuel and does NOT like to be alone. The other day Rebekah, Samuel, and Paul were at play practice. I put the little ones to bed and Jacob was so lost (as he stays up for the second bedtime for the big kids).

Rebekah appears to be doing well. She is such a resilient and self-sufficient (in a lot of ways, though not necessarily all) child that I feel sometimes like I don't spend enough time WITH her if, if that makes sense. But she really likes walking and talking with me -- which we try to do every day, even if it is just around the block. She was appearing a little burned out at the end of the summer, but I think she is back to her usual helpful, joyful, creative self.

Rebekah really likes my woven wrap and is always asking to wear Peter or Zipporah. The wrap in this picture is actually a traveler (aka someone else's that we were borrowing for a week).

As I sort of mentioned, Rebekah, Samuel, and Paul are all going to be in the Hays Community Theater's upcoming production of "Gran's Guide to Stop an Ogre" I'm grateful they have the opportunity to do drama at such a young age and am looking forward to the show!

The Schooling:

School is going well now. We started out a little slow. Some of our books were late. I was very nervous for Rebekah as she is middle school now (6th grade) and that means lots of virtual classes and no more retaking tests she has done poorly on! But we are getting in a groove. Rebekah has two classes a day Mon-Thurs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, an hour at a time. And then she has a couple assignments due a week. It really is not that bad. . . so far.

Paul and Jacob are supposed to be writing letters on those little chalkboard. Oh boys.

I feel much more confident this year as Rebekah was in 4th grade, Samuel in 2nd, and Jacob in Kindergarten when we started with Lawrence Virtual School two years ago. So now I have done all the grades from K to 5th (as this year Samuel is in 4th, Jacob in 2nd, and Paul in 1st) and I know what to expect. Plus I know the system and how to make it work for us. I can set our schedule to populate as I like it and I know we can do work out of order and how to cut corners if we need to (like do three or four lessons in a row -- how long it will take, etc). Thus, it is still a lot of work, but I am confident we can make it happen.

I was stressing over how to organize the books this year. I was afraid there would be too many to put in our space her or that they would all group together and we would lose books within the shelves as we did last year. Then I was trying to find containers to buy to keep the supplies in. But alas, the boxes the books came in fit perfectly!! It might not be beautiful, but they get the job done. -- Likewise, I was delaying taking a picture, thinking I would clean the shelves up first. But then I realized if I waited for that, I would probably never get a picture taken.

In the Kitchen

Oddly enough, I thought you would never ask. I don't really understand what has happened, but the past week or so I have grown in leaps and bound domestically in the kitchen. I have no idea why.

It all started when I finally bought a griddle to make pancakes on. I used to make pancakes on the stove (like pre-children era) but then we got a gas stove and I could NEVER get the temperature just right, so they were either burned or doughy and sometimes both!! (don't ask me how that happened) Since Samuel has become our waffle man, making waffles, about once a week, I have been looking to upgrade our waffle iron to at least a double, preferably an industrial grade one, but I cannot find anything I like thus far online. So instead I picked up a griddle. Rebekah helped and it cut our cooking time in half.

This is only the beginning. We had at least three, maybe four meals worth of baked yummies by the time we were done. But what can you expect after taking a recipe x12?

I have also been slowly growing some other recipes slowly and now they make me most happy. For example, I like sausage, eggs, and sweet potatoes for breakfast. Those are three foods that really fill me up, taste good with my coffee, and keep me happy! Unfortunately, they take quite a bit of time to cook every morning. So not long ago it dawned on me to combine them. I mix up a dozen eggs with maybe half a cup of coconut oil, throw in some sauteed onion and steamed sweet potatoes, and then add browned sausage and cook for about 40 minutes. It makes this great breakfast casserole that I can keep in the fridge and warm up a piece at a time for breakfast.

I have also finally started using my instant pot as a pressure cooker. I originally bought it to replace my crockpot, figuring a little pressure cooking on the side would be nice. But suddenly I discovered I can cook a whole chicken in about 40 minutes and it is GOOD!  Then I can whip out bone broth from the bones in another couple hours and it is even better!! Plus, chicken was on sale a few days ago, so I stocked up.

This is one of my FAVORITE meals -- chicken salad. Thanks to my pressure cooker and grapes on sale right now ($.88 lb) I have been making a ton of it.

I also have a recipe for a paleo soup that I love. It is basically chicken, sweet potatoes, onions and peppers. I made a giant batch of that for myself and froze several single-serving jars.

And while we are talking food, my giant roaster has been seeing some use as well. Pork roast often goes on sale here and I picked up a couple on my last shopping trip so I could make them up. I roast them all day and then fry them up to give the meat a crunch. It is SO GOOD. 

Tonight I thought I'd make an even more special meal. To go along with the fried pork, I steamed potatoes in my pressure cooker to make mashed potatoes. But we don't have a mixer for potatoes (we use a drill to mix things -- and usually chuck in a paint mixer, that has never seen paint, mind you, to do things like 15 tons of cookie dough or 7lbs of natural peanut butter). Anyhow, using the drill to mix the potatoes was a bad idea as it gave them the consistency of gum. Then Gordie tried to make gravy from my bone broth and it ended up runny and under-seasoned (which is not typical for his gravy -- it is usually amazing). The children appreciated the sentiment, though and at the meal as if it were the best one we had ever prepared. God bless the kids, tonight. Whether they didn't notice or they just didn't say anything -- it was just great to have it well received.

My Job:

This is a new title, but I just have to share. A few months ago now I stumbled up on a job doing transcription work. I have really fallen in love with it. And I would be lying if I told you it was not so satisfying to have someone else recognize when I do a good job. I love staying home with my children and homeschooling them, but there is not solid gratification from that -- not in the same way doing a job and receiving feedback gratifies. 

((P.S. If you ever need something transcribed, be sure to check out Noble Transcription Service.))

I am also writing for a blog called Mamma Tech. I am slowly coming into the vision for that blog. Stay tuned for more on that.

Thinking About:

Getting older. I am only four months postpartum but I am so frustrated with my body lately. I hurt my back a few weeks back and then this morning I woke up with the world's sorest neck. It was bad. I made it to the chiropractor this afternoon, but I'm still feeling it. And all I did was sleep wrong somehow! Imagine if I ever actually go back to serious exercising again.

Bringing Me Joy:

*My husband. We have really been growing closer in a lot of ways lately and it is so wonderful to experience.

*The bathtub of awesome that my husband put in. This five-foot long soaking tub is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you ever want to take a swim in it, pop on over. You will not be disappointed.

*Peter. I just love that little guy! His ears sticking out a little bit is definitely his unique feature. I hope they always do.

Pictures to Share:

This was before moving Zipporah to the other room. She has a good daddy.

Whole 30 Program

Background:

I have been a little stagnant in my weight-loss after my most recent child (for a bazillion and half reasons - namely hitting the exercise too hard too early and then getting knocked out sick for a large chunk and spending FOREVER recovering and such - oh and learning a whole new lifestyle that is improving my body function, but I digress).  As I have begun upping my activity again I realized I probably needed to "tweak" my food plan.  The catch is that I have never really tried to do such a thing.  In college I would just have to work-out regularly to lose weight - I could eat whatever I wanted.  After my first few kiddos I had to work-out regularly and cut out sweets.  Now. . .well now as I'm dealing with more kiddos and getting older, it is time to get serious.  So I decided to try this meal plan for the following reasons:

1) I like meat, fruits, and vegetables, and that is what you eat.

2) There are no caloric restrictions.  (Which is great because I HATE trying to count calories.  I hate how it is so vague, especially if you make your meals from scratch - which I do, and especially if you have trouble determining if you ate a portion or 1.5 portions or just the whole pan!!)

3) Reading this book with all the "sciency-stuff" makes it sound kinda believable so far (but I am generally a sucker and I will be the first to admit it).

Side Note: I really DO TRY to feed my kids and myself and hubby REAL food - not necessarily organic (although some things I definitely do buy organic) but just real food that I cooked, not something I bought all processed and warmed up in some fashion.  Now, don't think I am amazing, we sometimes have crackers and frozen pizza, but I really do TRY to make real meals.  The catch is that thus far I have been swayed in food choice mostly by cost and general reception (which is often not good by silly kids - you know how kids can love a meal one time and hate it the next).

In any case, cost is still influencing me some so at this time it is only myself on the "plan" and I am cooking "regular meals" for everyone else.  This way they cannot complain (anymore than they normally do) and I do not have to take out a small loan in order to bring enough fruits, vegetables, and meat into the house.  (the three things that cost the most on my shopping list!!)  In any case, I am hopeful that I will learn some new skills in cooking and maybe my family will see my food and try some and like it and I will incorporate more vegetables into our regular menu.  And MAYBE my husband would want to try the plan with me. . .if it ends up really well (let's just shoot for the moon, right?) but first I have to survive the next 30 days before coming to too many conclusions and setting my plans in concrete.

FYI, it basically works like this:

Don't eat these things
1) sugar (in any form - from pure honey to chemical crazy form that no one can pronounce)
2) dairy
3) grains (or beans)
4) alcohol (even for cooking)

Do eat these things
1) protein at every meal - palm size, or two palms worth
2) two vegetables (or most of the rest of your plate full - around the protein)
3) fat (like avocado, coconut oil, olives, etc)
4) fruit (sometimes, not necessary, but you do not have to avoid it)

There are lots of clarifications and what-not on the website.  I'm still learning things better, but that is the "plan" in a nutshell.

Following is my journal (thoughts and reactions) for this experience.

Day 1

1) Yay, MEAT!!

2) So maybe starting on a Friday was not the most brilliant move ever.  (As I try to fast from meat on Fridays as a penance and remembrance of Christ's passion.)  I may or may not have consumed three catfish fillets along with at least half a dozen eggs (not all at once) and of course various other fruits and vegetables.

3) Eating this kind of diet means the meals are MOST COLORFUL and that definitely makes my eyes happy.

4) It feels funny to be cooking with all these fruits and vegetables that I LIKE but would not normally buy or consume as I would tell myself they are too expensive or no one else in the family would care for them.

5) I had a bit of a headache today because I skipped my coffee (what is coffee if you cannot flavor it with artificial junk to make it taste really yummy?!?!)  But in the afternoon I had an epiphany.  I just warmed up about a quarter-cup and threw in some coconut milk.  It was not amazing, but I could gulp it down and my headache left.  Thank God!

Day 2

1) I just had steak for dinner.  This is the BEST DIET EVER!!

2) I am starting to like cooking more as I really love vegetables, but did not realize how much until I am eating so many more of them now (and have a good excuse to do so).  It is really great to cook something SO GOOD!

3) A half-cup of coffee with coconut milk actually did not taste so bad today.  Amazing how quickly I adapt.  Perhaps tomorrow I will try a full cup!

(P.S. Coffee is obviously ok for this diet - as long as it does not have added sugar or milk or what-not.)

Day 3

1) I AM SO FULL after each meal!  This whole eating a bunch of protein is some serious stuff.

2) The coffee with coconut milk to sweeten was pretty good this morning, but I drank a whole cup and had a tummy ache.  I used to always drink my coffee with my toast and I wonder if the toast filled my stomach so the coffee did not bother me as much.  This morning I had two boiled eggs and a tomato along with a mix of cooked cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli.  (I was in a hurry to get done for Mass, so I needed something quick - and I had made the cooked veggies last night.)

3) It dawned on me today (Sunday) that technically the components of the Eucharist (bread and wine) are off-limits on this plan, but as my good friend said this morning, "You are looking for a meal plan, not a religion!"  So I have no guilt over receiving the Eucharist as often as I go to church.  God is bigger than any diet :)

Day 4

1) I made a cake today for a baby shower - homemade, and frosted it.  I did not lick the bowl or my fingers.  Who knew I could do that?  (It actually was not that hard - I just said to myself, "no tasting.")

2) The other day when I was exercising I could smell garlic and onions in my sweat.  That was a new one for me.  Boy, I am growing to love garlic and onions.

3) My favorite "dessert" snack is banana with some almond butter.  I ate it at the baby shower and I honestly enjoyed it immensely and felt better than if I had eaten cake!  Brilliant!

Day 5

The toughest part of this "meal plan" for me is taking the time to prepare my own food and then sit down and eat it.  I find myself getting everyone else food and doing all those other time-sensitive things and then suddenly it is bedtime and I have to do this and that and nowhere in there was there time to prepare food for my own consumption and nowhere in there did I stop to eat anything.  And suddenly I am having a hard time FUNCTIONING (let alone avoiding all the non-approved-food-looking-like items that are all over my kitchen!!)  So, although it is one of the tenants of this diet, to try and sit down to meals and to avoid snacking if possible, I have discovered that if snacking allows me to survive those crazy times that come up (usually dinner - when we have late afternoon and/or evening activities) then that is how it is going to be for me.  I do not live in a perfect world with plenty of time for mouth-watering food to be prepared for my consumption exactly on time.  So, while I am aiming to have my meals ready so I can sit down and eat with the family, I am cutting myself some slack and as long as the foods I put in my mouth are approved, a "snacking dinner" as I run around feeding the kids and the baby, and shuttling kiddos to and from Aikido, could be a reality for me.

Day 6

Breakfast:  I have been eating generally the same breakfast (up until 6 days ago) for the past several years.  It consisted of two slices of my homemade wheat bread, toasted, with natural peanut butter and all-fruit jam on top.  To drink was a cup of coffee with a good dose of coffeemate creamer.  The past six months or so I started adding a couple of fried eggs on top of the toast and had recently marveled at how that seemed like the perfect breakfast for me as it tasted good (I love toast with my coffee) and it filled me up!  I really "felt" full all morning.  

Part of the joy of having a set breakfast means no thinking is required in the morning!!  Now I am struggling to find a new norm and I think I am on my way.  The past few days I have made three fried eggs and joined them with an avocado and a tomato.  This morning I added mushrooms, too, since I had some and I REALLY like mushrooms.  It was most delicious.  And my coconut milk-flavored coffee went right along with it.  Although my tummy did not feel as full as my with my previous breakfast, I was sufficiently nourished enough to make it till early lunch, so I think I'm going to call this a win!

Day 8

1) My cutting boards and knives are out and dirty ALL THE TIME.  They have never seen so much action!

2) The coconut milk in coffee was just not doing it this morning.  I think I will check the store for almond milk today.

Day 9

I managed to force my husband into a compliment about this "meal plan."  I told him I know he was not really excited for or against it, but I was probably going to need a cheerleader before I was over.  He said, "Mary, you are so strong and motivated I am not surprised when you do the impossible, I just expect it."

Day 10

It is Mothers' Day and the desserts are everywhere!!  My kingdom for a piece of cake!!  (No, I did not actually eat any cake, but it is definitely my favorite dessert and I am planning to have some the day on Day 31!!)

Day 12

I miss peanut butter and jelly toast!!!

Day 13

I think my brain is feeling a little clearer.  (Or maybe my regular life stress is just slowing down a bit so there is not so much to remember and be concerned about.)

Day 14

I am HUNGRY!!  I am not a great cook to begin with (mostly because I just have so little free time to cook during a typical day) and trying to keep cooking for my family and then go crazy and cook for myself (and not just "regular edible" cooking, but "serious cooking" with all these vegetables and spices and such) is really doing me in!  But I'm stubborn.  I think that is what is keeping me going here.  In any case, often I hit a mealtime and I have no idea what I'm going to eat. . . which is totally not what you are supposed to do on this "diet" but hello, that is my life sometimes!  I suppose I will figure out more quick foods as I go, but in the mean time I am often just hungry.

Day 17

I fit in some clothes that I did not fit in when I started.  That was nice.  But I'm still grumpy :)

Day 18

I am not excited to eat.  The food is not bad, but I do miss the comfort of food I am familiar with - especially my breakfast of choice - toast with peanut butter and jelly and coffee with lots of HORRIBLE-FOR-YOU chemicals (also known as coffee creamer) that make it taste really good.

Day 19

I am in a "first timers" group for this diet and many people have finished and go on and on about how they have no cravings and feel so great.  Granted I have not finished yet, but at this point I can easily say I HAVE LOTS OF CRAVINGS!!  I am addicted to worthless collections of chemicals and false ingredients that we call "food" AND I'M NOT READY TO QUIT YET!!  The only thing keeping me from consuming these items is the fact that I would have to start over again on Day 1 if I do.  I want to give this diet a "fair chance" so I'm doing it right.  But let me tell you - the minute I'd one I'm going to be filling my face with forbidden food!

Day 23

Today I'm thinking about if/how I can maintain this "eating pattern" and how to adapt it for my children/husband.  I definitely notice that I am feeling much better in many aspects.  I do not "crash" during the day and I just generally "feel" better.  My only struggle is that I am used to turning to sweets to deal with stress and without that outlet. . . well, momma gets a little grumpy sometimes, but the kids take it well and are quite forgiving/understanding so far.

Anyhow, I'm not sure how to keep it going as buying enough meat for everyone to eat "enough" each meal seems overwhelming, but I think I just need to readjust my thinking and make little changes here and there.

Day 26

Last night I informed some of my friends at our bi-weekly meetings about how my "diet" was going.  Although I am sure they are impressed with my drive to try this (I think!), not ONE gave any sort of encouragement or congratulations when I mentioned I had lost at least 10lbs and a couple clothing sizes (a rough estimate).  All I got in response was a few comments about how I probably would gain it right back.  Talk about disappointing!  My husband defended them as being practical women who saw "the big picture."  Basically saying that 10lbs really does not matter much as we all have husbands that love us and great lives, so we should eat what we want and just be happy!  And while he has a good point, I do not think we should just "let ourselves go" because we are married.  I was chastised a bit, though as some of this is for vanity reasons.  I do not like feeling "big" or "overweight."  Not that I have ever been skinny, but I my aim is strong and moving toward lean (or at least not all bulging out of my clothes and flappy all over).  But I also think we should be as healthy as possible as well - that is just good stewardship of the bodies God has given us!  While reading all the "sciency background" on this eating plan- some of it made a lot of sense, but some of it was kind-of "you have been told this in the past, but that is just wrong, here is what is really true" and that part was a bit hard to believe, but the proof is in the trial.  I have lost weight on this eating plan and I have felt better.  Now to decide what to do about it for the future.

Day 29

1) The end is almost here, but I am not sure how to get off the ride!  Fortunately that is apparently what they have in mind.  I really should have read the book FIRST probably. . . I am only 60% through it today - haha, right?  I skimmed some parts beforehand (where I had specific questions) and got the gist of it, but I have yet to finish the book.  In any case, it apparently talks about "ending" but really it calls it "reintroduction" of foods - this is particularly geared toward foods that your body might not like so much.  That was not really a concern of mine going into this diet.  Other than ice cream, I could eat almost anything and be fine.  But now that I've gone 30 days of "clean eating" I am tempted to do a slow reintroduction.  Maybe these things really were bothering me and I just did not notice because I tend to be distracted a lot (imagine that) during the day.

2) So basically I am going to add one thing back to my diet (like dairy - a few servings for the day) and then go back to the whole 30 diet for a few days and consider how I feel.  Then I will try another food for a day and then go back to whole 30 and consider and so on until I've discovered how each food affects me (at least that is how I am thinking it works, I could be wrong as I've gleaned this info from the whole 30 website and have not read about it in the book yet).

3) The takeaway:  There is one meal that I have "created" and am quite pleased with now and I plan to keep it in my daily plan (as long as I have the ingredients in the kitchen).  It is basically sauteed mushrooms and an onion with four or five scrambled eggs, along with tomatoes and an avocado on top.  I have REALLY grown to like it (and the baby does, too - bonus!) however, it does take a bit to prepare and can make things a little crazy at breakfast time.  So I am tempted to make it my lunch go-to and bring back my traditional breakfast (of two slices of homemade bread, toasted, with peanut butter and jelly, and two fried eggs on top - oh and coffee with that ABSOLUTELY-HORRIBLE-FOR-YOU coffee creamer).  But maybe those things (like bread and peanut butter and the sugar in my creamer) will make me feel sick (and I will actually notice) and then I will just keep eating what I consider my "power meal" for breakfast every day.

The Results:  (Day 31)

*Over 10lbs lost (10.8 to be exact) which is not that exciting, but ever pound is a step in the right direction.

*13 inches lost overall from hips, waist, thighs, etc.

Conclusion:

Although I was tempted to start reintroducing things, I feel today that I want to keep going with the plan as it is.  I have finally made it about two-thirds of the way through the book about this meal plan (as linked above) and it mentions that some people need to do a Whole 45 or Whole 60 to find the results they are looking for - namely freedom from cravings and just feeling all-around better about their body.  Since I've made it this far and see so many improvements, I cannot help but think a little more could be better!  I almost made it to my goal weight before getting pregnant this last time - I was within 10lbs of it.  Now I am 30lbs off still (but I should note that this is a weight I have not weighed since I was probably in middle school - maybe high school - in any case, it is 25 lbs less than I weighed on my wedding day - just to give you some context - I've always been on the "bigger side" but that does not mean I am not striving for more!)  Although it feels good to have baggy clothing again and I know breastfeeding is going to make my pounds stick a little more than most, I feel this eating plan is a good tool for me to reach my goals, while nurturing my health (as the foods I am eating now are definitely helping maintain my milk supply).

My number one concern: the cost.  I usually feed my family of 8 lots of beans, bread, pasta, etc as it is cheap!!  Meat is more expensive and does not go as far.  Plus eating more vegetables adds up, too!  We generally have always kept quite a bit of fruit in the house (our number one snack is an apple, an orange, or a banana) but serving two vegetables at a meal - even just for one adult (as I was the only one on the plan - I fed everyone else the usual fair) really adds up!  But God-willing we can readjust the budget and make this a reality.  I definitely see it as a good investment!

So there ya go, as of today I'm still rocking out the Whole 30 meal plan.  But I'm going to go ahead and publish this post.  Perhaps I will come back and edit as I continue on this journey.

Journal #24

Out My Window:

Sunny!!  It is January 17th, sunny, and about 50 degrees outside!!  It is a bit breezy, but I went for a walk with "the girls" (Rebekah, Miriam, and Zipporah) and we only needed jackets.

Clothing Myself In:

Yoga pants, a Franciscan Women's AA Basketball Champion T-shirt (let's get specific, ok?) and bare feet.  

Side Note: I realize Yoga pants are "from the devil" and all, but MAN are they comfortable!  Like sweat pants, but more comfy and they don't fall down over my bare feet, casing me to walk on the ends (like my sweats do).  So, yes I still wear them, but generally (except in extreme circumstances) only in the privacy of my own home.  (For the walk mentioned above I was wearing jeans.)

Around the House:

I am really enjoying our new living room set-up.  Moving the half-dresser away from the front window allows it to be used more as there is no window behind it to block now.  So I have started putting the kids school books for the day on it in piles.  We have slowly been moving our school studying from "the study" to the living room because (A) we have poor internet signal in that room - the one room in the house we need internet the most happens to be the furthest from the router, go figure and (B) I am tired of fighting the Legos and K'nex every morning for a space to walk and sit!!  Instead we have been doing school work at the kitchen table (or on the couches or on the floor) and that has been working well for us.

I bought some new Leap Frog videos for Paul and Miriam as I generally let them watch one or two a day when I need them to be "otherwise occupied" when I work with "the big kids."  And let me just say Leap Frog makes some GREAT products that I do not feel guilty giving the kids a little screen time to enjoy.

The Baby:

She is adorable as ever.  She is still not sitting up or really rolling much.  She is doing better with tummy time, but is still not a huge fan.  She will often tolerate it for a little while but then rolls onto her back in short order.  She still sucks her thumb, but not ALL THE TIME - just when she is tired usually.  She is finally starting to get some big smiles and even giggle a little.  Her favorite "zones" are her play mat where she can reach her hanging toys and her bumbo.  She seems to wave her arms more than the other children did as babies - or maybe she just has really long arms.  She is very long (although she has not had her six-month-check yet because the doc rescheduled it) in my humble opinion.

The Kids:

The kids have been draining their kid-sized glass cups at dinner time and begging for more, so I finally bought a small pitcher they can pour additional drinks from to cut down on time I spend going back and forth from the kitchen to supply more drinks.  The kids LOVE it.  They love it so much I often fill the pitcher once and let them fill their own cups and then fill it again so they can fill their own seconds, too.  Why did I not think of this sooner?

In other news, after some tough deliberation, I have decided to cut Swim Team this semester.  The baby has shown me she prefers to go to bed at about 6:30pm, which is not too much of a problem as Swim Team starts at 7pm, but my dear husband has Boy Scouts on Mondays, Aikido on Tuesdays, and darts on Thursdays.  I teach religion class on Wednesdays and they do not have swim team on Fridays.  So. . . in other words, if I cannot take all the kids, I guess it is not going to work right now.  And you know what?  I think I'm ok with that.  We will do swim lessons in the summer and then, when the baby is older, perhaps we will jump back into Swim Team in the Fall.

The one perk of cutting an activity is that we have some more free time one evening to spend as a family and I am looking forward to this.  I know I spend ALL DAY with my kids, but I spend it guiding, directing (often begging and pleading) them to do their school work.  In the evenings, we get to do some serious, no-strings-attached playing.

In the Kitchen:

All the "brilliant" kitchen-savvy-money-saving-types say I should have a monthly menu and STICK TO IT!!  And I have TRIED to do such.  But the following are my reasons for not doing this:

#1) I do not know that many recipes!!

#2) My family often does not take well to new recipes so I am not eager to learn more!

#3) I have difficulty deciding how soon is too soon to have a certain meal again.

#4) I do not like feeling "trapped" in what to cook for dinner.

#5) I often look at my menu for the evening and think "I really do not want to eat and/or prepare this meal this evening!!"

Despite these struggles I have TRIED to do a plan of some sort - and mostly failed horribly at it.  In any case, I think I have FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING I CAN SORT-OF HANDLE!!  Instead of shooting for the whole month, I aim for a week.  And I look at the meal plan as "suggestions," not "requirements," so they are not so intimidating.  This coupled with the fact that I have resigned myself to heading to the grocery store weekly in order to have fresh produce on hand appears to be a winning combination here.

This week we are having roast tomorrow, crockpot pork on Monday, homemade pizza on Tuesday, grilled cheese on Wednesday, hamburger pockets on Thursday, and potato soup on Friday.

I should also note that I have started browning up a bunch of hamburger at a time and then freezing it in meal-sized chunks for future use.  It makes meals like spaghetti super-quick and meals like lasagna much more manageable.  I also make a giant batch of taco meat (read: mostly beans, tomatoes, and spices, but a little meat, too) and freeze it in meal-sized portions to make burritos and tacos into "easy" and quick meals.  I am all about doing more work ahead of time to make it easier around mealtimes. 

Bringing Me Joy:

*My husband.  Tonight he fixed my van door!!!  And he works so hard to keep me happy.

*My children - especially Paul.  I feel like Paul has gotten a bit of a bad wrap because he is so high-spirited, but really Paul is a wonderful son.  He is so smart and funny and a great addition to our family.

*Feeling better.  I know it takes a while to recover from a baby - not just the "getting it out" part, but all the other things that stack up, such as getting my body back to workable condition, getting rest, avoiding sickness, etc, but I ALWAYS FORGET that it takes a while and have very little patience with myself!!  Anyhow, I am finally feeling more up to exercising more intensely (which should help my clothes fit better soon!) and adding more movement to my day (as Katy Says).

Pictures To Share:

Rebekah loves her little sister, Zipporah!

Daddy loves his baby girl.

My sweet, happy, extremely talkative and energetic Paul with his Lego creation.

Meal Update

 

 

I am happy to report that "meal planning" appears to be helping things in the kitchen somewhat.  I change the menu fairly regularly, but it is helpful to have a visual of meals I like/usually cook/have ingredients for, and it is not difficult to just erase here and write in there.  This week I was able to do a lot of prep work on the weekend to make the week go more smoothly. This may not always be the case, but it is nice this week.  I had dinner for today prepped last night - just turned on the crockpot this morning.  I also had meat browned for lasagna.  This afternoon I will prep the sauce and noodles and throw it together so I can bake it tomorrow or Wednesday (depending on my mood).  Then a couple left-over days and a "frozen food" (aka chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, etc) day - since we don't want left-overs or kitchen mess because we are going out of town for a few days (hopefully).

So, in-short.  Yay for growing up finally.  It appears to suite me.  And I should add, that using less brain power on WHAT to cook (just focusing on what the menu says - assuming I'm not strongly opposed to it for whatever reason) is freeing up time and energy for me to do some other creative exploits (aka more yogurt, fun desserts or snacks I always wanted to try).  This week I hope to make some brownies and try a cherry cheesecake recipe.  Hooray for food!  Now, lets hope Miriam lets me get some exercise to counter-balance these yummies!

Caught in the act!

So I fell behind in the kitchen (again - big surprise) and ran out of cabinet space temporarily (I just need a bigger kitchen - then this would NEVER happen :) so I had to put my glorious bowl of oranges on the floor in order to cook lunch. As we are finishing our prayer, I notice Paul is not around. Realizing I left the gate to the kitchen open (as I was just going through it a million times to set the table and bring out the food), my heart skips a beat and I go running into the kitchen, thinking he must be at the top of the stairs (just through the kitchen). Good news! He was not at the top of the stairs, but on the floor, sampling the oranges. He made quite the sour face and was not upset at all when I put them back away. Here is the evidence: