Homemade organic window cleaner

This is the "recipe" I used to refill my windex container. I used it yesterday, works great, no streaks, and the faint vinegar smell (which hubby hates) dissipates within two mins. 

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 TBS white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp liquid dish detergent

I also use this solution to shine up my hardware on my sinks every once in a while. It really is no different from windex minus the harmful chemicals. Windex even released a new product "with vinegar" which you can pay $3-4 for, or you can make it for free with things you already have laying around at home.... I pick free and safe, but thats just me. 

Blissfully Aware

Yesterday marks the second time in my life that I cried from overwhelming happiness. The first time was when my daughter was born, and this time was when I got to wrap my arms around my husband after seven months of deployment. And as I was walking down the terminal, hand in hand with my husband... the stupidest smile on my face with tears streaming down my eyes, I thought "this is why I do it." All of the hardships of this past year are sooo worth it, and make me realize how much I cherish my husband and how I could never replace him.
I am convinced it is the same reason pregnancies are so long and painful. Because when that baby finally arrives, you realize how wonderful and special that baby is and how everything you went through is now completely worth it.  It makes us hold onto our children and love them even more.
 I don't think I could be this happy or this aware of how lucky I am if I hadn't gone through the past seven months. I can  now pinpoint everything about my husband that makes life with him so much easier and more enjoyable. I can see how incredibly good-willed and family oriented he is. I can feel amazed when he remembers things that seem insignificant. I can forget all of the things that I just couldn't let go of before.

 I would love to have this feeling WITHOUT the hardships of course, but that isn't the point. The purpose of life isn't to live it in comfort and normalcy.
 I feel like through this year, I have really gotten the point of life. I have gotten why I do this. I am not afraid of going through the next 5 months alone.
Instead I feel blissfully aware of how lucky I am.
I have THE most wonderful husband in the world, and my kids have THE best dad in the world. End of story. I pay a price to be able to say that, to be able to KNOW that. Nothing in life is free I suppose, but I got the bargain of a life time.

This is why we do it. To be blissfully aware.

R&R is almost here!

Tomorrow will rank among with top 5 best days of my life ever! Okay... so I'm only 21 and maybe I haven't lived enough days to make that sound impressive. But my daughter's birth day would be on the list and so will the birth of our next daughter who should be arriving..... about now. I know our wedding say SHOULD make the list... but going to a courthouse to sign some papers a few weeks after giving birth isn't exactly magical.

ANYWAYS, I am feeling so odd about it. I mean, my husband is coming home! HOME! Why does that sounds so strange to me? Like it is some magical thing that I don't deserve? Like it is so strange for wives to be able to see their husbands? I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that in a day, my husband will be sitting on our couch snuggling with me and eating cheeze-its. It's been 7 months since I have seen him.  And oddly, those 7 months have now become my sense of "normal". It is normal for me to do everything myself. It's normal for Emma to kiss a picture goodnight. It's normal to sleep alone and to schedule "cry time". Somehow after 7 months of "normal" I feel like I don't deserve for him to really and truly be home. I can't wrap my mind around how I ever could have deserved to be lucky enough to be able to spend time with my husband. And then I remember, being with your husband all the time is everyone else's normal. How easy it is to take someone for granted when you get to see them all the time. I don't have that problem. I know my time with Jacob is precious Not only is he constantly on a deployment schedule, but his job is such that, I never really know if he is coming home at all. It makes things like dirty socks and snoring seem silly and childish.
I wonder how people would treat their spouses if EVERYONE lived in fear that their significant other wasn't coming home. If EVERYONE dreaded hearing those ominous three sharp knocks on the door. Would our divorce rates be so deplorable?  I digress...

The point is, I am very grateful for the time I get to spend with my husband. I am not letting a moment pass me by. So needless to say, this will be my last post for a while (depending on how much hubby sleeps when he gets here that is). I have a feeling he is going to be more exhausted than words could possibly describe.

Date night

I was watching the movie "Date Night" with a friend of mine the other day (yes, day. not night) and there was something with Steve Carell's character (Phil) said that I was hoping lots of women were listening to.
In the scene, he and his wife are having a very normal married couple argument. It starts when Phil asks Claire (his wife) why she doesn't "light up" for him anymore. She goes into a rant about how much she does all day and how overworked she is and finishes with "So I'm SORRY if I don't wanna light up for you when you come home. I'm TIRED!"
And this is when Phil says (not a direct quote) "you know, I could help you with a lot of that. I know I don't do it the 'right' way, and you think I will just mess everything up, but I can HELP you. I want to help you and I think if you just gave me a chance, I might surprise you. I really think I could surprise you."

(And then of course during the course of the movie he DOES surprise her with how capable and intelligent he really is)Wow. What really struck me was the sincerity, hurt and longing that this line was delivered with. He just wanted to please his wife! He just wanted to help! He just wanted to make things easier for her! What a well meaning and caring guy. It was perfect and I think many MANY husbands feel this exact same way. They try to help out or do something special, and its looked at by his wife as "wrong".  or they say "it would just be easier to do it myself" OUCH. Think about what that little phrase means. It would be easier for him to sit on his butt and watch TV, than for him to put in effort into doing something nice for you....... ya..... I know. It sounds pretty bad doesn't it?

  My heart goes out to all the women who feel so overworked, and to their men who want to help, but aren't allowed to.  I have been there and I know how horribly "normal" it is. It is a real spirit killer when something is going on that just ISNT working, and all anyone can say about it is that it's normal. Who wants to be married if mundane frustration, lack of appreciation, along with a loss of "lighting up" is all that you can expect? EWW!
I confess, that was us a few years ago. Luckily, we found a way to combat it which is working SOOOOOO well for us I wanna shout it from the mountain tops. I could preach about it.... but I will just drop the name of my favorite book that I believe single handedly not only saved my marriage, but made it incredibly enjoyable instead of mundane.

Love and Respect
by Emerson Eggeriches

It is all about how two well meaning people who care about each other deeply can still have a hectic and what feels like very unloving relationship and it goes on to show you how to fix it! The key.... respect! It was such a simple concept yet so foreign to me and this book made it all make sense and put everything in perspective.

WARNING: this book IS written by a christian and IS a christian book. I am not a christian and have read it several times. It's not a book that is trying to convert you. What he is saying is true. He just chooses to back it up with scripture instead of studies (which he also mentions).

Step by Step: Rocking Chair Monogram

 If you would like to make something that looks like this, read on friends. This is my step by step guide to making a see through wood monogram.

Materials needed:
Painter's tape
Exacto Knife
Cutting surface (mine is a glass one made for scrap booking)
Paint
        I used a white gloss spray paint, but I actually recommend using flat paint and finishing with a gloss topcoat because it has better wear for kids furniture and also, you don't need as many coats of paint since flat paint "sticks" better.


First I put some painters tape sort of haphazardly on my glass cutting surface. Since my design was so simple and required only straight lines and right angles, I just used the lines on the glass mat and made my cuts with that instead of printing out a picture (which I would usually do and will show you how to do in a later post)

When using lines on a cutting glass, the easiest way to make sure you are following the lines exactly is by first folding the tape to the line you would like to cut at creating a visible crease that you can then follow with your knife

This is the finished letter

Next, I carefully peeled the tape off the matt and placed it on the furniture that was to be painted. I made sure to press the edges flush to the wood with no gaps that any paint could accidentally slip into.

I sprayed the whole thing with three coats of the white gloss spray paint

I waited for the paint to dry and carefully peeled off the painters tape at a 45 degree angle as instructed. and TADA, Emma's Monogram chair is complete. All in less than an hour.... Although if I am being honest, I will probably go back and finish the chair in a few coats of polyurethane for some extra durability and ease in cleaning up the messes that are inevitable.

Inspired!

FINALLY I am inspired to do Molly's room. The chair was what did it for me! I love it so much, and I finally feel like the room needs to be a NEW room, not just Emma's old room with all her old stuff. The chair set the color palate (which is one I have secretly dreamed of doing) which is brightly colored and whimsical with lots of contrasting patterns for baby to be fascinated by. The repurposed fabric is working out perfectly. All I need to do is actually sew it, or rather, let my mom sew it. And I need to bring some of my furniture into this century. I had a few pieces that I had been saving that just didn't work in any of the other rooms. Well, they will work in THIS room, because I am allowed to be daring and whimsical in a baby's room. Who knows, maybe if hubby likes the room, he will trust me to brach out more in other areas of our home. I had a mirror that went ontop of the dresser that we gave away. The mirror itself was in good shape, and I know mirrors that large are expensive, so I didn't wanna give that up. Also the frame it was in, was beautiful.... just not for the mirror. I disassembled it and realized that the frame goes exactly with the baby furniture! I am painting it.... guess what color... WHITE! I am so predictable. I'm putting the frame up and making a 3D art piece out of it. It should be pretty cool when it's done. I'm also taking the old drawers that came out of the dresser and taking the fronts off to make a "Molly" plaque. I'm painting Emmas rocking chair with a more modern monogram E AND Im making strings of silhouette birds in different colors to tie the color palate together.

ALL that from one chair. I just love inspiration pieces! And the best part is... My hubby cant be mad at me for spending money because I don't need to spend a dime. Although I do need a lamp shade for the lamp that landed in that room and also I don't have any baskets to put under the changing table, so it looks very messy and cluttered right now... UGH cluttered is a four letter word. I hate looking at STUFF. Anyways that's my plan. I'll put up pictures showing the steps in all the DIY projects so if you like them, you can do them too!

Chair re-do reveal!

This is the Goodwill chair. You can see why it was only $5.00. It was in terrible shape and super dirty when I got it. But I had it reupholstered and got new cushions put in. Altogether I spent about $235.00 for it. I picked out a funky fabric in a thick zigzag pattern and left it to the pros to make it beautiful. 

TADA! This is what the chair looks like now. Clean, bold, modern yet a bit old school... I love it! And the best part? I can nurse in it, and read books to the girls until they get older, and after that, it still looks good enough to move it into the master bedroom or the living room. 

I will take more pictures when Molly's room is complete. Right now it's still done in light green and monkeys... which was adorable for Emma, but is very uninspiring and seems sort of dull now so I'm repurposing the conformer that a friend gave me and my dog promptly ripped up... There is still enough fabric to make a bedskirt and a changing pad cover. And the best part is my mom is coming up to stay with us soon and can sew it for me. No work on my part and re-cycled materials which cost $0. I kind of love how this room is coming together. 

Co-Sleeping?

Apparently co-sleeping is part of natural parenting, and while I have absolutely no problem co-sleeping during the early months, I don't quite buy the "let them stay in your bed as long as they want" thing.
Co-sleeping at first makes a lot of sense. Baby and mama both get WAY more sleep this way (a precious thing), especially if the mother is able to breastfeed! She never even has to get up or stay awake while the baby nurses all she wants. So many new mothers complain that they can't get sleep at night, but the majority of them could get plenty of sleep if they learned this simple skill.
The worry of SIDs can be reduced slightly with co-sleeping as well. I am not qualified to say wether or not the risk of SIDs in the first place is reduced. But I do know that waking up and being able to see your baby's chest move up and down can reduce lots of stress.  I also know that mother and baby are incredibly attuned to each other and the mother is likely to wake up if the baby makes the tiniest peep or movement.

 So yes, I do see how it can be beneficial. I am just not sure it is safe or wise to tell the masses that unless they co-sleep with the children for as long as they want, the child will have horrible psychological issues of abandonment and loneliness. That is exactly what lots of natural parenting groups are saying. I find it hard to believe that by simply sleeping in his or her own bed a child might have long term problems. Sleep issues are unique to every baby. What works for some, doesn't work for others. While keeping this in mind I would like to share what worked for us because I do think it is ideal and hope dearly that we can do the same things with our almost born daughter.

Emma slept in the same bed as me for about four months. When she started being able to roll over, I switched her to a pack n' play which was right next to our bed. She was still able to hear our breathing and I was still able to hear her tiny sounds. When she turned 6 months old and the risk of SIDs was all but gone, I moved her into her room in her "real" crib. She fussed for about two mins every night, but went to sleep fairly easily. I must confess that she fell asleep with a bottle. I cannot remember how this habit formed, but I know that it did become a habit which was difficult to break. Shortly after she turned one and a half, we started making preparations to switch her to a "big girl bed". She took to her big bed very well and was moved to her big girl room where she still sleeps. Her bedtime routine has changed through the years, but always consisted of a bath, tooth brushing and some sort of "Emma time" wether it was a book, a song, some cuddles or rocking. There were a few hiccups on the way, but generally this worked extremely well for us. Emma learned to self soothe very early with our "wait 2 mins before checking on her" rule. Of course, if she was CRYing and not whining we got her right away. Any parent knows the difference between a "theres something really wrong/ I'm scared" cry, vs a "I want more attention/I don't wanna go to bed" cry.

This was our experience and I think it has been an incredibly positive one. We only had a handful of "UGH" nights. Usually they were the nights when Emma had been snuck sugar or soda at night.

Ju-Ju-Be!

I found the perfect diaper bag!  It's the Ju-Ju-Be BFF . It is the perfect size to accommodate all my usual stuff and even "emergency" things without being annoyingly large or heavy. 

It can be worn over the shoulder with this super cool and cushy  no slip grip pad on your shoulder.

OR it can be worn as a backpack! Either style can be easily clipped on the metal hardware, or taken off. I keep both the shoulder strap and the backpack straps on at all times. I never know which I'm going to need and it's super useful when chasing a toddler in the playground. Also the pack is structured and has feet on the bottom so that you can set it just about anywhere without worrying about dirty germs contaminating your precious bag. 

 This is the front most pocket. It is called the "mommy pocket" because its just for the things that I need all the time and need easy access to. I keep my keys on the super stretchy key fob, I got my wallet, lotion, lipgloss, chapstick, sunglasses, receipts, shopping lists, and coupons in this pocket. Not only is is ALL easy to access and I never have to dig around for my keys or wallet, but there is room for more! The sunglasses holder is also made of the same material as a sunglasses cleaning cloth, so no need for smudgy glasses on the go. I always have the perfect cloth with me :)

For those of you wondering where my phone goes, this nifty separate pocket is just what I need. It is deep enough that I don't have to worry about my phone falling out if I forget to zip the pocket, AND I can keep my iphone headphones at the bottom of the pocket for easy access when I'm in the waiting room. The pocket is also lined with super soft fuzzy material so I don't have to worry about my phone ever getting scratched again.... well at least not from rolling around in my bag.


and that's just the mom stuff... but this is a diaper bag so thats not the half of it!

 This is the inside of the bag. I have 4 diapers, wipes in the back pockets of course. I have sunscreen and face sunscreen in the side pocket at the right. on the left pocket, I have tide-to-go tissues, hair ties, and a few bows. There is room in the main compartment for any toys that Emma feels she MUST have with her. It is also just wide enough to fit a coloring book.

The Pockets are made so that nothing can fall out no matter how wide you open it. I was skeptical about how well this would work, but I have never had a problem with it.

Behind the diapers and wipes there are two zippered deep pockets. This is where I keep the diaper rash creme, any medications she might need as well as thermometers, emergency dum-dums, and extra undies for Emma.
There is still room for plenty more, but I couldn't think of anything else I could possibly need, although I can see myself putting nursing pads and a few lady products in there next month.

This is the bag almost empty. notice how much room is at the bottom of the bag. The material is agion, which is a patented material that inhibits the growth of mold, mildew and anything else yucky that diaper bags are susceptible to.  The entire bag is machine washable! Also, the reason why it is silver, is so that you can clearly see what is inside. Ju-Ju-Be calls it "the black hole effect" that they are combatting. And you know... it works. I have never once thought "ugh, I cant see what's in here, I need to drop everything I am doing and pull everything out of here so that I can find_____" Everything is just so easy to see and to get to. When I have to search through someone else's diaper bag, I get super frustrated and upset because I have gotten used to everything being so easy to see. Why hasn't any other company figured out that black is not a good color for the inside of a diaper bag???




Surprise! Another pocket. I haven't figured out what to use this for yet, but it is very wide, so I have her coloring pencils in there for now. Also, If you will notice, there are two pieces of paper behind clear plastic above the pocket. That is the "brag pictures" pocket. It was designed to be able to put pictures of your kids, husband pets... whatever makes you smile. I thought it seemed kinda dumb to have a picture of my baby in my baby bag... obviously I have her with me. But I can see how it would be useful if you have your child in daycare a lot so that your bag could be easily identified by the caretakers. I used these pockets to write a list of all the things that are in the bag and where they can be found. There is just SOO much stuff in the bag that babysitters underestimate how much stuff I left them with in one place. They will tell me "I looked everywhere for ____ but couldn't find it anywhere in the house!" Instead of expecting them to memorize where all the things are in my home, I just keep it in the bag and write a list for them so that they can find everything, and be able to put it back where it belongs easily.

This is the back pocket. It contains and super squishy changing pad that I often use for myself as a floor cushion to sit on when we are at the park and the seats are hot, or I don't want to sit directly on the grass. It is also made of the same material as the rest of the bag, which means clean up is a breeze. This is also where you keep any snacks for your kids (or yourself, if you are like me) This is because this pocket has a special feature.

Crumb drains! When a snack spills, all I do is push the crumbs through this little hole and I dont have to take eveything out of the bag and shake it and pull the fabric out to get it clean. 

A diaper bag wouldn't be complete without a place for bottles. There are two pockets on the side that are big enough to even hold my super big mommy drink. The pockets are insulated, but so far it seems like its more to keep the milk from spoiling than for keeping the drinks cold.

A few things I just bought to go with this bag are the paci-pod (exactly what is sounds like) which clips onto the side of the bag, and the stroller clips. So far, I use those at the grocery store so that I can hang the bag off the side of the cart instead of where Emma puts her feet. It bothers her to have my bag touching her legs for an hour. 

Have I said I love this bag? Because I do. Ju-Ju-Be would be retarded to pay me to write this because no one really reads my blog yet. So, small audience, you can rest assured that this and the other products that I love are only written about because I truly love the product and am excited to share my finds with others. But I do have to say, their other products are also amazing. They have many more bags and accessories that are designed with mom and baby in mind. I plan on getting a few more bags. **hint hint** Jacob, for christmas. **hint hint** But for now, this bag is perfect for everyday use. I will update this post after I try it out after using it for a toddler and newborn at the same time. 

Anger Management and Big Guns!

I have been trying to write a post about army life without sounding pissed off or crazy or like a martyr.... it's harder than it looks.
The truth is, to come out of this with your sanity in tact... you have to be a little bit crazy to begin with. It sounds counter intuitive, but really it makes a lot of sense. The guys who are a bit messed up before going to Afghanistan rarely come back with PTSD. I would imagine a Psychopath would be wonderful at all this.  But on the off-chance that you do have feelings, there will be a certain amount of... every-negative-feeling-in-the-whole-wide-world-wrapped-into-one-and-just-when-you-feel-like-you-cant-take-it-anymore-your-child-has-a-melt-down-in-the-middle-of-the-grocery-store days.... 
There is a quote in "anger management"that I thought applies quite well:


"Dave, there are two kinds of angry people in this world: explosive and implosive. Explosive, which is the most common, is the type of individual you see screaming at a grocery store cashier for not taking his coupon. Implosive, the least common, is the cashier at the store who remains quiet at his job day after day until he then finally loses it and just shoots everyone in the store. You're the cashier."





I feel like I am the cashier. And on the days when someone says something to me like  "What are the chances of your husband dying?" or  my personal favorite "Do the army guys really rape each other?" I think I just might be capable of killing someone. Another wife recently said that she thinks the wives should be able to have access to all the big guns and ranges on post at any time so we can shoot at things when we deal with stupid people. I think thats a great idea. 


:) You know those giant guns that are mounted on the top of the Humvees? My hubby is a gunner. He gets to play with that .50 cal all the time. I may or may not be jealous. Guns please!

Blenders, Raw food and Emeril

I have tried many different recipes from many different chefs and stay at home moms, but today I am truly impressed. My cucumber plants are producing more cucumbers than I knew what to do with, so I looked up some cucumber soup recipes. I decided on one from Emeril from the Food Network (which btw it is rare for me to select a Food Network recipe since every single recipe I have ever tried that was a "flop" was from that site)

The ingredients seemed sound which are pictured above- minus the yogurt, sour cream and "essence". Lots of creaminess and fresh herbs with cucumber as the main ingredient sounded pretty good to me. I plunged into the recipe and followed the ingredients almost perfectly. I was unaware I had run out of fresh garlic, and I kept the seeds in the jalepeno peppers but other than that, exact. And... WOW. I mean, wow.  Simple, refreshing, sweet, tart, subtle, with a zingy aftertaste. Perfection. It helped that I have an amazing Blender, I think. It was so easy.

Cold Cucumber Soup.

I am so incredibly impressed, I plan on trying many many more of Emeril's recipes. Who knew cucumber soup could be so filling?
It was only after I made the entire thing, that I realized that this meal was all completely raw. No heat of any kind was used. Which means.... not a single nutrient was lost!!  And without going into too much boring detail, I achieved the same results accidentally that I was researching all day yesterday with juicing. Why does food make me so happy?

"I don't love you anymore"

The words every husband or wife hopes they never have to hear... or speak for that matter. For an army wife, hearing these words, is just as common as having a husband with PTSD.
Tonight at an OFS (Operation Faithful Support) meeting, "I don't love you anymore" was the topic of discussion. What an eye-opener! Although, I haven't heard these words yet, the discussion hit close to home and I immediately knew exactly what these women were talking about.
I know without a doubt that my husband is dedicated to our family and does love me. Does he feel the emotions connected with love all the time? Does he numb himself to focus on his mission? Does he "forget" to contact me for weeks at a time? Does he prefer to have light conversations instead of emotional or deep ones? ABSOLUTELY! But hearing others experiences definitely confirmed what I already knew. None of that is personal. It's nothing more than a survival mechanism to keep him focused on the task at hand and keep himself and his guys safe. In fact, I am a bit flattered that the emotions he feels for us are so strong that he has to turn them off to do his job correctly.
Yes, I said it. I am flattered that my husband purposefully turns off his feelings for me. I do the same for him. In fact, I have to do it so much, it has becoming second nature. This is where the "I don't love you anymore" problem comes in. If someone doesn't understand that this loss of feeling is just a temporary coping mechanism beCAUSE you love your significant other, they can start to feel like they don't have those emotions anymore and therefore they must not love their spouse.

I'm glad that I know my husband well enough that I could fore-see this all happening before he deployed. I expected a disconnect. I knew he wasn't going to be emotionally available. But even knowing this, it still stings a bit when I hear other wives talk about how often they get to talk to their hubbies, or how sweet he is or that he sent her flowers, or especially when a wife looks at me with pity in her eyes, as if my husband must not care about me at all if he isn't constantly showering me with compliments. UGH!

I just wanted to share with you one of the things that seems like the end of the world to many couples, is actually perfectly normal in our lives.

My daily food.

For those of you who are a bit baffled by the term "paleolithic diet" or are perhaps wondering the origins of  my latest recipes, this is a normal day of food for me.

Salad with chicken, avocado, tomato, onion in a lime cilantro vinaigrette. 

Breakfast
2 strips of bacon
2 scrambled eggs
1 cup milk or orange juice
1-2 cups coffee with cream and stevia

Lunch
Smoothie or deluxe salad.

Snack
choice of...
piece of fruit
greek yogurt parfait
greek salad
trail mix
hummus and raw veggies
( I usually have my choice of two)

Dinner
A piece of meat or fish
raw veggies
OR
Recipe of the day

Before Bed
Large glass of water

Italian soup with sausage, kale and white kidney beans.  Lentil and spinach salad on the side. 

Theory behind it all. After being a vegetarian for year and a vegan for a few months, I found out exactly how important fruits and veggies (especially raw ones) are. I filled my diet with them and learned to love them. They are a giant part of my diet, just because I love them and feel much healthier when I eat plenty of them. I still really don't like meat that much, but being pregnant, I need some meat in my diet. I especially fatty meats as part of the paleolithic thing. Problem is, I like fatty meat even less than normal meat. Thats where the bacon comes in. Just a few strips of bacon in the AM, and not only do I feel full for ages, but I get the fat in my diet that is horribly lacking in all my other meals. Notice the no grain? Paleolithic diets reckon that grain is not only bad for our physique, but literally addictive AND poisonous. YIKES! I don't know if I buy the "poison" thing, but I definitely feel a lot worse when I eat grain throughout the day, and it does seem to have the same addictive properties that my coffee has. (I'm a totally addicted coffee snob)

I try not to be a calorie counter, but I just did an average count on how many calories this is per day
Breakfast about 390
snack max 168
lunch max 300
Dinner 400 max

Totaling a max of 1,258 which is pretty much exactly what I should be eating for my height and weight to maintain my "normal weight" of 120..... wow. I'm actually kind of impressed. I got my average cal count pretty much spot on without obsessing about counting calories. VICTORY!
 While pregnant and breastfeeding I need about 300 extra calories a day. All that means is I get two snacks instead of one...which I am already doing. **happy dance**
I'm not feeling so bad about my recent weight gain all of a sudden. I know it was due to the change in my diet for a few weeks, and not because of anything I am doing wrong at home. Therefore, if I keep eating that way I naturally do (while staying away from the pasta) I should healthily and steadily get back to my pre-pregnancy weight without a problem. Of course that's not even counting the yoga I'm dying to do again or the Zumba I'm looking forward to trying out.

I know I'm teasing ya'll with pictures of food and no recipes. I will post the recipes soon if all goes well.

My "Not So Guilty" Pleasure

I am obsessed with ice cream! I am the biggest ice cream snob. Hagen Daz, Ben and Jerry, Marble Slab, OH MY!
This usually isn't a problem because my snobbery combined with our tight budget makes getting ice cream a once a month ordeal if I'm lucky. Well... when hubby is deployed, we have extra money and with me being pregnant... I was getting ice cream just about every week, as long as my weight was still in the "ideal" range for pregnancy. Now that my weight isn't ideal, I really shouldn't be getting ice cream.
I've been trying to replace it with other frozen treats like popsicles, or frozen go-gurts, or freezie pops. It helps, but its just not the same.

So I found something that is NOT even close to the same or even attempting to be, but that is just as much of a guilty pleasure! Its Green Goodness from Bolthouse. Its basically a smoothie on steroids. Listen to the ingredients. This is AMAZING!



1/2 Pineapple
3 Apples
1 Mango
1 Banana
1 Kiwi
Spirullina
Chlorella
Green tea
Broccoli
Spinach
Barley greens
Wheat grass
Blue green algae
Echinacea...

Why does all of that make me excited? Because I feel so bad when Im drinking it, but its SOO good for you. I think this is going to be my baby weight secret weapon. You may be wondering why I feel so bad for drinking something that is not nearly as bad as ice cream. Well, its a snob thing.
See, I feel a certain amount of spoiled when I eat ice cream that is the best of the best. natural. Limited ingredients. Like ice cream is supposed to be. I feel kind of rich and pampered eating something so perfect.
Green Goodness gives me that same feeling. I have always considered it "special". My friend in high school first introduced my to bolthouse farms when her mom bought a bottle of chai tea and left it in the fridge. She snuck some, and offered me a taste. It was wonderful! I guess it was just one of those things that stuck with me. So when I went grocery shopping saturday morning (the best time to go if you live by base because everyone is sleeping in or hung over from last night) an outspoken guy at the cash register was telling the checkout lady all about his hangover and how this stuff works on it like THAT *waves hands around frantically* lol. I think he was still a bit drunk. I didn't catch the name, but I recognized the bottle immediately and I saw that the smoothie was green. So next time I went shopping I picked some up, figuring that any day now Im going to be able to drink. After 9 months of no alcohol at all and a 21st birthday that was never celebrated, I figured I'm gonna need a good hangover remedy.

It's just a plus that it tastes so good and feels a little bit naughty. Hopefully I can kick my ice cream addiction and stick with the good stuff..... at least for a while.

Haggen Daz, I will miss you, but I think we should take a break until baby weight is gone. You will always be in my heart. I'll see you in a few months.

What about Hubby?

I just noticed that my blog does not have a single post about me being an army wife, of what life is like here. Or about my husband or.... anything. I guess the main reason for that is because how I survive this year has a lot to do with not thinking about it. I don't want to think about it, because it makes me sad. It makes me lonely, and jealous and I start feeling sorry for myself and being critical of my husband and blaming him.

She was so little the last time he saw her. 

That's just not the kind of person I want to be. Yes, I suppose I am pretty lonely without my husband around. I suppose I feel incomplete, or sad or unloved. But dwelling on it seems like a horrible idea. I know we signed up for this. We decided to spend the rest of our lives together for better or worse. We decided that becoming and army family was what we wanted, and we decided to get pregnant again. How can I say "no fair" when I put myself in this situation. I felt strong enough to sign up for this, so why would I feel weak now?
Is my life harder than the average persons? Probably. If you are only counting Americans that is. But I feel proud enough of my husband, my family and myself to be able to constantly tell myself "yes I can". I CAN do this because there is no alternative.

My husband is being strong for all his guys in the field. He needs to be to keep everyone safe and working as a unit, regardless of how much he wishes he was home. In fact, he rations his time that he will let himself talk to me. During missions, I will not hear from him for weeks at a time. Not because he CANT talk to me, but because he needs to keep his head for the sake of the mission. He is thinking of his team instead of fulfilling his own needs.  It's really not so different from what I'm doing. My unit is our family. The stakes are high and I cannot fail them.

Toddlers and Eating

I have found proof of what I have suspected all along. Kid's pickiness is largely attributed to the messages they receive from the world.
According to the Center for Health Study, "In a study conducted by Stanford University, two identical meals, one in a plain wrapper and one in a package from a popular fast food chain were offered to a group of children. Even young children associated a better taste experience with the name-brand selection, suggesting that marketing and expectation have an impact on perceived taste, even in children" 


To compound this, an article by TLC reckons, 
"Our taste buds introduce us to a particular flavor, but the experience of eating is a packaged deal. If we think we'll like a food, there's a much better chance that we actually will."


What does that mean. Basically, that children are not picky because they are "naturally inclined to be" but because of parenting, media, and peer influence. 

"Please mama broccoli"

I think we expect too much AND too little from children, when it comes to their diet. A child, given a choice will have 5-7 snacks a day instead of 3 large meals. Hmm 5 small meals a day... where have i heard that before??? oh ya, it's a "breakthrough" in the diet industry. The way that our bodies are designed to eat. It is the absolute best way to get the right amount of nutrition without over eating. That is what our kids naturally do, but we tell them "no! no snacks! we are having a big dinner and you need to save your appetite" and then when the child does not even 4 servings of dinner, we get upset and tell them they aren't allowed to leave the table until they finish everything on their plate.... we our teaching our kids our bad eating habits. Not only is it frustrating, but I find it a particular kind of cruel that has no excuse. 
I think my daughter is a wonderful eater. She will at least TRY everything that is on her plate. She knows that once she takes one bite, I am proud of her for trying it and she does not need to eat more of it if she doesn't like it, or just isn't hungry. This, along with her natural curiosity and my love of cooking ethnic and new foods has given her a love of foods. BUT lets look at what she ate yesterday


Breakfast- 1/2 a pancake with syrup and 1/2 a piece of bacon
1 cup milk
Snack- 1 go-gurt
Snack- 1 cup of mixed berry smoothie
Lunch- several big bites of my turkey, spinach, tomato, cucumber and hummus sandwich. 
Snack- 1 Apple
1 cup water
NAP 
Snack- Fruit gummies
Snack- a few pieces of broccoli she picked from the garden. 
Dinner- One bite of spaghetti. 
1 cup water


For many parents, this is completely unacceptable. She didn't even eat dinner! gasp! But lets look at it through what we know about nutrition. She got her milk, lots of vitamins and antioxidants, some digestion helping yogurt, plenty of liquids.... We know its best to eat your largest meal at the beginning of the day and eat very little before bed. She had a good breakfast, lots of snacks throughout the day, but hardly anything but water at night. In my book, this is pretty darn good. In fact, its much better than what I ate yesterday.


Our kids eat, dog food, dirt, glue, and lip stick... and you are telling me they won't eat what you put in front of them for dinner? Either you are the worst cook in the history of the world, or there is too much pressure associated with food. I'd wager the second is more likely, but if you need help with the first, I have a few toddler friendly recipes in the "recipes" tab at the top of this page. 

STOP WHINING!

Mom's tell their kids to "stop whining" all the time... but do moms have room to talk? Moms and Wives are notorious for nagging... aka whining with a purpose. I know, I know. You don't whine.  You would never in a million years whine or nag... ya, just ask your parter about that one.  Mom's are whinny!

What you say:
"Why don't you help me around the house?"
 "We don't talk anymore."
"Why are you so lazy"
"Do I have to do everything"
"I just want to be told I'm pretty"
"Can't you put your things away?"
"You dont appreciate anything I do"

What they hear:
"You are useless to this family"
"I can do it myself"
"You are a lousy husband"
"I am perfect and you are not"
"You an un-appreciative person"

Does any of that seem like it would make anyone want to love you more? Help you more? Be more thoughtful? Of course not. Your family is not going to help you and love on you, if you are throwing insults at them and acting as if you are the only one who is pulling their own weight... along with their sorry butts.

Why don't you try something more like
"Hi honey, You look tired. Why don't you take some time to relax until Dinner is ready? But after that, I need your help to take out the trash and load the dishwasher."
Ahh... thoughtful, appreciative, even a bit complimentary. What a nice change from...
*door opens* "here, take this out...and you know you HAVE to do dishes tonight because I have been doing them all week!"....... Nice to see you too honey.

Is it any wonder that the same women who are complaining about their family not helping out are the same ones who are constantly having marriage issues? I grieve for my father a little bit every time he comes home, and is immediately dumped with all the day's issues that he "needs" to deal with NOW! I make an extreme effort to give my husband his time to "unwind" when he gets back from work. I respect that he has a demanding job and is worn out when he gets home. Am I worn out by that point? Have I been pacing, looking out the window and praying to god he gets home NOW because I just can't take it anymore?? yup! And on those days, guess what happens?
My wonderful husband, notices very quickly by the look in my face and forcibly takes my cooking utensils or mop or crying child or w/e. He then tells me to take a bath and relax. And you know, my husband isn't even one of those sweet guys who you might expect that from. He's just a normal guy who has noticed how nice it is to be thought of and has started returning the favor. It's SOOOOOO nice.  I started crying while writing that paragraph, because I appreciate my husband so much.

It's called respect. You respect your home, your family and yourself, and you will start getting respect in return.

Its a theme I have noticed in virtually every marriage book I have read.  And... I have read a lot, since I got married before I had a CLUE what marriage really was about (which is another story). They all say, stop complaining that he isn't doing ________, and instead focus on what you could do for him to make him feel more ________. Its the same for your family. Instead of focusing on yourself and all your hardship, recognize that your family has their own set of hardships. If you want them to help with yours, you need to be willing to help with theirs as well. Weather it is taking your daughter out to lunch, or surprising your son with those shoes he was drooling over or planning to have "the guys" over for the game on sunday.... idk, its your family, you know what they need. The more you recognize their needs, and hardships, the more they will recognize yours. Without you saying a word.

My favorite smoothie recipes.

Blueberry smoothie

Blueberry Smoothie

1/4 cup Frozen** Blueberries

1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries

1/2 cup milk or POM

1/4 cup yogurt* (blueberry flavor if available)

2-4 Ice cubes

Peach Smoothie

3/4 cup Frozen** Peaches

1 regular banana

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup yogurt*

Mixed Berry Smoothie

1/2 cup Frozen** mixed Berries

1/4 cup milk or POM

1/4 cup yogurt*

Tropical Smoothie

1 Banana

1/2 cup frozen Pineapple pieces. 

1/2 mango

1/2 cup-1 cup milk or orange juice

Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothie 

2 Bananas

1/4 cup Peanut Butter 

1/2 cup milk

2-4 Icecubes

(add 2 TBS cocoa powder or 3 TBS chocolate syrup for a recess smoothie)

* All yogurt can be either regular or greek in plain or vanilla. Greek will give you a thicker, more filling smoothie and I prefer it. 

** If using fresh fruit, or want a thicker smoothie, add 2-4 ice cubes. 

Clean Sofa!

Yesterday, I finally got tired of spot cleaning my notoriously messy sofa. Emma is constantly spilling things on it, and although the stains DO come out, I'm left with something that looks like this

Not exactly inviting or clean looking. The water stains that are left after I clean up the mess are almost as bad as the grape juice stains! It just looks horrible! and it takes me forever to get it to this point. I scrub and scrub at least every other week. It takes hours and is so difficult on my fragile pregnant body. Okay... maybe not THAT bad, but still. Finally, I looked online how to clean microfiber sofas. Everyone said its machine washable, so I took the covers off, stuck them in the wash with some seventh generation detergent, and let it do its thing on the delicate cycle. Then I dried them in the drier on gentle and TADA!

It looks as good as it did when we bought it! I was so impressed! Anyone who has a microfiber sofa needs to wash it this way every few months. Its so worth it. And my sofa finally looks clean and inviting. Just in time for hubby to crash on it and spill all kinds of drinks and queso.

Baby Stuff is Overrated.

When I had Emma, I was so overwhelmed with all the baby gear that I absolutely "needed" according to all the stores and catalogs and parents. But when I was getting Emma's stuff out for Molly to use, I kept ALOT of it in storage.

THINGS YOU DONT NEED for baby!

• Excessive bedding
• bumpers
• conforter
• sleep possitioner all not needed. They just look pretty and are expensive. Splurge on a nice rug or lamp instead. You can still use it when the baby room becomes a toddler room. 
• Baby monitor (if you have a normal sized house. Your mommy senses will tingle and wake you up as soon as your baby makes a peep)
• Tons of blankets (we only used two of the soft fluffy ones)
• Bottle Accesories
• Bottle warmers
• bottle driers
• special bottle soaps or cleaning supplies (whats wrong with the dishwasher?)
• A million of same kind of pacifiers (you will probably have to try a few different kinds to see what your little one prefers. Emma didn't like any of them)
• Shoes (they look cute, but you will never use them. even if you try, babies have impossible evasive maneuvers to make sure a shoe never goes on that foot)
• Every kind of baby toy- We used a swing and an activity bouncer at first.  They are worth their weight in gold! She hardly played with anything else and she was quiet and happy for hours! But you don't need everything you see. Don't be fooled. 
• All the sterilizing stuff- your kid is going to lick the floors, eat dust bunnies and put his finger in the dog's butt.... don't waste your time or money trying to make everything perfectly sterile. (Did you know one of the BEST things you can do for your baby to keep her healthy is to let a dog lick her mouth every once in a while.... yup. look it up) 
• Baby bathtub- they take up lots of space and are unnecessary. Just use one of those cushy foam paddings and stick that baby in the tub with a few inches of water. 
• Bath toys- There will come a time when you need to get some, but right now, ONE rubber ducky will more than suffice. 
• Baby wash clothes- Honestly, idk what it is with those things! They are just cheap versions of normal wash clothes. Use what you have. Also, you don't need a baby towel. but they are adorable! 
• Socks- I did get some nasty comments about Emma never wearing socks, but she hated them. Babies love their feet and only need to be warm during the swaddling stage, which their feet are always wrapped up anyways. 

WHAT IS WORTH IT

• Boppy! -Breastfeeding or not, these things are awesome for tummy time, nap time, and to help when they start sitting up. 
• Baby swing- Baby gets lulled to sleep while you read a book or catch up on the cleaning. What's not to love?
• Baby carrier- Newborns love to be held ALL the time. Why not do it hands free? Make sure to invest in a good one! 
• Good nursing chair. (rockers are better than gliders) 
• Diaper bag Splurge! I have a Ju-Ju-Be and LOVE it! I will be writing a post about it soon, I'm sure. 
• Good stroller (unless you are going to baby wear full time- in which case you only need a fold up "emergency" one)
• Something "special" for Mom- because, you just had a baby! That's super hard, amazing and guaranteed to make you feel like a sloppy, overtired bum. A dazzling pair of earrings might help you feel better and are also a good keepsake if you do something involving a birthstone! And if those earrings come from your husband... he might just get lucky tonight after all ;)
• Thermometer! I cant tell you how many times I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off because I could tell Emma had a temp, but I didn't know how high it was! And no, forehead thermometers don't work. Neither does under the armpit. I know its gross and it kinda feels like you are damaging your child's fragile phyche, but rectal is the only way to get a reading. 
• Sleep sacks- My husband called Emma his baby sack of potatoes when she wore it. She was so happy and adorable and slept for longer when she wore it. 
• Lavender bath stuff- It really does help soothe a fussy baby and also helps them sleep longer.
• Pack n play- no parent can stay sane without one. We used ours as a bassinet, crib, play place, sleep over space, and some of them even have changing tables!
• Audio soother- It doesn't matter what it is. Emma listened to the Beatles, but there are lots of soothers that put lights on the ceiling or play a heart beat or just a lullaby. Play it at night when she is going to sleep even if she isn't fussy and she will associate that sound with sleep. It's a lot easier than running a vacuum outside her room all night. 

Im sure there is more, but my pregnant self is TIRED! 

Moby Wrap UPDATED

I just got my Moby wrap in today... and although I really love the idea of wrapping and I loved the one wrap that I could do with it.... it is not versatile at all! I did so much research on the kinds of wraps that I wanted to try and thought about how I wanted a wrap that would accommodate back, front, and hip carries. I researched the carries until I was sure I wanted a wrap, and THEN I looked at a "what kind of wrap do you recommend site", which by FAR recommended a moby wrap.
I can see why people were recommending it. It does feel nice and its easy to use and such. It is definitely nice for a new mom or someone with only one kid, or someone new to wrapping (which i guess admittedly I am or I would not have made this mistake).... But I have a jealous toddler who is NOT going to stand for watching her baby sister get wrapped up and snuggled while she isn't allowed to.
but of course underneath all the instructions for how to do the cool wraps it said something like "don't attempt with a Moby wrap" or "never use a stretchy wrap for this carry"...
Now, I think I might have to get an Ergo sooner than planned. Oh dear.

UPDATE: I have used the Moby wrap with Molly more than a few times. She loves it! I use it all the time when I am at home. It is easy to use on the go also because I can wrap it at home and "pop" her in once I get to where Im going. But I have found the max number of "pops" before you need to re-wrap is only two. It starts to loosen up a bit after that and Molly doesn't sit quite right anymore. I have found that it is more comfortable than the ergo when wearing a spaghetti strap top. And since my yoga in the morning routine means I'm always wearing spaghetti straps while I'm working around the house, the Moby is better for me at home. It looks like this when on.

picture in the mirror. I know, super skills.

It works out because I keep the ergo in the car, and can use it on a whim since it is easy to click on. Keep a look out for my Ergo post, because I will be writing one very soon, as I also have a few things to say about that.



...that's great and all, but what do YOU think?
What carrier is your favorite?
If you have a Moby or other stretchy wrap, how do you like it? Any tips?

Goodwill Goodluck

Emma loves her care bears! She loves the show, and she takes her stuft animals everywhere. The problem is, those stupid stuff critters are EXPENSIVE! It really is ridiculous. The normal sized ones are $75-85 and the little ones are $25-30. But that's only if you get a generic one. The care bears that are new or popular (which are of course Emma's favorites) can run even more!!! But look how she loves them

This particular cheer bear can sing songs and is wearing a bib, 2 necklaces, and some of Emma's shoes. They are snuggling in to watch... you guessed it, care bears. I have no idea how much this bear would have cost if we bought it new. We found it an a second hand store, so it wasn't too bad. But THESE delightful guys...

they cost 50 cents each! And since Emma is notoriously rough with her care bears, we have backups for when we take them out shopping or something. But that isn't all I found... I got a wingback chair for $5.50!  The fabric was floral and dirty and just gross looking, but the chair itself as in good shape, so I snatched it up, got some graphic fabric (50% off)  and am having it professionally re-upholdstered! 

Before

When it is done, it will be my own custom dream chair. And all for $260.00! I know my wonderfully price unconscious husband will have a heart attack when he hears that number... but any new wingback chair (that would still need to be re-upholdered to be considered my "dream chair) would go for around $500-600. The first quote I got for upholstering it was $450! Which is about $1,000! Granted I could have got a simple wooden rocking chair and payed around.... $100-200? But I really hate the look of rockers. I could do an outdoor one on a porch or something, but since we don't have a porch and I know I would just get rid of it as soon as Molly stopped needing to be nursed... IDK I would rather save up for one nice thing, instead of settling for something that just works for now, so that later we could get rid of it and THEN get the nice thing. I feel like I'm rambling... But I'm really excited for the new chair and will definitely post pictures once it is complete!