Trick or Treat!

Hot Mom Defends Herself On Facebook

On Facebook one of my friends re-posted this article:

Hot Mom Defends Herself Against Facebook Haters

My friend posted, "Interesting Debate.  What are your thoughts?"

(Smart man... not posting an opinion.)

Since reading this article I cannot get it out of my head.

Now, I'm not going to "hate on" this woman and I'm not going to say the nasty comments that some people have been saying, but what I have to say is this...

She is a former pageant queen.  Which means her body was probably already close to this size naturally.

She was a fitness competitor.  Which means she had a personal trainer and/or coach where she had to make the sacrifices necessary to maintain this kind of body.

She's a recovering bulimic.  Which means her issues with food were under consumption, not over consumption.  Over consumption is the problem with which most women deal with.

So I understand how she wants to motivate and say that even with three kids she's able to have this rocking body.  But unfortunately we are not comparing apples to apples with a majority of women who struggle with their weight in this society.

And here is my story.. (I'll try to keep a long story short)

In 2006 was I was overweight.  That is me on the far left.

We went out to a karaoke bar on my 26th birthday and they gave us complementary pictures of us singing.  Seeing as I didn't own a camera... seeing myself came as quite a shock.  I joined weight watchers later that week.

It took me 4 years to take off 35 lbs.  I did not have a personal trainer.  I did not have a nutritionist.  I did go to weight watchers for a good portion of that time and I had a co-worker who was a personal trainer, who I'd occasionally get tips from.  I did my best with what information I had and taking this weight off wasn't easy.

Fast forward to 2010... to my wedding day.  I was 3 lbs away from my high school weight.  I was running 5-9 miles a week.  Running was my exercise of choice.

My husband and I were talking about getting pregnant and I was petrified.  It had taken me so long to get my weight to where I wanted it and I was so scared of being a position where I had to willingly gain weight again.

Two months after our wedding day I was pregnant with my amazing son Alex.  I worked out and was active the entire pregnancy.  I was already very active, but I heard it would help with the delivery and I wanted the easiest delivery possible.  I took Hip Hop classes throughout my pregnancy because they were low impact and fun.  I took my last Hip Hop class the weekend before I gave birth.  In my third trimester I was really excited about getting back to running and looked forward to the day I could do it.

There were complications with the delivery.  My son was born "sunny side up" which forced amniotic fluid into his lungs, so he was unable to breath.  He had an infection and had to stay in the NICU for a week.  He was 9.1 lbs 22.5 in. long, so he was also a large baby.  I had an infection and was put on antibiotics.  I did not heal well after delivery.

6 weeks after Alex was born, I wanted to get back to working out, but my right foot would go numb and would painful.  I saw a podiatrist who thought I had a hairline fracture and had me in a boot for a couple months.

This was me on Christmas Eve 2011.  My husband found me vacuuming.  Took the picture and then told me to get off my foot...

I had a MRI taken of my foot and they couldn't find a fracture.  I went to an orthopedic.  He said I had tendonitis and that it's not uncommon after pregnancy.  He said it was something I will probably have to deal with my entire life.  My husband suggested orthodics in my running shoes and low and behold I could stand to put weight on my foot again.

Unfortunately, it took my 13 months to fully heal from my delivery, so it wasn't until my son was 13 months that I was able to run again.

Then... 4 months later... I'm pregnant again.  This time around is much harder.  I wasn't able to take the last 20 lbs of my pregnancy weight off because I was unable to workout.  I did every diet trick I knew and that stinking weight would not come off.  My body also wasn't as in as good of shape as I was the first time around, so I'm lucky if I can walk around the block once a day now that I'm in the third trimester.

So I understand... the woman in the article was trying to motivate.  Unfortunately pregnancy takes a much greater toll on some bodies than others.  It's so frustrating when I hear people say that pregnant women "let go" or take "advantage" of being pregnant, because how to take care of yourself throughout pregnancy isn't something that is addressed.

Even with this pregnancy, I asked my doctor how many calories I should be consuming a day and he couldn't tell me.  I wanted to make sure I was consuming the correct amount of healthy calories, and not just eating cakes and cookies.  All he told me was, "stay away from sugar and carbs and you'll be ok."  Unfortunately sugar and carbs were all I wanted to eat this pregnancy.  I was given no information as to what foods I should be eating to support a healthy baby and all I wanted to do is eat anything and everything in sight.

The last thing I'd say about this article is this...

If you asked me tomorrow to join Dancing With The Stars, I would sign up immediately.  Why?  Because I've had 14 years of dance experience and 8 of those years were ballroom dancing.  If you want me to compete against a bunch of celebrities that have never danced before... no problem.  I'm there.

To have a former fitness competitor flaunt her body after 3 kids and challenge everyone else to do so.  Unfortunately, I understand why she got so much hate mail.....

Roar!!

Underwear!

Today is our Family Baby Shower.

I asked Alex what he wanted to wear...

"Spider-Man!!"  

Wearing his Halloween costume probably isn't going to be appropriate.

"Elmo??"  Asks my hubby.

"Elmo!!"  Alex exclaims.

I answer.. "He is not wearing Elmo to our baby shower."

I look at Alex and say, "I've got something nice or you to wear."

Alex's eyes get big, and he wispers, "underwear?!?"

I look at him, "Do you want to wear underwear?"

"Underwear....."

Can You Hear It?

I Love You!

The greatest gift..

Having your child say "Wow!"  "Very cool!"  When they are amazed at something new.. Is absolutely amazing.  Experiencing life anew through their eyes is the greatest gift!

iPad...

Our house is haunted...

Motherhood Support System...

My mommy group has been invaluable to me.  I joined July 5, 2011.  I was still pregnant with Alex.  I remember one of my first meetups.  I went to the Coffee Bean and met with a bunch of new mothers.  They all had babies 5 weeks olds to 7month olds.  They told me their labor stories and what to expect.  

Those mommies have helped me through every sleepless night, taught me about naptimes, what to do when Alex got sick, and informed me when stages of development were normal or not.

Here I am.   2 years later and pregnant with my baby girl.  One of the other mothers and I are trading boy clothes for girls clothes because now she is pregnant with a son.  

After she comes by to drop off the clothes.  I thought where would I be without these women?

I found my mommy group on meetup.com.  I highly recommend joining one or starting your own because the camaraderie you feel is priceless. 

Having a son means...

Organizing Your Week As a Stay-At-Home-Mom

 
It's easy as a Stay-At-Home-Mom to lose track of time, be lazy, and/or not get anything done.  I am really embarrassed when my husband asks what I did today and I can't think of anything to tell him.  I find the more unproductive I am.. the more bored and depressed I am.  So of course... being the list person that I am... I came up with a weekly regimen so I can stay on top of what I need to do.  Then I have the freedom (and lack of guilt) to do the fun things that come along with being a Stay-At-Home Mom or SAHM.

What are the basic expectations of a SAHM?  Usually... laundry, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children.  (If you have a housekeeper give your hubby a big kiss!)

The Weekly List
I have a weekly list which I re-write each week to update it.  You can do it on the computer.  I do mine on a yellow pad.

On the top of my weekly list lists the chores that need to be done.  Starting with:

1. Laundry.  At the top of my pad I have M, T, W, T, F, S for the days of the week.  Under them I have C, W, S for colors, whites, sheets.  Colors are Monday, Whites are Tuesday, Sheets on Wednesday.  I do a load of laundry a day and it usually takes 3-4 days in my house depending on how much there is.  I have a 3 hold hamper (got it at Target for cheap) to separate whites, colors, sheets, and I disperse towels where ever there is room.

Under the laundry and the days of the week I have:

2. Cleaning.  Some women are great about banging out all the cleaning in a couple hours one day a week.  I'm more of a divide it up daily, so my house always looks decently clean.  I list one of these each day: Bathroom, Groceries, Vacuum, Dust, Kitchen Floor, Trash, Windows/Fridge.  Groceries are mixed up with these chores because it takes quite a bit of time, but divide it up however you wish.  Also, if I miss a chore in a week, that chore starts on Monday and then listed by necessity by day for the rest of the week.

Then I skip a line and have my lists:

To Do List, Sitting List, and Errand List.

3.  Sitting List.  Ok, this might sound strange.  But this is the list of my "To Dos" which require me to sit to get them done.  I'm a mom... I'm tired... And on those days I'm exhausted, doing things on the sitting list is where I go.  These are things that could be done on the computer (like bills) or anything I can sit for (ie. Thank you notes, ordering from Amazon, looking things up online).  The sitting list can also usually be done in front of the tv, so if you are feeling unproductive, these things are easy and keep you productive.

4.  Errand List.  These are of course anything you have to go out of the house for.  These become more important when you are starting to go stir crazy in the house and need to get out.  Go run some errands.

5.  To Do List.  So really this everything else there is left to do... that you do in the house, but can't do sitting.

At the bottom of my page I have lists of:

6. Clutter.  What areas of the house need to be cleaned up?  Stuff needs to be given away or sold?  Rank them in order of importance.

7.  Projects.  These are more "me fun things".  A list of: topics I want to write on my blog, the book I'm reading, nails, or any classes, or things I'm working on for "me" time.

Then in the margins... (yes, there is more) I list different stores I need to go to.  Examples of stores are: CVS (Drugstore), Trader Joes, Dollar Store, Target, Kohls, Sprouts (Groceries), and Costco (Bulk).  Whenever I find a run out of something, I list it under the store so I don't forget to get it the next time I'm there.

The Daily List
Then on a separate sheet of paper.  I list M, T, W, R, F, Sa, Sun... for the days of the week.

In the margin, I write (So I don't forget anything):
1. Fun
2. Laundry
3. 5 Min
4. Clean
5. To Do.
6. Me
7. Dinner

1. Fun.  The first on my list... is usually a playdate or something fun for my son and I to do.  First and most important. :D

2. Laundry.  List which laundry is up to bat.... Colors, Whites, Sheets, Towels.

3. 5 min.  This is a reminder to me to clean up the house for 5 minutes between most of these things on the to do list.  Yes, I set a timer or... you could clean up based on zones of the house ie. the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the bedrooms.  It's important to clean up in between tasks because this is what keeps the overall house clean.

4.  Clean.  The Cleaning chore of the day.

5. To Do.  One thing off the to do list whether you are sitting, running errands, or the "to do".

6.  Me.  Don't forget to do something you enjoy.  ie. blog, read, nails, set up a mom's night out, plan a trip for your family, watch your favorite tv show.

7.  Dinner.  What do you have planned for dinner.

There you have it!  That's how this Stay-At-Home Mom stays organized.  I hope it gives you some ideas on how to be a productive Stay-At-Home Mom.

This morning's walk..

Wanted to get some exercise so I took Alex on a walk.  Decided to take Sauvi knowing she needs to lose some weight and this is what happened...

Terrific Twos...

Today we played with stickers.  Alex chose which stickers, in what order, and he could place them anywhere on the paper he liked. 

Then we went outside and had a water gun fight.

And shot objects with our water guns.

The tree and stone didn't know what hit them... 

We walked up and down the block shooting things and each other an had a grand ole time.

Alex firsts..

Alex has been squiggling, but started to name his squiggles... Do you see a butterfly?  A sheep?

Alex also imitated his first super hero today.  Dash from The Incredibles.  He kept commenting on how fast he was running from room to room..getting his teeth brushed and getting ready for bed.

Mr. Potato head

To a two year old.. Hiding things in Mr. Potato things butt is way more exciting than putting features on his face.

His creation.. One ear, one nose, one eyes, and a tongue..

Fear is...

Fear is... being locked outside in 90 degree heat, at almost 7 mo pregnant, by your toddler...

Disappearing Cereal

Every morning Alex gets a bowl of yogurt/fruit and a a bowl with cereal.  When he's done I put the left over cereal on the dining room table so he can graze when he wants.  Most mornings I'm surprised at the amount of food he consumes... and have to admit I keep putting more than I think I should because he eats it all.  This morning after breakfast we left the house.  When we came back that cereal was gone.  Which means one of my stinking dogs has been getting on table and eating Alex's cereal!!  Grrrr....

Beauty Tips and Girl Time...

I'm probably not the only woman in the world where pregnancy makes me want to hang out with my friends more (Sorry hubby... it's an estrogen thing.)  Seeing as I am heading into 3rd trimester, I wanted some time with some of my girls.  My step-dad has a place near the beach and I thought it would be great to have a ladies overnight.  So what does a pregnant woman plan for an overnight??

Ok... so it may look crazy... but I thought we'd try out all the "at home" beauty pins I had been pinning on Pinterest.  My friends seemed like they were game and fortunately all of our luggage still fit in the car with my 'box o' beauty'.  Well... barely...

First we started with the apple cider vinegar and Epsom salt soak.  I know there were suppose to be some kind of measurements, but I really just poured a bunch of both in.  I have to agree... it was very refreshing....

And my lovely friends...

Then we did the shaving cream on the feet.  And although messy.... it did soften our feet.  Definitely an outside project.

Then we did  the equal parts of warm water and Listerine.... I poured it in the bathtub.  I tried to get the water really hot by pouring water from the kettle in it.  I have to say... that seemed didn't do much for me.  Out of everything I tried, this was probably my least favorite.  Maybe I needed more Listerine?

Then Amy mentioned that rings can be cleaned in vodka.  I'd never heard of that, but why not??

The collection of the rings...

Gotta smile fore the camera....

I forgot to take a picture of the rings once they were clean.  But I took one at dinner and the rings did sparkle in the dark...

Then we did the olive oil with sugar scrub for the hands.  About a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Once done, rinse the hands to get the sugar off and then towel dry the olive oil off.  I get dry hands a lot.  I love this tip.  I've used it many times since.  It's better than lotion.

Then we did the baking soda on the lemon to clean the finger nails.  I sprinkled it on each lemon, don't be shy with the baking soda.  It worked best if the lemons were cut in wedges.  Sure enough... clean nail beds.

Then we did the 1tsp of baking soda, 1tsp of hydrogen peroxide, and 1/2 tsp of water, and brush for 2 minutes to get white teeth.

This one tasted gross, but felt like we just got back from the dentist, so it was affective.  I would need to play with it, but my guess would be less baking soda.  Of course would need to be done more often to whiten.

Then we did the 3tbsp of baking soda and 1 tbsp of water to exfoliate our face.  I actually liked the exfoliation so much I used it to wash my face day and night because I forgot my facewash.

Then we did the honey mask.  Just spread honey on your face for the antioxidants and that it's great for your skin.  Yep.. no shame in our game..

Then we took a break for a little massage train...

I bought the avocado because I wanted to try the - 1/2 avocado, 1 egg, 2tsbp olive oil to hair.  Apply to damp clean hair.  Wrap in saran wrap for 10-15 min and then rinse.

I would probably need to double or triple the recipe to do it for my hair, but I love that Amy was game to try it.  It's to moisturize your hair.  She liked it.

We finished by taking green tea bags I had soaked in hot water and put in the fridge (hint... this was the first thing I did before we got started) to put on our eyes for puffiness.

We had a great time trying these beauty tips out, no matter how weird they seemed.  It made me feel like I was doing those tips we would see in teen magazines when we were 15.  It gave us something fun to do... cause what is better than great times with great friends?

I was definitely feeling the love...

I Thomas...

Alex: "What's that?"

Me: "Rhinoceros."

Alex: "Rhino-Thomas."

Me: "Did you poop?"

Alex: "Nope!"

Me: "You promise?"

Alex: "I Thomas."

It cracks me up how often Alex incorporates Thomas's name in conversation. 😄

Why sons are awesome..

I'm just sitting here eating a blueberry muffin, with my sword beside me, waiting for my son to run around the corner and initiate a sword fight. #sonsareawesome #joysofparenthood

My helpful 2 year old...

Echoes...

Oh good!  My son has realized that if you scream in Target... it echoes.  What a fun game!  #yesiamthatmomwiththatkid

Stop It...

"Alex, did you poop?"

"Oh Mommy... Stop it."

I'm already embarrassing my two year old.

Baking in no time...

Maybe it's the pregnancy that makes me want to bake more.
Maybe it's something about motherhood that makes me want to bake more.
But I get these moments where I want to make Chocolate Chip cookies or banana nut bread.

What has stopped me before?
Baking takes a lot of time.
Baking makes a huge mess.
So quite often I don't bake even when I have the hankering to.

I was in the baking section of the grocery store, looking at the cake boxes, and I thought... why can't I mix dry ingredients before hand while baking?  If I plan on making a mess of the kitchen while baking... I might as well prep a lot of recipes to save sometime in the future.  Let's go full throttle!!

So if I get the craving to bake... I think of at least 3 recipes I will want to bake relatively soon and I make 3 prepared baking bags for them.

Here's how I do it:

I make a list with the names of the recipes on the top and I list the ingredients to the left column.  Then I enter in how many cups/tablespoons/teaspoons it calls for, so all the ingredients are organized.

Not the most beautiful picture... but you get it. ;)

Then I read through the recipe and see which ingredients should be bunched together.  ie. if I recipe calls for creaming butter with sugar first before adding other ingredients... sugar will be in a different bag than the other ingredients.  

The other tip... I always put brown sugar in it's own bag.  It's a moist sugar, so I want to keep it moist and not have it affect the other ingredients.

So then I get my gallon, quart, and sandwich bags (From Costco) and I divide the ingredients into the size bag I think it needs.  If it's less than 3 cups of ingredients, I'll probably put it in a quart bag.  If it has more, I'll probably put it in a gallon bag.  I use the sandwich bags for small amounts of ingredients which will be placed in bigger bags.

Label the bags you are using and line them up.  Then work down the ingredients and divide them up.

Putting the bags in a large cup will help when scooping ingredients.

Measuring over a bowl will also help make sure additional ingredients don't end up where they shouldn't.

And voila... you'll be the next Betty Crocker in no time!

Reasons why I like having these bags on hand.

• Have you ever run out of ingredients when trying to bake??  That's the worse!  Especially when you've planned on baking for an event and you are out of flour....

The last time I made these bags I ran out of brown sugar and chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies.  I wrote on the bag which ingredients were missing and put them on the shopping list.  The next time I decided to bake.... I went through my bags and added the missing ingredients.  Super easy.

• I made a mistake and I can't fix it.  My husband teases me because I tend to run through recipes too fast. I miss the sugar in muffins.  Then I'm mad at myself when it doesn't taste right and I apologize to anyone and everyone who eats them.

The last time I made these bags, I realized I put 1 tablespoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon in my toddler muffins.  I made a note of it on the bag.  Those aren't bags I'll use when I go to a potluck.  I will try them out, and then throw them out if they taste weird.

• These bags are great for cooking with toddlers.  I love cooking with my son and these bags make it a little less stressful.

 

 And for the big grand-daddy reason why I love making these bags....

• MAKING A BAG TAKES 1/2 THE TIME TO PREPARE AND IS 1/3 THE MESS IN THE KITCHEN.

 I can enjoy my joy of baking more often without blowing up my kitchen.

This is my kitchen after making homemade blueberry muffins this morning....

I have one bowl, my mixer, a couple spoons, 

and the muffin tin.  Not too shabby...

These are my secrets to baking more often.  They help with timing and cleaning, but maybe not your waistline.  

Bake away my friends... bake away...