3/23/12
an easy lunch recipe
3/21/12
Alone Time
Our weekends are usually filled with friends and family and all sorts of fun plans. On weekends when we don't have plans with other people, I try to plan some fun family days for the three of us (the zoo, movies, etc.). Our weekdays are filled with Justin working and me taking care of Belle and Abby, taking them back and forth from activities, grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc. Luckily Justin's schedule is flexible enough that he's home a lot, but even when he is, he has work to get done. All of this is to say, I can honestly not remember the last time I was by myself. Even when I run errands, I always take Belle with me to give Justin some quiet time to work. It's weird on the rare occasions when I have a doctor's appointment or a hair appointment (that I don't take Belle to) and I'm in the car by myself. As much as I love Justin and Belle, I sometimes get a little stressed out always having people around me. Growing up, I always enjoyed my time in my room by myself where I could relax and do whatever I wanted. Not that I don't love being around friends and family because I really do, but I still crave some alone time.
I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy hormones or what, but I've really been going stir crazy lately. Our weekdays are so hectic. Have you ever been eight months pregnant and responsible for 2 three-year-olds all week? Getting them out of the house every morning, feeding them, keeping the house clean, doing laundry, being the referee when they bicker, etc. Let me tell you it's a lot of work and takes a lot of patience. Our weekends are not any more relaxing. This month alone we've had multiple birthday parties, a bridal shower, a baby shower (for Leo), a family afternoon at the movies, Justin working a full weekend and we still have another baby shower/party and Justin going out of town for a conference coming up all before this month is over! And I know once the baby comes it won't get any easier.
So last week, I went to see a movie all by myself. I used to love doing this but it always made Justin so sad to see me go out alone. And then we had a kid and his opinion changed. Now we both enjoy the rare occasion where we can go to a movie alone (and not have to share popcorn). Plus, we don't need a babysitter if the other one stays at home! And just to keep my sanity in check, I also decided to take a few hours last Saturday to go out by myself. It was such a great feeling. It was one day that we had no plans and I took full advantage. Justin took Belle out to run some errands in the morning so I could shower and get ready in peace (seriously, I don't even remember the last time I went pee by myself). In the afternoon I went to the local mall, ate lunch by myself and sat in Barnes and Noble reading magazines for an hour. It was glorious. And I still got home in time to enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening with Belle and Justin.
I'm not sure when I'll have another free weekend to have some time to myself, but I definitely enjoyed it. And when I got home I felt so much better and more relaxed, which made me enjoy my time with Belle and Justin even more.
I love being with my family 24/7, they are everything to me and if I'm going to spend time with anyone every day, I'd definitely choose the two of them. But I also think for sanity's sake, it's important for everyone to have a moment to themselves where they can breathe and not worry about the busy day-to-day stuff. It's a small thing that most people take for granted, but being alone is definitely a luxury that I treasure once in a great while.
I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy hormones or what, but I've really been going stir crazy lately. Our weekdays are so hectic. Have you ever been eight months pregnant and responsible for 2 three-year-olds all week? Getting them out of the house every morning, feeding them, keeping the house clean, doing laundry, being the referee when they bicker, etc. Let me tell you it's a lot of work and takes a lot of patience. Our weekends are not any more relaxing. This month alone we've had multiple birthday parties, a bridal shower, a baby shower (for Leo), a family afternoon at the movies, Justin working a full weekend and we still have another baby shower/party and Justin going out of town for a conference coming up all before this month is over! And I know once the baby comes it won't get any easier.
So last week, I went to see a movie all by myself. I used to love doing this but it always made Justin so sad to see me go out alone. And then we had a kid and his opinion changed. Now we both enjoy the rare occasion where we can go to a movie alone (and not have to share popcorn). Plus, we don't need a babysitter if the other one stays at home! And just to keep my sanity in check, I also decided to take a few hours last Saturday to go out by myself. It was such a great feeling. It was one day that we had no plans and I took full advantage. Justin took Belle out to run some errands in the morning so I could shower and get ready in peace (seriously, I don't even remember the last time I went pee by myself). In the afternoon I went to the local mall, ate lunch by myself and sat in Barnes and Noble reading magazines for an hour. It was glorious. And I still got home in time to enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening with Belle and Justin.
I'm not sure when I'll have another free weekend to have some time to myself, but I definitely enjoyed it. And when I got home I felt so much better and more relaxed, which made me enjoy my time with Belle and Justin even more.
I love being with my family 24/7, they are everything to me and if I'm going to spend time with anyone every day, I'd definitely choose the two of them. But I also think for sanity's sake, it's important for everyone to have a moment to themselves where they can breathe and not worry about the busy day-to-day stuff. It's a small thing that most people take for granted, but being alone is definitely a luxury that I treasure once in a great while.
My favorite part of my alone time? This bag of buttery popcorn I got to eat all by myself.
3/14/12
pregnancy woes
I've hit the point in this pregnancy where things are getting tough. I hate to complain because I know there are so many women who would love to be pregnant, but that doesn't mean it's all sunshine all the time. I am more than thrilled to meet this little guy in five short weeks and am so excited to start my life as a mother of two. But I need to take a second to rant...
- My back feels like it's been beaten with a baseball bat, I'm in pain all.the.time.
- I am exhausted but when it's time to lay down and go to sleep at night, I can't get comfortable and end up tossing and turning for hours.
- When I do finally get to sleep, I get up to pee every two hours and then can't fall back asleep.
- I'm constantly short of breath and have heartburn like you would not believe.
- On top of this, I'm taking care of two feisty three year old girls all day every day. My own daughter has hit the lovely stage of telling me no and refusing to do anything I ask her.
All of this to say, I'm exhausted, uncomfortable and in pain. Blah. It's a small price to pay for the gift of a child though and I know that. This isn't the hardest thing in the world, just not the most fun. I'm excited to be on the other side of this (with a newborn), but I know from experience that it comes with it's own set of challenges: no sleeping, breast feeding, recovering from surgery, all the fun things your body has to do to get back to normal, all while taking care of a three year old and keeping things consistent for her.
But enough complaining. In the long run, I will have two beautiful children that I love more than anything and all of this will be a distant memory. When I'm sleeping again and able to exercise regularly and Belle starts preschool, it will be all sunshine and happiness again. But until then, I'll be here on the couch, a wallowing, whiny mess.
I also wanted to share something I saw someone post on Twitter today. I won't give away her name or blog because I don't want to draw negative attention to her via this blog, but here's what she said...
This coming from a 24 year old skinny girl who's never had a kid! Can you believe that? This is an issue that I feel strongly about and I felt I needed to say something. Why do women feel the need to cut each other down and judge each other based on their weight/clothing/hairstyle, etc? I know I'm not perfect and I've certainly judged a celebrity or two, but I'm sorry, if you've never had a child, or even if you have, what's the point of a comment like that? Does it make you feel better about yourself? I really hope that if this girl ever has children that she never has a junk food craving and is able to keep her weight under what she considers the "normal 20-25 pound" weight gain. For the record, they recommend 25-35 pounds and I'm not ashamed to admit that I gained 40 pounds with Belle and am on track to gain the same amount this time around and not one time has my doctor showed any concern and not once have I been considered unhealthy. I think as women we should be more supportive of different body types, unless someone is severely underweight or overweight to the point where it's a health issue, in which case shouldn't it be more of a place of concern than judgement? Why can't we let women just be who they are? Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes and I think we should celebrate that instead of making catty comments.
That's it, rant(s) over.
- My back feels like it's been beaten with a baseball bat, I'm in pain all.the.time.
- I am exhausted but when it's time to lay down and go to sleep at night, I can't get comfortable and end up tossing and turning for hours.
- When I do finally get to sleep, I get up to pee every two hours and then can't fall back asleep.
- I'm constantly short of breath and have heartburn like you would not believe.
- On top of this, I'm taking care of two feisty three year old girls all day every day. My own daughter has hit the lovely stage of telling me no and refusing to do anything I ask her.
All of this to say, I'm exhausted, uncomfortable and in pain. Blah. It's a small price to pay for the gift of a child though and I know that. This isn't the hardest thing in the world, just not the most fun. I'm excited to be on the other side of this (with a newborn), but I know from experience that it comes with it's own set of challenges: no sleeping, breast feeding, recovering from surgery, all the fun things your body has to do to get back to normal, all while taking care of a three year old and keeping things consistent for her.
But enough complaining. In the long run, I will have two beautiful children that I love more than anything and all of this will be a distant memory. When I'm sleeping again and able to exercise regularly and Belle starts preschool, it will be all sunshine and happiness again. But until then, I'll be here on the couch, a wallowing, whiny mess.
I also wanted to share something I saw someone post on Twitter today. I won't give away her name or blog because I don't want to draw negative attention to her via this blog, but here's what she said...
"Jessica Simpson. UGH. I used to love her, follow her style and now she just looks awful. I know she's preg, but only supp to gain 20-25 lbs"
"You're only supp. to eat an extra 200-300 calories a day. Not eat from a trough. C'mon woman. Get yourself together!"
That's it, rant(s) over.
3/9/12
3/8/12
#febphotoaday
Here's the last of my February photo a day challenge (day 25-29)...
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
Day 25: green Valentine's Day card from Justin 
Day 26: night
Day 27: something I ate and too many of them
Day 28: money I normally don't carry cash, but this was some of my grocery shopping money for the week - I like to buy groceries in cash, it keeps me on budget.
Day 29: something I'm listening to 
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
3/7/12
some pictures from what's been going on...
Sorry, this post is Belle overload. Most of what's been keeping me busy has to do with her, so I thought I'd share. Don't worry grandparents, all of these pictures and more will pop up on Belle's blog within the next week or so.
Mybaby big girl turned three! Can you believe it? Me either. Here are some pictures from her birthday celebration(s).
Birthday Party
Dora cake made by Abby's mom, Sarah.
Birthday shirt made by Jenn. (Thanks Jenn!)
Actual birth-day: February 27 
These girls make every day busy. Good thing they are so cute!
Exploring with Belle on our beautiful weekend mornings while Justin was working. And yes, she accessorized herself.
Toy Story on Ice. So creepy, but they loved it!
My
Oakland Zoo
3/6/12
What's been going on...
I took last week off of blogging with intentions to have blog posts ready to go for the entire week this week. Well, life has been a little busy, so let me fill you in on what's been going on...
The weekend before last was Belle's birthday extravaganza! We woke up early Saturday morning and headed out to the Oakland Zoo to have a little quality family time. We spent half the day there and Belle had a blast. We came back for lunch and Belle's nap and then Justin took Belle out for the afternoon (to a train ride up at Tilden Park) while I spent the rest of the day - and well into the night - cleaning the house for Belle's party the next day. I finished cleaning at 11 PM and was pooped. No baseboard was left undusted!
Sunday was the day of Belle's party so I got up with her and had a little mommy/daughter time picking up cookies and balloons and having breakfast together. During her lunch/nap we set up for the party and at 2:30, everyone started showing up! Belle had so much fun with her friends and family. We tried to keep the party small inviting only immediate family and a few of her friends, but it ended up busy, but really fun! Belle had the best time and was giddy all afternoon with excitement. After the party, some of Justin's family stayed for dinner and we spent the rest of the evening cleaning up.
Monday came before I knew it and life was back to normal. A couple of weeks ago I had a doctor's appointment to check up on little Leo (and a birthdate has been set! for privacy reasons, I won't be announcing it but it will be in April). My doctor told me she wasn't too concerned about my anemia so I stopped taking my extra iron supplements but unfortunately it's left me pretty tired. So between that, our busy weekend and everything else, I was really exhausted. So from Monday - Wednesday I napped every afternoon when the girls napped. Between their regular activities and keeping the house up, I had no time last week to even open my computer let alone blog. Any spare time I had was used to do our taxes, yuck.
Before I knew it it was the weekend again. This past weekend Justin had a side job the kept him out of the house most of the day Saturday and Sunday but the weather was so beautiful that Belle and I stayed outdoors exploring for most of both mornings. One of Belle's friends had a birthday party late Saturday afternoon that lasted until dinner. Then on Sunday as soon as Justin got home, we took Belle and Abby to see Toy Story on ice (which they loved!). After that, I dropped Belle and Justin off at home and headed to a sorority meeting (I'm an adviser for my old chapter) that lasted well into the night - that was last night.
Between all of that, the few hours each night that Justin and I did have free, we spent catching up on TV shows and watching Downton Abby (more on that later). So other than checking email and Twitter I've been pretty technology free and it felt good! Although I do miss updating the blog, it was nice to take a week off.
Unfortunately things won't be slowing down anytime soon. This upcoming weekend I have two showers to attend (one of them being a baby shower for Leo) and the following weekend we are having a (month late) birthday barbecue for my brother-in-law at our place. I think things will start to settle down sometime in April... just in time for the baby to arrive!
Phew... what have you all been up to? I promise to have a couple more updates this week, and pictures!
The weekend before last was Belle's birthday extravaganza! We woke up early Saturday morning and headed out to the Oakland Zoo to have a little quality family time. We spent half the day there and Belle had a blast. We came back for lunch and Belle's nap and then Justin took Belle out for the afternoon (to a train ride up at Tilden Park) while I spent the rest of the day - and well into the night - cleaning the house for Belle's party the next day. I finished cleaning at 11 PM and was pooped. No baseboard was left undusted!
Sunday was the day of Belle's party so I got up with her and had a little mommy/daughter time picking up cookies and balloons and having breakfast together. During her lunch/nap we set up for the party and at 2:30, everyone started showing up! Belle had so much fun with her friends and family. We tried to keep the party small inviting only immediate family and a few of her friends, but it ended up busy, but really fun! Belle had the best time and was giddy all afternoon with excitement. After the party, some of Justin's family stayed for dinner and we spent the rest of the evening cleaning up.
Monday came before I knew it and life was back to normal. A couple of weeks ago I had a doctor's appointment to check up on little Leo (and a birthdate has been set! for privacy reasons, I won't be announcing it but it will be in April). My doctor told me she wasn't too concerned about my anemia so I stopped taking my extra iron supplements but unfortunately it's left me pretty tired. So between that, our busy weekend and everything else, I was really exhausted. So from Monday - Wednesday I napped every afternoon when the girls napped. Between their regular activities and keeping the house up, I had no time last week to even open my computer let alone blog. Any spare time I had was used to do our taxes, yuck.
Before I knew it it was the weekend again. This past weekend Justin had a side job the kept him out of the house most of the day Saturday and Sunday but the weather was so beautiful that Belle and I stayed outdoors exploring for most of both mornings. One of Belle's friends had a birthday party late Saturday afternoon that lasted until dinner. Then on Sunday as soon as Justin got home, we took Belle and Abby to see Toy Story on ice (which they loved!). After that, I dropped Belle and Justin off at home and headed to a sorority meeting (I'm an adviser for my old chapter) that lasted well into the night - that was last night.
Between all of that, the few hours each night that Justin and I did have free, we spent catching up on TV shows and watching Downton Abby (more on that later). So other than checking email and Twitter I've been pretty technology free and it felt good! Although I do miss updating the blog, it was nice to take a week off.
Unfortunately things won't be slowing down anytime soon. This upcoming weekend I have two showers to attend (one of them being a baby shower for Leo) and the following weekend we are having a (month late) birthday barbecue for my brother-in-law at our place. I think things will start to settle down sometime in April... just in time for the baby to arrive!
Phew... what have you all been up to? I promise to have a couple more updates this week, and pictures!
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