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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Hair update

So, I know y'all don't really care, but I want to document this for myself, ha!

I did a baking soda wash, and an apple cider vinegar rinse/soak. I'm following a modified "Curly Girl" routine, as well as a "poo-less" routine. Basically, I'm making this up as I go along!

Once out of the shower, I used Mane and Tail conditioner, because it's the only 'cone' less conditioner we own (cone stands for Silicone) and just left it in my hair, then I plopped my hair, and plan on going to bed with it plopped.

So... we'll see how it looks in the morning.

It was interesting in the shower. I have SO much dandruff/itchy scalp that its incredible, in fact, that is the main reason I'm doing it. That and the fact that I want to stop using SO much product on my hair, and reduce my chemical exposure... but the scalp thing, that was right up there too. It actually felt REALLY good to massage the baking soda into my scalp, as it was kind of a rough texture so it felt like I was scratching! My hair didn't necessarily feel "clean" like I'm used to, but it didn't feel bad either. I really could feel it soften with the apple-cider vinegar rinse!!!

So we'll see. This is day one... I've heard it can take weeks to get back to normal.. or, well, your hairs normal... which may not be the normal you're used to. It's an adventure, to be sure!!

Now, lets see how well I sleep on these sausage rolls!

"Burn Your Mouth" Mac and Cheese

So, I was watching Rachael Ray's daytime talk show thing the other day, and she made this recipe, which was a mac and cheese with broceili. She made it with a rue (rew? roo?), which I had attempted before with a big ole' epic fail... It was so thick and nasty. But, today, I decided to try my hand at making it again.

Lemme start off right here by telling all you new folk... I don't follow recipes. This is why I cannot bake. Okay, I can very rarely... but usually something turns out badly. But, I can cook! In fact, I seriously wish I could go back in time, not go to college, and just go to culinary school. *le sigh*

ANYWAY. I set out to make mac and cheese. I decided to use spinach. I used fresh spinach leaves, NOT baby spinach... but I don't think I liked it as well as if I had used baby... so I'm including baby spinach in the recipe.

I'm going to include my ingredients list. THEN I'm going to tell you how I made it, because, remember, I don't like recipes, so there will be no exact amounts. Sorry!

Elbow Macaroni
Spinach
Butter
Flour
Boxed Chicken Stock (NO MSG!!)
Milk
Several different kinds of cheese, shredded (I used Yoder's brand, which, if you can find it where you live, BUY IT. It's delish!)

I started off by cooking the macaroni pretty al dente ("to the tooth" in Italian). I then drained the pasta and left it in the drainy thingy. In the same pot I cooked the pasta in, I melted 2ish tablespoons of butter. Then I whisked in 1ish tablespoon of flour, until it was well-incorporated, and slightly brown. I then stirred in 1ish cup of Chicken stock, then 1 and a halfish cups of milk. Then I added several handfuls of Italian, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. I then added back in the pasta, and several handfuls of spinach. Once the spinach wilted down, I added it to a casserole dish, and then topped with Cheddar cheese (sharp!). I broiled it on low until the cheese was nice, bubbly and brown.

I called it the "Burn Your Mouth" mac and cheese because it is SO FREAKING GOOD that you (or at least I did) will burn your mouth several times trying to shovel it in!

And hey, think of it this way. The more spinach you add, the better for you it gets!

Pit Crew

Keevia loves bath time, but she's not so crazy about the drying off part, especially if she's super tired. We don't bath very often, but co-shower, which means Carl and my Mom get her lotioned, diapered and dressed while I finish showering and get dressed myself. This conversation took place after I had came out of the bathroom, and both Carl and Mom were trying to dress a screaming baby.

Daddy: "Look, she has her own pit crew"
Me: (without missing a beat) "Yeah, I'm just here for the refueling"

*grin*

Happy Saturday!

Friday, February 26, 2010

The true test

I'm putting my home-made detergent to the test -- I'm washing some of Carl's clothes! HA!

I did make my own Oxy-clean yesterday as well, and it worked WONDERFULLY as I think I said. It makes me so happy! I just mixed up some baking soda with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide to make a thick paste, and apply to the clothes. Seriously, this got out Keevia's poop stain, which the actual Oxi-clean cannot!

For my powedered detergent, I used the following recipe. It doubles well!

1 cup of Borax 20 Mule Team
1 cup of Baking soda
1 cup of Oxi-clean FREE
Just mix well and use 3 tablespoons to a 1/3 of a cup for each load.

My liquid detergent recipe (I halfed it and use a gallon water jug to hold it in)
1 bar of soap
2 Gallons of hot water
2 cups of baking soda

Grate the bar of soap and place it in a heavy bottom pot. Just cover with water and heat until melted. Mix with the baking soda and the water. It'll glop up on you after a bit, just stir it or shake it and it'll be fine! I also added about a 1/3 of a cup of Borax to this recipe.

I got these recipes from here or here, although I did modify them somewhat. This stuff cleans WONDERFULLY. I plan on making my own multipurpose cleaner (vinegar, water, etc) as well! The only problem I'm having right now is that the cloth diapers are rough, but I think it's because I air dry them instead of in the dryer-- you know the crunchy, krinkly feeling? I'm not sure how to get rid of it...I wash them, then dry them for about 5-10 minutes to get the initial wetness out of them, then hang them up to dry. Any suggestions?

Hope you find these handy! I'll keep you updated how my poo-less life goes, I need to "wash" it tonight!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Taking the plunge

I feel very odd writing this post. I am, in no way, shape, or form, a part of the "green" movement. In fact, I don't believe in global warming, or climate change. While I believe that God put us on this earth to be stewards, I don't believe this should make us tree hugging hippies.

That being said, I DO believe that our nation is over-chemicalized (I just made up a word!). And I don't want to be anymore. I have allergies that are chemical based. I get skin reactions and migraines from certain smells. I don't want my daughter to be around those chemicals, or have the exposure I have had.

Plus, we're poor. Who isn't right now? Sure, Carl has a full time job now, but I see it this way: Carl works full time to bring home the money, I can work full time to SAVE us some money.

So, this week I embarked on the thrifty home-maker journey. I made my own laundry detergent (both liquid and powdered). It took me, oh, 5 minutes? And it saves about 6-7 dollars a GALLON. It really cleans too! I made my own "Oxi-clean" and it took out a poo stain on a sleeper, which, lets face it, if it can do that, it can do anything.

I also am going to take the plunge and start going shampooless.

I would say I probably spend around $25 a month on hair care products. I have extremely thick, fine, curly hair. I'm CONSTANTLY battling dry, frizzy hair, and an itchy scalp. So, I've been doing some reading, and I discovered that I can use baking soda and apple cider vinegar as a "shampoo" of sorts. I'm going to try it out, give it a month, and see how it goes. There's also some very interesting "Curly Girl" stuff that needs further reading.

I'm planning on using the rest of my 2 bottles of baby wash, and then ditching that as well, and just using all-natural goats milk soap, with an all-natural oatmeal lotion for the wee babe. Crazy? Maybe. Healthy? Yes.

So, follow me on this healthy Momma plunge, won't you?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I hate reading labels

I'm really not a picky eater. I'll eat just about anything. However, I do try to watch what chemicals and artificial products I put into my body. Difficult to do in today's world. I'm not even that anal about it, I just watch out for three things:
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (don't listen to the commercials, it is NOT the same as sugar)
- Hydrogenated (or Partially-Hydrogenated) oils

All of these things, to me, are important to watch for. Because of trying not to eat these things, I don't eat a lot of processed foods. Which is fine by me.

I bought so Harvest Cheddar Ritz Crisps at the Dollar store the other day. I didn't check the label. While eating a handful of them today with an apple, I just glanced at the label.

MSG and High Fructose Corn Syrup!

UGH. The High Fructose isn't THAT big of a deal (except for the fact that I think it's helped with the increase of diabetes in this nation, but that's another post). But the MSG is a HUGE deal. I cannot breastfeed and eat MSG. I made that mistake on Valentines day and my daughter screamed bloody for hours the next day. Not going to happen.

Honestly though, how difficult is it to make food without chemicals? Why can't we let the natural flavors shine through? Why not boost the flavor with natural things like herbs instead of chemicals? It just bugs me to no end. I don't want this stuff in my body people!

I honestly believe the majority of diabetes, and other diseases is because of these food additives. I want to shield my daughter from that stuff.

Guess I'll start reading labels more religiously.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Crickets

Keevia has developed this new little habit that I think is just darling.

Whenever she nurses (which is a LOT now that she's over the thrush), she rubs my breast like normal, but this past week or so she's started doing something else.



She gently rubs her feet together the entire time she nurses. It's adorable. She looks just like a little cricket, and in fact, has earned herself a new nickname.

I cannot believe that she is fast approaching 4 months. It's so funny to see how much they grow and mature. When she was born and she nursed, she would often fall asleep, which is common I know. Then, about a month ago, she started moving whichever arm was on top, either punching my breast, or just stroking it... and now she's moving her feet constantly. And she gets very upset sometimes if her feet aren't bare. She's definitely her Momma's child.

None of us have felt well today, and so she's been slightly cranky. We hadn't really had any screaming in quite some time... but boy did she scream today! She didn't nap well all morning, and then when she did go down it was with a fight. Then, this evening, I was attempting to move her bedtime later, and she wasn't a fan. haha!

Why am I moving her bedtime later, you may ask? Because my Hubs got a FULL TIME POSITION TODAY! He starts at 9 am and will work until 6pm every day. This means he won't get home until around 6:30. Keevia was going down around 8, so I'm trying to move that back to around 9 so that Daddy can see her more. She and I took a shower at 8:30 tonight, and she had a complete meltdown afterwards. I felt so bad because she was SO happy in the shower! She even latched in there, and just looked up at me like "Ahh... Mommy, this is heaven!" I felt so bad when she had such a meltdown later.

Speaking of bed, I think I'm going to join her soon. No more getting up at 3:30 am for me! I get to sleep until 7 am, wake up with my Hubs, fix him breakfast, pack him a lunch, and not be worn out anymore. Yay!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

I know where my Christmas Money is going...

Right here. Isn't it gorgeous? I soooo want an Ergo. I tried one on in Lexington today and I fell in LOVE. It was beautiful. It was comfortable. It was soft. Keevia LOVED it and it was sooooo easy to put on and take off. I literally adjusted it with one hand while she was in it. Everyone talks about how they aren't pretty, but I think the Galaxy one is adorable! Plus, with the waist extender, Carl can wear it easy-peasy! I'm a size 18ish (but mainly cuz of my hips) and it fit me snugly. I'm SO excited. I'm going to quilt (I work with my Mother in her quilt shop) this week so that I can buy one with my Christmas money.

Also, a major bummer happened today. My sweet sister in law (whom I hate because she ordered herself an Ergo) bought me a pajama set from Motherhood Maternity for Christmas. Due to Keevia getting sick on Christmas day and our rush back to Jackson, we lost the receipt. It was impossible for us to exchange the pajama set because we didn't have a receipt. It was insane. All I wanted to do was exchange it for a nursing shirt, for ease when we're out and about, and nope, couldn't do it. At first I was bummed because I already had some pj shirts that were like the one on this outfit... but then I realized, hey, I'm going to be having another baby in the not-to-far future (2+ years). I'm going to need a cute outfit to sit in the hospital and nurse in, right? Haha. I think it'll work nicely. But still, the return policy at Motherhood sucks, so beware!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Do a happy dance!!!!

CARL GOT THE FULL TIME POSITION!!!!!

*deep breath*

How should we celebrate?

Going to the Pedi at 11:15 this morning. So not excited.

Okay, that is all.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

I've found the reason

Behind the current lack of posts.

Tonight is the first night this week that Keevie has went down before 11 pm. She's not been napping well, and I just assumed that it was 4 month wakeful.

As you know, on Tuesday I broke out the "Shred" and did a whopping 8 mins and 18 seconds. I then felt like I was going to die.

I STILL feel like I'm going to die. Seriously. I feel like I have the flu.

Also, Keevia had some "dead skin" on her lower lip this week. And she's just been acting off.

My nipples are starting to hurt when I BF. My right one always hurts with initial latch on, but now my left one is. I have stabbing boob pain. Keevia's "dead skin" won't go away.

Yeah... 99% sure we have thrush. 100% sure it sucks. A lot.

So, plans to go to the apartment/Lexington tomorrow are canceled, as we will be attempting to get into the Pedi. I had a prescription of Diflucan which I began taking tonight. Thankfully Keevie's 4 month well-baby is next Friday, so maybe we can just get it out of the way this week!

So yeah. This is the first night I haven't been up til 11:30ish trying to get an overtired baby down. I think I'm going to take advantage of her being asleep and hit the hay myself. 3:30 comes way, WAY to early methinks.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Pictures Post!!!!!!

All of these pictures took place in the past few days.





McFatty MondayTuesday! Week 7!

I still weigh 226.

I officially hate myself. Okay, not really. But I'm fed up with myself. I think a lot of it is the fact that I stay home with the baby a lot... and if I'm just sitting around, I eat. I went to "work" with Mom (for those of you who don't know, my Mom owns a quilt shop next door to our house) 2 days last week, and that really helped. I ate drastically less throughout the day because I was up, on my feet, working. I got some exercise in that way as well. YOU try strapping a 13 lb baby to your back and then walking up and down this little tract while you quilt. It works muscles, lemme tell you.

But, I didn't use the exercise machine. I didn't do the Shred.

I did go to our Valentines day sweets party, and with each bite I took, I cursed myself a little, BUT I KEPT EATING. These aren't healthy eating habits y'all.

I thought that being accountable to someone, or many someones, would help me. Obviously it has not. So, I decided to do Blairs trick, of taking pictures.



Now then. These were taken today, not 7 weeks ago. I HAVE lost inches since then, but NO weight. I would LIKE to be 180. I would LIKE to be a size ten. I'm currently a size 16/18. Ignore the facial expression. Mom's cats were fighting on the back of the couch right about the time this snapped.

That's another thing I think that's hindering my weight loss. We're living with my Mom. Fast recap for those of you who only read my blog for McFatty Mondays. My husband and I (and daughter) are living with my parents while we try to move out our stuff from an apartment an hour and a half away. We're in the process of purchasing a manufactured home, and moving it onto their property. It's a very, VERY long process and pretty stressful. The stress isn't helping, I'm sure, but mainly its the fact that my Momma buys food SO MUCH BETTER than the food I buy, so its all there, and its tempting to eat.

BUT, I'm not going to focus on the negative. I'm choosing the focus on the positive.

- I have eradicated Pop from my diet EXCEPT when we go out to eat (which is rare). Give me a little time, and this will be eradicated as well.

- I have drank SO much more water this week. I'm having to pee a TON, but its worth it.

- I DID THE SHRED TODAY. Let me pause for a moment to speak about this...

HOLY SHIZNIT THAT WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!!! I only did 8 mins and 18 seconds (thank you darling daughter for waking up from your nap and needing to eat. You saved poor Momma), and honestly, I think that was enough. I can barely lift my arms, and lifting my daughter is a struggle. I can barely walk to the swing to get a toy. I AM GOING TO DIE. I think I'm going to change it to the like, 90 day shred or something. I don't need FAST results, I need long lasting ones, and with my fibro, I need to not do damage that would make it HARDER for me to work out.

But. I DID IT. I got off my fat rear and DID it. There is hope!

So, goals:

No more emotional eating this week.
No more sweets.
More water.
Don't eat out.

GO!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

BLANK! In the name of loooooooooove....

Today was a really fun day. I woke up this morning to my beautiful daughter stroking my face with her tiny little hand. As soon as I opened my eyes and saw her, she broke into the biggest grin. This grin immediately dissolved into her little "Uh. Uh. UH. UH!" which, in Keevie talk, means "FEED ME NOW WOMAN I'M STARVING." So I did.

I got her dressed in an ADORABLE outfit that Carl and I picked out last Valentines day. I don't believe we knew we were pregnant, but we bought it on sale for like a dollar. I swear y'all, a picture post is coming. We went to church, and Keevia did really well. I fed her there, and then we headed to Wal-mart to purchase her first Valentines stuffed animal.

Apparently that meal in church was laced with MSG, because she started melting down when we hit Wal-mart. Carl and I got in, got the stuff to make Oreo truffles, her stuffed animal, and headed out. We were going to grab something in town, but the intensity of her screams was too much for us to handle, so we headed home.

Once we got home, I was able to nurse her down for a nap, and then I managed to fry some pork chops and make rice and macaroni and cheese. Totally unhealthy, but filling and quick. Keevs woke up shortly after I began making the Oreo Truffles, and fussed and screamed for approximately two hours. She was super gassy, and seemed to just feel rotten. I felt like a HORRIBLE mother for eating the Chinese last night, but then again, how was I to know that it would bother all of us so much? That's the only real negative about breastfeeding from me. I can screw up her belly by making one mistake, and it's all trial and error.

I managed to get the Truffles done (with my Mom's help) and Keevs back down for a nap around 3:30ish. I then relaxed a little bit until it was time to head back to church (we had a Valentines Sweets party). I felt like a horrible Momma for waking my napping baby up, and lemme tell you, she was NOT in a good mood to start out with... but that got better quickly!

We went to church, pigged out on way too many good desserts, discussed Broadway plays/artists, found out that the $37.50 I spent on food last night is totally uncommon at that restaurant, which doesn't really matter because we can't eat MSG anyway... then Carl had to leave (we'd driven two cars) to fill up the car with gas, and visit his friend, and I stayed at the church.

I had a BLAST. We played three easy little games, but it was just so entertaining! Keevia did wonderfully. She sat up like a big girl in my lap and just stared all around. I was really reminded of how much she's grown today when a little two week old baby girl made her first appearance at church. She was actually born 10 ounces bigger than Keevs and she just seems SO tiny! It's hard to believe, already, that Keevie is getting that big!

I brought the wee one home, dunked her in the bath, and she pretty much passed out. She woke up after about thirty minutes though and had to snuggle and play a little, then dropped back off to sleep.

I got totally used to not having to get up at 3:30 am these last two nights, and I'm dreading having to do it tonight. My poor husband has to get up at that time to go to work every morning. If you would, could you please keep him in your prayers? He put in for a full time position on Friday, and if he receives it, we would get more hours, I could budget much easier, and best of all, he wouldn't have to be there until nine am!!!

Alright, if you made it this far the longest ramble post ever, you deserve like five billion imaginary points. I don't even know why I'm rambling so much, except for the fact that I'm tired and hungry. And yet I just keep typing. Odd. Alright, going to bed now. Hope y'all have a good night!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Valentines Day

Today Carl and I celebrated Valentines together (with Keevia, of course!). We decided to do dinner and a movie, and had budgeted $35 for both.

With Keevie, we only do matinee movies so there won't be a large crowd, and we can easily procure a aisle seat. I always sit on the aisle, and simply leave if she gets fussy. This isn't usually a problem, because I always just breastfeed her in there easily... Don't have to worry about showing anything! So. We went to the 1:30 showing.

First off, we were late because I was searching for my sling and having no luck. So we got there about 1:35. Then, there was a mile long line for the concessions/ticket line. I stood there at first and Carl took Keevs in, but the noise scared her, and Mommy wasn't there... so he had to bring her right back out. We switched, I took her back in, and he stood in line. When I went back in, the movie was already a good few minutes it.

Carl came in, oh, about 15-20 minutes later. I felt so bad for him. We sat and watched the movie (Very cute! Not quite as good as "The Game Plan", but cute), then headed out. I asked him in the car how much the movie had cost, and he said we got in for free! Some big, tough looking guy in front of Carl in line started making a scene about being late to his movie, and Carl told him to lay off the guys behind the counter (who obviously weren't expecting the rush!). He did, and went into his own movie, and then Carl asked for 2 tickets and a coke. They said the tickets were on them for saving them the trouble of the guy, and let him buy the coke. So, we spent $2.50 on the movie! Ha!

Then we decided to treat ourselves and go to the Chinese restaurant, Pekings. We got there around 3:30 pm, and apparently they don't open until 4. So, we went to this little store called Magic Mart and killed some time. We came back, and headed to the restaurant.

It started off badly, when we went in we were told I couldn't order from the menu, they only served the buffet. This sucked because I NEVER feel like I eat enough for a buffet. Also, I rarely really like the food that's ON the buffet. I'm pretty much a Wonton Soup, Moo Goo Gai Pan kind of girl. Neither of those are ever on the buffet. So, we got the buffet, and ate. I ate 1 plate of food, Carl ate 2. We got our check.

$37.50. For two buffets. Yes, you read that right, let me put it in words.

THIRTY SEVEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY FREAKING CENTS.

We were steamed. There was no advertisement on how much the buffet would cost. We assumed $10-12 a person. I had asked to order from the menu, they said no. As we were leaving, a waiter passed by our table and went to a table behind us. WITH FOOD FROM THE MENU. Oh, we were BEYOND steamed. We were livid.

We paid the amount, left no tip, and left. We will not eat there again (which is OK, it was obviously MSG laden and I got SO sick once we got home. I'm dreading tomorrow/Monday for Keevia).

So, we ended up spending $40 instead of $35. Which isn't a big deal, I know. But imagine what we would have ended up spending if we had had to pay for the movie?

Lesson learned. ALWAYS ASK when a price is not listed, and then walk out (before you get your food of course) when the price is too high.

Our day wasn't ruined though. Carl and I went on to Lowe's and perused there for a while. We looked at paint samples, wood flooring, counter tops, lights, etc. It was a lot of fun! We felt old though, as we actually found this enjoyable. Ha!

We plan on going to Wal-mart tomorrow and purchasing Keevia a teddy bear with a 2010 on it. This is going to be our Valentines day tradition for her, to purchase a bear or stuffed animal of some sort that has the year on it. We plan on buying her (and any subsequent children) a Halmark ornament each year as well, and when she moves out and gets married, she'll have like 18-21 ornaments for her own tree to start off with.

It was a nice, leisurely day, just the three of us. With Carl's increase in income, we'd like to budget about $60 a month for us to go out like this... and it doesn't even have to be that much. I think we had more fun walking around Lowes than we did in the movie, and we got to talk a lot more! It was very relaxing and rejuvenating!

What are you doing for Valentine's day?

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Shew...

That blog makeover took it out of me! And apparently it took it out of Keevia too, who slept SEVEN HOURS last night in her baby bed. I love my kid!

Yesterday I managed to make it to the shop and work some. My Momma owns her own quilt shop, and makes crafts and things. She also takes in tops that people have made and charges a fee to quilt them. This is where I come in. Now that we're here full time, I can help out in the shop and bring in some extra money. I worked an hour yesterday and made $25!

Today, my good mommy friend Jonneatha came over, and we hung out while I quilted. I started out making some straps for future mei tais and SSC's, then switched to a king size quilt.

King size quilts are biiiiiiig.

Keevia took a short cat nap on my back in her mei tai, but mostly she flirted with Xay. It was the cutest thing EVER. We would stand, holding them so they faced, and she would just jabber and squeal at him. His eyes would just get really big, and then bigger. He did play footsie with her though, her Daddy's going to have to watch her! She's going to be the biggest flirt!

I always think she's so big, but then when she gets around boys she seems to LITTLE! She's very petite!

I'm really going to try and take pictures more frequently. I was doing really well, but the last two weeks I've taken pictures twice. That does not make Mommy happy.

Tomorrow, fingers crossed, we're going to the movies. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to it, and I'm praying ti works out!

Oh, and Carl has 30 hours so far this week and he works tomorrow as well! WOOHOO! Big improvement from scraping by with 21 hours!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

New Layout

Y'all like the new look? I'm attempting it! I'd love to do some drop-down stuff later on, but for now, this works! All reviews (Book, Movie and Product) are under Reviews. Mommyhood consists of all my SP, pregnancy, colic, breastfeeding AND miscarriage posts. I'd like to do those separately in the future. Drop down mode scares me though... anyone know how to do it?

Anyway. You like the new look?

Edit:

I don't like the order of the things on the side, but blogger hates me and won't let me re-arrange. That'll change soon.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Oy vey (my day).

I am tired.

Today has been...interesting? I'm doing bullet points because my head is exploding from tiredness.

- Carl started his new job - LOVES it. I'm so glad! It's a shorter commute, and he gets more hours. He went on deliveries today which he really enjoys. I think he worked 10ish hours today and he still has 4 days to go to work this week. YAY!

- I spent the majority of the day trying to call the chiropractor and trying to start Mom's van. For some reason the ignition switch went out. We were waiting for it to get above freezing to make sure that it wasn't just frozen up. It wasn't. We ended up calling our mechanic to come and get it. HOPEFULLY it'll be ready tomorrow!

- Got a hold of the chiropractor and got appointments for Mom and me.

- Found out that one of my loan payments started already, and I'm a month overdue. Had to make a trip to the good ole savings account to pay for it.

- FINALLY mailed my rent check which was due on the first.

- We have a mouse in our house (or possibly two). Now, this mouse is on a suicide mission, as we also have 6 cats in our house. Several days ago (before we got back to Mom's), the mouse ran under Mom's chair. Today, I was nussing the baby, and I felt something tickle my fat roll. I assumed it was just an itch or something. A few minutes later I felt something RUB against my leg. I looked down, and Keevies leg was NO WHERE NEAR where I had felt something rub my leg. I didn't freak, and I'm quite proud of myself. I merely scooped the baby up and removed myself from the chair posthaste. The cats stalked under the chair for quite some time after that.

- I realized, after about hour 3 of fussybabyness that I had stupidly eaten some Lil'Smokies SAUSAGES yesterday. THEY ARE STILL SAUSAGES SHAINA!!!

- Went to the chiropractor with Mom. Her pelvis was out, my L4 was out. We got out to the car and I bumped the top of Keevie's head against the roof of the car (I hate that car), and she FREAKED OUT. So, we took her back in to Doc's and she checked her out. SO glad we did because Keevs pelvis AND sacrum were out.

- Had a screaming baby for 25 minutes in the car while Mom got groceries. It. Was. Miserable. I felt so bad because she was hungry but wouldn't nurse and she was SO over tired. We got home and she got much, much better.

- Am so thankful that my sweet baby is now sound asleep, and I may be able to take a shower before she wakes up.

- Now that I'm back in alignment, am doing Jillian Michaels tomorrow, come hell or high water.

- Am going to finish watching "The Big Bang Theory"now, so I can actually hear the jokes!

McFatty Monday Week 6!

Alright. So, the scale reads 226.

HOWEVER. My size 20 pants are now falling off my rear, and the belt that I had been using for the past several weeks to hold them up, which I couldn't use all the holes on, IS NOW TO BIG TOO!! WOOT WOOT!

I have my former "fat" pants which are now my "skinny" pants that I need to try on again. If all works out with my Mom's van, I'll get them on Friday and see if I can shimmy into them.

I did pretty well for lunch today. I had a spinach, coleslaw, carrot, and broccoli salad with a little ranch dressing and 1 corn tortilla crumbled on top. I did, however, have a Dr. Pepper with it *insert disapproving face here*.

Once the 2 remaining pops are out of the fridge though, that is it. No more.

And, I am cracking open Jillian Michael's TOMORROW. NO MORE EXCUSES. We will fight, she will kick my butt, and I will lose weight. End of discussion.

I WILL lose weight this week, even if its a freaking pound.

Oh, and I'm spotting some, so maybe I'm retaining some water? AF still hasn't raised her ugly head... so I don't know if its her, or just spotting. We'll see.

GOALS:
- Lose at LEAST 1 pound.
- Crack open Jillian Michaels
- Use the bicycle 4 times
- Give up pop (again)

Sunday, February 7, 2010

So fresh and so clean (clean).

I washed my hair.

Yes, that WAS my big achievement of the day. And no, I'm not ashamed!

Actually... I got up, went to church, enjoyed a pot-luck at church, came home, put the babe down for a nap, got a call from the Mom in law, did some surfing and some TV watching, put Keevs down again for a nap, her grandparents showed up 10 minutes later, we visited for about 2 hours, they left, I gave Keevia a bath, nursed her to sleep, ate a turkey sandwich, got the carseat out of our car and put it in my dads, took a shower, washed and dried my hair, and now I'm writing this blog post.

Whew. Exhausting day, huh?

I know y'all were just DYING for me to write a long, run-on sentence about every thing I did today. I left out bathroom trips (you're welcome).

Mom's van key will not work in her van. It's been kind of going in and out, but this morning it would NOT turn. So, my parents sprayed silicone in there, and are hoping when it gets above freezing tomorrow it'll at least start up so we can get it to the shop in town. My car used to do this as well, and the shop was able to fix it. It almost seems as though the van isn't in park properly (although it SAYS it is) because the steering wheel isn't locked like it's supposed to be. It's a 1998 Dodge Voyager I believe, so its not like it's a new car, ha! I hope we can get it working soon though. Dad's staying home from work tomorrow to help us get to the chiropractor (as both Mom and I need to go).

This has been one ramble of a post. I promise, one with more substance is coming soon! Oh, and Keevie pictures to!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

I heart turkey skin

I really do. You know, when a nice, plump, juicy turkey comes out of the oven and you can't help it but pull off a bite of that golden, delicious, crunchy skin? Mmmmmmmmm.

We fixed a 19lb turkey today for dinner. My grandmother had bought it for her Christmas dinner, but due to power outages, had brought it to our house and didn't want it back. It's worked out well though, because we have a potluck at church in the morning, so we're taking the extra, oh, 12-14 lbs we didn't eat!

But seriously. Is there anything better than crispy turkey skin?

Quite possibly the brownies I also made.

I've brought brownies to like, the last 3 potlucks. But, we didn't find out about the potluck until today (shows US for not going to church last week), and it is cold, and rainy, and nasty, and gross outside. So, the Momma and I decided we were just going to use whatever we had lying around the house. Unfortunately, that was brownies.

So, I got on MckMama's forum and asked for ideas on how to kick my brownies up a notch. I got some WONDERFUL responses. I ended up going with KeeslerMom's choice. I baked them just like you would normally bake brownies, but I pulled them out a little early, and then spread semi-sweet chocolate chips and marshmellows on top, then put them back in until the marshmallows were golden. They may or may not be AMAZING.

Keevie usually goes down for bed around 8-9. Around 7ish she was seeming tired, so her Daddy and I bathed her. Normally she goes down fine after that. Well, she did, but then Grama started cleaning the kitchen, and BING! She was awake.

I got her BACK down around 10. Lasted maybe 5 minutes. So, I put her in her pouch sling and went about making brownies. Carl had to stir for me, but she fell back asleep. I kept her in there until the first batch were done, then I lifted her out and put her in her co-sleeper, and so far... so good. She's been down about an hour.

I'm currently waiting for the brownie pans to be cool enough for me to put plastic wrap on them and GO TO BED. I'm wore out!

Before I could post this... she was up. AGAIN. This time though, it was because I'm a horrible Mommy. I laid her down between batches of brownies, and I assumed she would staying lying down for oh, 2 minutes. Well, I forgot that I didn't cover her up, so when I went in there to her crying and picked her up, she was cold. Yeah, I feel like a crap mom. So now she's back down, with covers, and I'm about to follow her. The brownies are done, the kitchen is clean, my babies in bed, and yet again, my hair is dirty, and will be for church in the morning.

I got up 2 weeks ago and took a shower, washed and blew out my hair. I went to church, and my preacher's wife commented on my hair cut. I haven't had a hair cut since Keevia was born, but I actually FIXED my hair for the first Sunday, um, ever? Tomorrow, my hair shall be up, and greasy, and nasty, and I won't care, because I have the CUTEST navy smocked outfit laid out for Keevs to wear.

So funny how our priorities change!

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How AWESOME would this be to win? I Love Etsy so stinking much, I'm crossing my fingers that I win! Go enter for yourself, but hey, leave one for me!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Life

I'm really not good at blogging when I don't have as much help with the baby.

Keevia decided that it was a good idea to wake up at 4:30 this morning, and stay awake, with a large poopy diaper, until 6:30 am.

Mommy was not amused. Especially considering the fact that Mommy went to bed at 1:30 am.

Why am I still awake? I have no clue. Keevia and I both slept until around 11:30 this morning, and she's been asleep since around 9 pm tonight. I should have been asleep then too!

Some wonderful news however... I found a pattern for a SSC carrier!!! This is big, huge!! I want one so badly, but most of them range from $90-150. I don't have that kind of moula. So, the fact that Mom can make me one for $20-30? WONDERFUL.

I've been on Etsy, drooling over headbands, hairbows, and vinyl wall decorations. I simply CANNOT wait to decorate a nursery, and decorate our HOME!

Okay. I'm rambling. Good night all.

Oh! I almost forgot!!! I'm famous now y'all! I got mentioned on Topix in my hometowns board. So, if you're here from Topix. Howdy y'all, come and sit a spell, and read up.

Now I'm going to bed.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Blue

I feel blue. I feel frazzled. I feel disheartened.

And I don't know why.

Thus far it's been a pretty good week. Carl and I have been able to just decompress and spend some much needed couple time together.

But I'm not getting things accomplished like I would like. I'm supposed to be organizing, packing, etc.

Part of this could be because of the fact that my husband has yet to bring all the stuff I need in from the car, when we got here on SUNDAY and its now WEDNESDAY (almost Thursday!). It's hard for me to organize baby clothes when they're in the car.

So tomorrow, I have a to-do list. What's that? You want to see it, and all my analness? Well.. if you insist.

- Store all baby clothes in their appropriate totes (6-9 or 9months
- Continue scouring apartment for 3-6 month clothes
- Find all blankets, bibs, birth cloths, socks, shoes, etc baby will need in foreseeable future
- Find Dad's art books
- Make sure all the swing pieces parts are with the swing
- Go through all my clothes and Carl's clothes and pick out what needs to go/stay
- Find all of Keevia's toys and put them together to go back to Jackson
- Decide which DVD's are going/staying
- Find a quilt to wrap around Carl's first child TV for the ride to Jackson
- Clean out freezer and take stuff home to Mom
- Clean Kitchen, take out trash
- Clean bedroom so I don't cry when we come back
- Get computer stuff to take back to Jackson


All in all, its not that hard, and Carl and I do plan on sitting down and going through the list tomorrow, minus the TV thing and the freezer thing. It's just tiring, and I'm tired. And I don't know why. Other than this morning, Keevia was in a wonderful mood all week. And she just got overtired this morning. I'm in a funk and I don't know why. I think I'm just ready. Ready to be out of this apartment, ready to really start on our own. Just... ready.

Okay, now that I've been depressing. I'm going to go get ready for bed, have a small glass of wine *gasp* and then go curl up in bed with my babies.