Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Typical Mommy Morning

0 comments
My alarm goes off at 5:55 a.m. I hit the snooze once. Sometimes twice. Bad mornings, three times. By then, Leah is usually up and hangs out in my bathroom while I shower. She likes to brush her teeth or wash her hands a couple dozen times. As soon as my shower is done, Matthew is up, and the morning race begins.
It takes about 20 minutes to get both kids dressed and ready (including brushing Leah's hair, teeth, washing her face and hands). Matthew is usually content playing on my bed with some toys or his sister's hair, but other mornings he likes a small morning bottle to hold him over. After all that, it usually doesn't leave a lot of time for Mommy. I get dressed, brush my hair and teeth and manage to match some shoes to my out and possibly put on a bracelet or two, all in matter of 10 minutes. I leave the house with wet hair and no make-up.
We race out the door to load the car grabbing some items for Mommy's breakfast and lunch on the way from the kitchen. Leah also tends to grab something from the pantry to eat on the way. This morning, she also decided she needed to wear her princess outfit since we were seeing Papa after work. I don’t argue.
Typical conversation loading into the car:
(M) Mommy (L) Leah
M: Leah, please get in your car seat.
L: I need my Lion King? Where’s my Lion King?!
M: You left it at Miss Cristy’s house. We will see it later. Please get in your seat.
L: (stands in the garage and a school bus drives by) Mommy I see a BIG school bus!!! Mommy I hear a bird! Where’s the bird? (walks to the driveway)
M: Leah, please get in your car seat so we can go see Miss Cristy.
L: (climbs in seat and grabs some books from car) Mommy, I read these books. Oh, Mommy, I need that banana! Pleaseeeeeee! (grabs my breakfast banana out of my hand. Guess I am going to Starbucks…)
M: Ok, please don’t open it until we get to Miss Cristy’s house.
L: Ok. Mommy, I need one bracelet! Please! (I hand her one of mine) Thank you. It’s pretty!
Finally, I get in, and we’re off! No, wait, forgot Matthew’s lunch on the counter. Run back in to grab that, and then we’re off!
Holding banana and my bracelet in a princess dress

After a 15 minute drive to daycare, it’s drop off time. By now, Leah has opened her banana and lost my bracelet. Kisses and hugs, and off to work.
Since she claimed my breakfast banana, I stop off at Starbucks. Tall deaf non-fat vanilla latte and spinach, egg white and feta wrap. Deliciously over-priced meal.


On my 40-45 minute drive to work, I get a lot accomplished in the car (at stop lights, of course). I put on my make-up, eat my breakfast, check Facebook a couple times, play Draw Something, check my e-mail, oh and drive to work. My hair usually ends up in a bun looking thing. Very professional.
Although it’s stressful, and exhausting, I wouldn’t change it for a thing. I possibly could get up a bit earlier to dry my hair or put my make up on at home, or eat breakfast before work, but I favor sleep over that. Plus, what would I do in the car then? J Anyone else have a morning rush routine?
(You may also note my work-out is not included in this. If I actually get up at 5:15, I work out first, then start my day, but I am still adjusting to that. Like I said, I favor sleep.)

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Thrush is evil

0 comments
Disclaimer: this post is merely me venting.

Matthew developed thrush about 3 weeks ago now and it has completely ruined our entire breast feeding routine. For those unaware of what thrush is, it's a yeast build up in the mouth that usually occurs when on antibiotics or from bacteria on bottle nipples or pacifiers. Google it. Never heard of it before and Leah never had it, but apparently it's pretty common.

Anyway, it is not recommended to breast feed when your baby has thrush because it could transfer to your boob then you would be on antibiotics and the entire cycle starts over... Get my drift? Evil.

So we were doing really well with our breast feeding routine: I'd pump 2-3 times at work, and nurse at home. Now that we haven't been able to nurse for 2+ weeks, and I can't seem to keep up with pumping and bottle feeding, my supply has gone down. Way down. And to top it off, he now won't latch on! He has realized the bottle is much faster I guess.

My current dilemma - continue pumping and try everything possible to increase my supply or just say it was a good 5 months and call it quits?

My reasonings to continue pumping:
1. It's the best for Matthew (compared to formula)
2. It's free - I already have all the necessary equipment - and formula is expensive (even with my coupons!)

My reasonings to potentially stop now:
1. My milk supply has suffered and can't keep up
2. Pumping is a pain in the butt. Any mom who has ever had to do it understands. It's a huge time commitment.

This probably doesn't require a blog post or this much thought, but it's a huge decision to me and I can't make up my mind either way. I didn't know the last time I nursed was going to be the LAST time! It's difficult to explain.

Ironically, I am writing this while pumping in the car as we drive back from Phoenix.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Deals of the Day

0 comments
Went to Target, CVS and Frys today:


Target
Huggies Diagers $4.50 (stacked Target Q with MC Q)
Axe Spray $1.48 (stacked Target Q with MC Q)

CVS
Softsoap Body Wash (2) $3.25 each (earned $5 ECB) so $0.75 each

Frys
Odwalla Bars (3) FREE
Dial Soap (3) FREE
Gerber food FREE
Silk $1.50
Okios Greek Yougrt (6) $2.00



Thursday, March 8, 2012

A New Beginning

4 comments
Brad put this together for me this weekend:


My elliptical that we purchased in December 2010. After another pregnancy and baby, I thought it was about time to utilize this thing.

My goal is to work out 30-45 mins every morning before the kids get up. The constantly moving variable though is WHEN the kids get up! Sometimes, they both get up when Brad leaves for work (around 5:30) so I have to get ready and entertain/watch/feed them at the same time, which is pretty stressful. Other times, they sleep in a bit so I can at least take a shower with out having to entertain two kids in the bathroom through a foggy glass door. It looks like I will have to get up around 5 to meet this goal. Although the evenings are looking like an easier (time wise) option to work out, the evenings are the only time Brad and I have some quiet time after the kids are in bed, so I would rather not take that away.

My main goal is to become healthier, not just to lose weight. I realize this is not an overnight process and will take some time. It is also going to be an overall lifestyle change (for me and my family). Some things we have already adapted to in our household:

1. No Soda
I am not a big soda fan, but we always had it in the house because Brad needs caffeine. He has now replaced that habit with iced tea for the caffeine.
2. No Fast Food
We watched the documentary Supersize Me a while back, and ever since then, I have not eaten any fast food. I haven't even had the craving to eat any. Honestly, we all know fast food is bad for us, but when you watch the process of how its made, what ingredients are actually used, and what it does to your body, it turns your stomach.
3. More Home-Cooked Meals
Brad and I both love to cook. We try to plan our meals ahead of time so we are not rushing to make dinner at 7pm. Typically, when we rush or make something "quick and easy", it's frozen pizza or ordering something. Going out to eat is not only expensive, but it is also difficult to control how they cook your meal or what unknown added calories there are.
4. Exchanging Ground Beef for Ground Turkey
Before, we really only used ground turkey for chili. Now, Brad has exchanged ground beef for ground turkey is some of our favorite dinners, and honestly I can't tell the difference.

My other goals I hope to reach (in so specific time order):
1. Eat more fresh, all natural, unprocessed, no preservative foods.
2. Read nutrition labels and keep a daily food log (there's an app for that!)
3. Lose 10lbs a month (realistic? I have no idea.)
4. Set a better example for my kids.
Leah is a pretty picky eater. She loves fruit, cheese and yogurt, but she also loves hot dogs, chicken nuggets and pizza (really, what toddler doesn't?). I want to find healthier alternatives to her favorite foods.

Please comment if you have any advice, suggestions, or words of encouragement. I will try to keep posting my progress and possibly take pictures... possibly.





Thursday, March 1, 2012

Current Stockpile of Diapers & Wipes

0 comments
We have been getting some really good deals recently on diapers and wipes, so of course we stocked up (again).

Current count:
Over 3,500 wipes
Over 1,000 diapers (sizes 1-2, 2 and 3)

Leah is currently in a size 4 and we keep a pack on hand at a time because we are in the midst of potty training. We have about 2 boxes of Pull Ups.

My stock up prices (everyones is different):
Wipes $0.009/wipe
Diapers $0.11/diaper