A Love Affair with Paper

Ok I realize this makes me slightly obsessive and a tad OCD but I love all things organizational and paper related.  As a child, school supplies we my most favorite thing.  Nothing like freshly sharpened pencils and cracking a fresh notebook, right?! Ok, maybe that is just me.  But, you can't fault me for needing  wanting an o so sassy way to keep my meal plans, work plans, yoga, budget stuff, date nights (what are those?), Porter stuff all in one place.  So, upon examining one of my other obsessions, blogs (particularly blogs that have to do with DIY house decorating or organization), I discovered Erin Condren  and her super popular "life planner".  She is a girl after my own heart.  She gets to sit around and design paper and school supplies (among other things) all.day.long! Wish I knew that job existed when I was little! But I love her bright, airy and personalized style.  SO, I obsessed about it for about a week and then dove in and ordered it. I love the family picture and the laminated cover with our names on it.  So cute!  Hey, this busy mama has to keep it all together in style!

Due Dates: A Love/Hate Relationship

A year ago today was my due date with Porter.  As a first time mom, I was the typical "slave" to my due date.  I lived and breathed by it.  January 23.  I was certain I would have my baby around that date and I would most certainly have a January baby.  Heck, we almost had Neil's mom a Grandmothers ring made for Christmas with a garnet in it (January's birthstone) almost 6 weeks before the baby was even born! How silly I was!  But, it is/was an important day for me.  It was the day I learned to turn it over to something higher, I had to learn to trust my body, I was living on "borrowed" time after that.  I wasn't very good at it.  I did exactly what I was told not to do.  I waited for my baby.  And waited. And waited some more.  I got overwhelmed, frustrated and got totally "over" being pregnant.  After all, the calender did say the 23rd yet.  Now, my baby was "late" (and nobody wants a late baby, especially a 7 day late baby, those must come out). Well, that isn't a very positive way to round out a very healthy, successful pregnancy.  Our midwife told me to stop thinking about it. Stop anticipating.  Just be.  Easier said than done for this type-A, first time mom.  Strangely enough, I had a "full circle" moment about two weeks ago in yoga that strangely paralleled this very situation.

In my previous post I mentioned my love for Bikram yoga.  This particular type of yoga is the same 26 postures each time, eventually, you memorize their order and it is really easy to just go through the motions.  The teacher stopped the class though and said that the hardest thing for us to do is to stop anticipating. Stop thinking about the upcoming posture and live in the current one.  She told us to stop anticipating each move and let her do all the thinking.  Yoga is too hard if you have to think during it too.  So just release it over to the teacher, concentrate on that is being said and live in the moment, not anticipate the future, even if it is just around the corner. Hmmm...... easier said than done. At that moment,  I realized.... I really suck  at living in the moment!  It is really hard for me.  It is my nature to plan, prepare and then...... wait.  Same for yoga, same with birth.

Now, I like to refer to due dates as what they are.... approximations. Nothing more.  An ish if you will.  I joke with our midwife that I don't want to know a "due date" for our next baby.  Something along the lines of "the end of (insert month here)" will do.  It causes to much anxiety and disappointment in your body.  I like to trust that God, my body and my baby know exactly when they are supposed to come Earth side. There is nothing "wrong" with me or my body.  There is something wrong with being forced into the same 280 day gestational calendar, a blanketed number of days that is somehow (supposed to be) gospel for every single woman.  We are all different, our cycles are all different, ovulation one offs happen.  Your body knows this and plans accordingly.  I'm not saying induction is never necessary, it is just used far to frequently under the guise of a big or late baby. 

I had a 8 lb. 5 oz. perfect baby at 42 weeks on the nose.  I had a February baby..... much to my chagrin.  I rejected all invasive interventions (no stripping of my membranes) as I passed my due date, but I tried (almost) everything else.  Teas, walking, sex, rode around in our Wrangler, massaged labor inducing points etc.   I never thought that I would have a February baby.  As a "last" effort, I sought an acupuncturist to stimulate labor.  She put the first needle-thing (like the technical term??!) in my back and said "baby is not ready. Stop forcing him. He will be born on Saturday.  If I am wrong, come back Monday, but I don't think I am." I left frustrated.  But, Friday night I went into labor and sure enough, he was born Saturday afternoon. A little, perfect Aquarian. 

I used my due date as a deadline, when it was nothing more that a fun date to mark "around" the end of my pregnancy.  Don't  misunderstand, I don't HATE due dates totally,  they serve a purpose, a barometer if you will. I just don't like them being so concrete. I like celebrating every day, even though I may not be the best at it. I don't like the idea that we as mothers should be consumed by them instead of the perfect rhythm of our bodies. I hope to trust that rhythm easier in the next pregnancy.  Porter wasn't late. He was right on time and he knew so all along and now, so do I.

Laboring, Saurday Feb 6th



See... perfect in every way!



Maybe two minutes old

First family picture..... I am looking a bit rough but I love it!



Meal Planning and Baby Weight

Last weeks meal planning went awesome! We made everything but the leftover sauce and pasta but that is frozen and we will have it this next week.  It really worked well for us, the leftovers made great lunches and it helped us stick with our tight, tight budget. We came through with $50.00 to spare.  Not too bad!  Neil is leaving this next week on business for three days and so I will be going it alone.  I am going to take the opportunity to eat much lighter, more vegetarian and probably a lot of salads.  A few friends have suggested I try the blood type diet.  I am type A so that is all organic, mainly vegetarian, no dairy, no wheat.  Talk about a change! But, everyone I know that has abide by it has not only lost weight but felt so much better.  I have been doing Bikram yoga 4-5 times a week, running some, and cut out virtually all eating out and eating much smaller portions and healthier. Total pounds lost..... two. TWO. UGH...so frustrating.  I tossed around committing to the blood type thing for lent to see how it works but I dunno.  It is a big commitment, but then again, I am sick of the baby weight that won't.come.off. It's depressing.  Anyway, I digress..... meals this week are......

Sunday: still have to decide

Meatless Monday:  Black Bean burgers and baked French Fries

Tuesday:  Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl

Wednesday: Chickpea Burgers with Tahini Sauce

Thursday: Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Balsamic & Hummus

( I need a good hummus recipe.... anyone have a great one?)

Friday: Dinner with the Fam but if not Tofu & Green Beans with Szechuwan Sauce

Saturday:  Cheese Tortellini's and frozen sauce

I need good vegetarian/vegan recipes.  If anyone wants to share, please do! Also, any yummy dairy substitutes??  I am still in the decision making time......

Jewelry for your Kitchen..... and a bonus thrown in!

As I have said in previous posts, I'm on a roll.  Neil and I are sticking close to home most weekends and have managed to bit by bit have our house come together.  I am really proud and happy that Neil has really rolled up his sleeves and helped me a lot.  It is not always his favorite thing to do, but once in the zone, he is really great.  So, he earned many, many gold stars this weekend for tackling some much needed projects.

Our kitchen started off pretty rough.  Really old, cheap oak cabinets.  So, we had them refinished to be an espresso brown, added stainless steel appliances and now we finally got our knobs on the cabinets! Neil still needs to do the handles on the drawers but it is a huge start. It is the jewelry for my kitchen!

Before: Forgive my messy kitchen!

After: Ta-Da!  Looks nice huh?

Neil making sure it is perfect.

After I cleaned.... big difference I think!

Other side, cleaned and dressed up!

New curtains and table toppings too! Finally coming together!

Close Up.

PROJECT TWO:

OK, so most the time, Neil's keys, cell phone and wallet end up here on the counter.  Drives me KA-razy
But it is not his fault. Mail and my purse have the same problem.  No where to go. Eeek.

So, Neil measured for a new shelf for our entry.

And put it together for me.  Got it on sale at Khols for $30.00

Our New Entry

Now the wallets, keys, cell phones, etc. have a spot

  Whew! I am  really grateful that my husband helped me.  I am no good at this type of stuff! Now, on to paint, organizing and decorating!  Stay tuned!!

Mommies and Meal Planning

I am sure that I have mentioned my fabulous natural birth community a time or two (insert sarcastic tone here). No but seriously, "my" mommies rock.  I can think of about a bazillion things I love about them, but for this particular post, I will pick our most recent undertaking.... meal planning.  My friend Laura, writes a fantastic blog Cheap de Cuisine, all about undertaking healthy living whilst being a mom, maintain a job, home and husband and lose the 'ol baby pounds that seemed to be sticking to a couple of us.  Anyhoo, we also started a Facebook Group centered around weight loss and we motivate each other, swap recipes, suggestions and such.  But, since most of us are watching our pennies along with our waistlines, frugal healthy is imperative.  So, at Laura's suggestion, I went "shopping" in my kitchen and created a meal plan.  That way there will be no 5 o'clock scrambling and we have an affordable, healthy (somewhat) plan to follow.

My poor hubby kind of got thrust into my Tasmanian Devil-esque quest to get our house super organized, our budget on track, no debt, money in the bank, healthy food on the table and knockin a couple LB's off the both of us.  I dunno where my zest came from, but it is here to stay.  So far, so good, we have made a ton of progress in the last month, and he is on board. Sooooo some of my recipes are healthy, some with modifications become healthier, some are just not.  And that is OK.  Balance is the spice of life my friends.  With the help of my new favorite go to, healthy yet yummy recipes, Eating Well and my old favorite Allrecipes.com, I think we have something we can commit to for a week.  I will share one of my recipes and also breakdown the cost at the end for those that want to give it a go themselves.

Dinners

Saturday: Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

We are making this to bring to our midwife and her family.  She is recovering from a major surgery and so I am making double and keeping enough for Neil and I to eat for dinner.  It is deeelish.

Sunday: Mushroom Sauce Baked Pork Chops*

Meatless Monday: Greek Style Vegetarian Lasagna

Tuesday: Burgers on the grill "Neil-style", Baked french fries

Wednesday: previously frozen homemade Italian sauce and cheese tortellini

Thursday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Brussels Sprouts

Friday: Grilled Steak and Salmon, Mashed Potatoes and Roasted  Balsamic Cauliflower

Mushroom Sauce Baked Pork Chops

Ingredients

6 pork chops

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

garlic powder to taste

2 tablespoons butter

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 1/4 cups milk

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 2 quart baking dish.

Rub pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add chops, and brown on both sides. Remove from skillet. Place onions in skillet, and cook until browned. Pour in mushroom soup and milk; stir until blended. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Arrange sliced potatoes evenly in prepared baking dish. Arrange chops on top of potatoes. Pour soup mixture over chops.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and bake 30 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 316

Total Fat: 14.3g

Cholesterol: 51mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database



Smith Family Modifications: Fat free COM Soup, 1% Milk, Earth Balance Vegan Butter

 

Meal Cost:

 

Pork Chops- got on clearance for $2.38

Soup- got for .99

Potatoes- half a bag that was $2.00, call it a $1.00

Onions- got a bag of 6 onions for $2.50, call it .50

Seasonings and butter- already had

 

Total approximate meal cost= $4.88 for whats listed, throw in an extra dollar for existing seasonings and milk.  New total = $5.88. This will most likely yield two lunches as well, so it is about $1.45 per person per meal. Not too shabs!

11 Months.... where does the time go??!

Porter's Monthly Update: 11 Months

Date: January 6, 2011

Weight: 24 lb 3 oz.

Movement:  Um, yeah.  We are in full on walk mode!  He went from his teensy tiny steps last month to practically running in one month.  He is everywhere and he is quick!  He started off rusty turning around, now he is a pro.  He still falls quite a bit, but he walks 99% of the time.  Watch the progress for yourself!

Sleep:  Pretty good.  He is still in bed no later than 7:30.  Most nights a lil before that.  He still has his off nights, but he mostly stays down until 3-5, gets up for a quick bottle or diaper change and he is out till 6:30-7:15.  Still haven't quite got consistently through the night, but I am lucky that my husband is so helpful and understanding at night.  He does most the heavy lifting there!

Porter Loves: WALKING, dancing, peek-a-boo, our garbage can (gross I know), remote controls, cell phones, My Pal Scout (Seriously all parents need to get this), his pirate ship toy, throwing a fit when you take anything away from him, his new chair from Santa and Sophie is becoming a new/old favorite again, Nick Jr. (in VERY limited quantities,it is mostly for him and Neil to sing and giggle to for a few minutes, but he likes the songs)

Food:  He likes what we are eating and taking his own bites off our sandwiches.  He loves these all organic fruit roll up type things made by Cliff Bars for kids (but they are messy so he has to be in diaper only).  Pizza is still a favorite and he is eating more meat.  He seems less shy about textures.  He loves turkey and was very happy with the eats this holiday season.

Mood: Energetic and cranky, but still happy and precious.  He is FULL of personality and energy.  That being said, he has discovered his full range of emotions.  He can whine and cling to us, throw himself on the floor and kicks his feet when he doesn't get his way, let out a blood curdling scream to get our attention, and freak out, I mean FREAK out when you take something away.  But the vast majority of the time, he is still a happy, happy camper. But the times that he is not, we are seeing a full range of Porter's other side!  Sometimes it is cute.  The kid has crying/whining while smiling down pat.

Happy Highlight of the Month

Neil says.... Porter walking!  He started walking right after our last post.  I think Neil secretly thought he would walk by 8 months so this was a big deal! Now Porter will practically run to his Daddy when he walks in the door and they pal around playing with the pups.  His other favorite, drum roll please.... Porter finally saying "mama"! He says it to me, but mama is also lots of other things too.

Linsay Says.... the holidays.  We had Neil's mom here for 15 days and we got to do so much with family. She graciously babysat for us and Neil and I had back to back 4 day weekends so we were around more too.  We went to see Santa, went to Church, had great meals, spend time with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents.  Porter was really happy to spend so much time with his whole family.  He is so blessed that so very many people love him so much!

What We Miss

Neil Says......him not being so mischievous. He is into everything.  We are constantly having to re-direct.  And it seems like every time you turn around, it is "where did you get that?", "don't touch that",  " no, that is my work lap top."  It is hard to keep up with the lil guy!

Linsay Says...... Along with walking, we have had to majorly baby proof the house.  He was in the cabinets constantly, which has never been an issue.  So, we put child proof latches on all the cupboards.  He has since lost a lot of interest.  However, the one drawer he can still open... the one at the bottom of the stove.  There is no child safety lock for that! It crushes my toes while cooking (cause don't ya know the coolest spot to hang out when people are cooking, is right at their feet).  So I miss that. Cooking in peace and not having my toes smooshed!

What We are Looking Forward To

Neil Says.... Porter talking (is he nuts?!).  We have been doing some signing, not a ton, but I think Neil can't wait to communicate better with Porter.  Sometimes in Porter's fits,it is something specific that he wants and it will be better when he can communicate that.  And who doesn't want to hear that sweet voice say " love you  Daddy"!  It will be fun to watch that evolve.



Linsay Says.... his first haircut.  Yes, I know his hair is long.  It drives me crazy when it is in his eyes. However, I am part Eastern European and Neil is half Italian and we have a superstition/tradition that it is bad luck to cut a baby's hair before they are one old. So we have held off! Plus, I think after the first cut, they don't look like baby's anymore.  So, it will be bittersweet to see my boy with his big boy 'do! Also, planning his first birthday party! We are gonna keep it mellow.  A friends/family zoo trip and family party.  But still, SO close to being one! Neil is really, really excited for both of those milestones too. 

Porter's 11 Month Pictures



Porter and Santa



I'll take those Santa!



Helping Daddy with his stocking

SO happy to spend time with Uncle Kevin

What Porter woke up to..... spoiled much?!

Daddy got him his first set of golf clubs

Santa brought Porter his own chair

Porter, kicking back with his bottle. What a life!

Helping with house work

This is mine now.

Merry Christmas Mama!

No More Cords! Thanks to My Hubby!

My step father came over last night and walked through what it would take to drill a hole in our wall to hide our cable and TV cords on our newly mounted TV.  Turns out, it is easier than we expected. So we used our day off and went to Lowes, used our gift card ( thanks to Neil's mom) and got the supplies, as well as all the knobs and pulls we need for our kitchen cabinet.  I have to admit, I did doubt my husbands ability to do put holes in our wall,unassisted, but proud of his effort.  Boy was I wrong! Completely wrong! I took a nap and he pretty much had it done.  One extra trip to Home Depot and it is perfect.  I am so proud of him and appreciate the effort he has been giving me around the house.  It makes me so happy and looks so great! What do you think??

BEFORE

Before: Lots 'o Cords!



I didn't think we would resolve it



Behind the TV

He is thinking of adding a doughnut type thing so it is not a gaping hole

The other side.... MUCH neater! Visible from outside.

So much neater!

See how it swivels now?!

AFTER. Much neater.

Buh Bye Cords!

A Semblance of Order

Today is my last day off before I head back to work after back to back 4 day weekends.  I am not looking forward to it to say the least.  My workplace is filled with women.  And many bitter women.  Don't get me wrong, I am all about women, I love powerful, educated, well spoken women. I adore my girlfriends and close women family members.  But, this particular group of women are a throwback to being in high school (and they are all in their 30's and 40's mind you).  It is the most cut throat, gossiping, he said she said (or she said she said, I should say).  My office lacks testosterone, and (generally) the directness that men (usually) bring to an office setting. It is a much easier work environment to have a male female split, instead of either extreme.  I am all about getting it done and have been told I am too "friendly" and too much of a cheer leader,my expectations of cohesion and everyone being supportive and helpful of one and other is unrealistic. Hmmmm, well, I won't change that part of me, I truly believe that  strengths should be celebrated and helpfulness comes back around and actually increases productivity.  No need to be nasty, but hey, that is just me. I graduated high school 10 years ago.

Anyway, these were my thoughts as I woke this morning and enjoyed cuddling with my boy, taking our time with breakfast, getting dressed, making coffee and our morning play time. I (well, my entire family) got our house into somewhat working order.  Curtains hung, pictures up, bed made, re-organization galore, de-cluttering galore, furniture rearranged, TV mounted.  Still lots to do, but lots of progress. And even with the start of my month end close week, looming in the (too) near future, I find myself more peaceful inside.  It is such a relief to come home to semblance of order. I read a blog recently that says before you can commit to any new change, your home must be in order. I am finding that to be true.  When your home is a sanctuary for you and your family, it becomes easier to tackle the outside world that is usually a much tougher place to be.  I am hoping this proves true for me this week.

Meatless Mondays

Traditionally, I have never been a HUGE meat eater. Especially red meat. And especially the fatty stuff.  Sure, I love a good cheeseburger, pot roast or good steak.  But, a meal without meat doesn't bother me a bit.  Given a choice of chicken or steak in any restaurant I always pick chicken.  I gravitate towards it.  My husband on the other hand is a HUGE meat eater.  He was brought up with Southern unhealthy eating habits for sure! Not a meal unless it has meat.  He is a very heavy eater, many of our meals are heavy, which is fine, but probably should happen on a more occasional basis.  It is just a matter of getting creative.  I love a Mediterranean diet.  I could eat at Pita Jungle every single day.  I need to be better about portion control, but I love that style of eating.  Yum.

Along with the yoga, comes a lot of perspective into one's eating habits.  Many Yogi's are vegan or vegetarians.  At the very least, most that practice seriously are pretty healthy eaters.  I have been reading a lot about different life style's and have had many friends cut back on their meat intake and notice favorable increases in energy, lost weight, less bloating.  So, I am intrigued.  Not too the point of total vegetarianism (though I probably could do it, Neil, NEVER gonna happen!) but I thought, in the interest of our pocketbooks, waistlines and health, about going meatless one day a week.  Meatless Mondays has a nice ring to it. And I must have heard of it somewhere because there is a whole website dedicated to just such a thing.  Perhaps I need to research some yummy, healthy recipes for my husband, no meat certainly doesn't mean no flavor.  Now I just have to convince the hubby of that! Anyone have any yummy tips, tricks or recipes for healthy, vegitarian, affordable dishes??

Living Room Makeover!

I have had my mother in law in town for the last 2 weeks and it has been such a blessing! We were able to tackle many household projects that I have been putting off.  And today, my hubby was nice enough to help with some drilling and heavy lifting and we really made great progress! He finally mounted our TV and we got curtains hung.  It finally is starting to look like home! I took pictures along the way to document our progress.  I am pretty proud! Not quite HGTV but I'll take it.  Still have some stuff to do.  I would love to paint (or let me rephrase, be able to have someone else paint), not sure what to do about the dang cords, and still have a shelf to put up in the entry.  But we have some a long way!

When we moved in.  Ugly vertical blinds, tiny ceiling fan and ruined carpet.  Yuck.

Little better with new blinds, new fan and hung a picture

LOVE the hardwood

My niches, round 1.  Too cluttery and not cohesive at all.

How it looked this AM.  Pretty plain.





Our house is taken over by brightly colored plastic stuff!

My, um, helper????

I got this, Mom

Don't even try taking it away. Seriously.  Stage 4 freak out.

And the after!

Removed some pillows, added curtains, rearranged knick knacks

still lots 'o plastic, but not so bare!

Yep, the baby stuff never escapes!

My newly hung TV and two candle sconces I got for $1each

Redesigned niches.  Much better.  Less clutter.

What do I do with the cords??! Arrrrr

Thanks to my sweet hubby!

New family photo.  Does the 'S' look silly??



We still have a lot to do, but we made great progress in the kitchen, living room and loft area.  The living room was just the only one done enough to photograph! Hopefully soon there will be more improvements to add!