2'fer Tuesday

2'fer Tuesday Survey


1. Ages? 
Kelly: 19 Months, 2 Weeks
Sadie: 1 Month, 1 Week

2. What's went on this last week?
  We had 3 play dates for the girls. A McDonald's rendevous where Kelly (and then Mama) discovered they could get into the play deathtrap jungle gym thing. Then there was a farmers market/bouncy house/petting zoo afternoon, which Kelly adored and Sadie slept through. And finally there was a medieval reenactment at our library, that Kelly's grandpa was participating in. When he was "slain" on the battle field Kelly was distraught, and tried to run on to the field yelling "GAMPA JOE!!" It was ridiculously cute, and dangerous, just her style.
  On the development front Kelly has learned how to open doors, while Sadie is giving out real smiles now. Between the two of them I have a very happy, frazzled heart.
  We did have a quick ER visit this week, Sadie was inconsolable for two hours straight. Diagnosis: Gas. Lord have mercy!

 3. What are the challenges we dealt with (or continue to deal with)?
  Another double doctors appointment! Although this one was not so well planned. The girls were unknowingly (on my part) exposed to chicken pox. So there was a mad dash to the doctor to make sure neither of my sweet babies were at risk. Kelly's been vaccinated, and Sadie should still have my immunity. Cross your fingers folks, because if my sweet girls get sick because of another person's irresponsibility... Well, unless my cell has internet access this blog may take a dive for the next 25 to life.
  We did discover Sweet Sadie has a milk intolerance though. I've suspected it from the get go, and when the Zantac stopped working last Wednesday (puking up full bottles) I switched her to soy with out even bothering with a doctor's visit. Since then spit up has decreased, she's pooping again, fussing less, her bleeding diaper rash has cleared, the wheezing has stopped... When I mentioned all this to the doctor at our surprise visit yesterday she agreed, certainly sounds like a milk intolerance. So mom points for me. And despite all the pooping (4-8 poopy diapers a day!) Sadie is still gaining like a champ! Also Kelly's blood work came back- she's fine! We're going to try cutting back on milk with her and hope it clears up.
  We met with the developmental specialist again, and Kelly was finally able to be assessed. Assessment? She's functioning at a level that is 6 months to a year above her age. As far as what I can do? Nothing really more then be patient, I'm already doing all I can. Eventually the tantrums and envelop pushing will stop.
4. Any milestones reached this last week?
K: Opening doors, and now saying and pointing to teeth.
S: Smiles, curiosity in people.

5. How are you feeling about having 2 at this point?
  I'm still the luckiest, most frazzled woman alive.

6. Any Mommy Epiphanies?
   I think I may need to keep a candy stash in the bathroom. While I'm hiding in there less often, it still happens at least once a week. It'd be nice not to have to stop by the pantry as I sprint towards my time out corner. Epiphany: It is okay to take 10 minutes and a strawberry shortcake snack to collect yourself if need be!

2 Under 2 Tips- Newborn Photos

Recently was S's newborn portraits, and our mini family portrait shoot. We went to the same place I had K's done (and her's were kind of spur of the moment), and I wore the same outfit, insisted on several of the same poses... we even had the same girl taking them. Yeah it was a bit neurotic like only your favorite Mama could pull off.

The entire process reminded me of when K had her photos done, and how unprepared I felt. This time was similar, but luckily I'm in the "Well, whatever" stage of parenting these girls... more on that later. Anyways, night before I had searched for tips on what to pack and bring and such, with no success. Obviously there is a hole in the World Wide Web, one which I'm about to attempt to fill. So with out any further long winded ado...

Mama's Tips for 2 Under 2 Photography

(alright it's still long winded, sorry)

• Keep it Simple Stupid- With K's newborn photos I brought 5 outfits. She only wore two, and we only bought prints of one. Now with a single child, feel free to go crazy. But when your dressing two squirmers please heed my advice, and keep it simple. This time K wore 1 outfit the whole time. S wore a simple onesie up until photo time, at which point I changed her into her sleeper, later I took off the sleeper and we had a few in the onesie with some pants, and finally a few simple diaper shots. Nothing is cuter then a naked baby, except a giggling naked baby.
• Bring Back Ups Though!- K was an easy child, S on the other hand.... Well lets just say Spit Up happens (and so does shit). I know I just said Keep it Simple, but for the littlest in your brood bring a back up. I also had a back up shirt for myself- With K I spilled soda down my front before we even got to the studio, luckily then I had a back up shirt too, but it wasn't my first choice. This time I wore my second choice up until photo time, then did a quick change. This rule also goes for things like blankets, because again spit up happens.
• Distractions & Edibles- For K food is a distraction. I made sure to bring relatively mess free snacks (wheat thins and raisins) and some water for her. I meant to grab her puzzle book, but as we were running out the door I forgot it. I was frazzled trying to get to an early morning appointment, which brings me to my next point:
• Don't Schedule Early!- AM hours are pretty much ick for anyone I think, especially with a newborn, even more with a newborn and a cranky toddler. I had every intention of waking up early to do my hair- didn't happen. Result being that very few pictures of me are what I deem acceptable. Another down side? K was so cranky by the end she was screaming, because we woke up early for photos and it went on into her nap time. She was exhausted. Luckily I had help.
• Bring another pair of hands- This along with Distractions & Edibles are great for when the toddler doesn't need to be in the picture. Which when trying to shoot a fussy newborn, is a lot. We brought my dad, and K spent about 60% of the time there playing with grandpa, while I tried to keep S content enough not to scream every time the flash went off. 
• Rotate- Dad helped feed S when K was being photographed, and when K lost focus we would switch. When S would start to fuss again, we'd switch back. I think it kept the temper tantrums at bay a lot longer and made both girls a lot more pleasant to work with.
• Arrive Early- Get comfortable with your surroundings, make sure everyone is fed and content and has clean diapers or empty bladders. There is nothing like pee breaks and diaper changes to ruin a groove.
• Stand for what you want- I went in this time knowing exactly what I wanted, and no screaming child, or fussing newborn, or line of customers was deterring me. They're only this small and precious for so long, and I'm probably not going to remember it very well, so I'll be damned if I spent all that time, energy, patience and effort for something I'm just "ehh" about. By the same token, don't go in blind, do some research, don't expect miracles and you won't end up possibly disappointed. 

Sweet Sadie's 1 Month Updat

 

Sweet Sadie May, today you are one whole month old. 30 Days have gone by since we first met, I can't say you were happy to see me, I suppose it was more being torn from your warm, safe and easy environment.... But I was happy to see you. Terrified, but so happy. 

I was so scared that day in the hospital, for what was about to become of our little family. I was worried your sister would resent you, and hate me. But we know now nothing could be further from the truth. In fact when I walked in to your sisters room this morning I was greeted with an indifferent "Hi" until she saw you in my arms, then the squeals of glee began.

I've loved you from the very get go, sweet girl. We've only been a part a handful of times and each time it breaks my heart. I know your safe when you're with your sister though. She has an uncanny ability to soothe you, which makes me think you love her just as much as she loves you. Or maybe you're just curious as to what that strange loud creature is. You are a very curious young lady, and a very expressive one (especially verbally). And so smart and determined. Today you rolled over for the first time! You've been lifting your head since the day you were born, and throwing your body around with such force and determination that I almost feel like I'm keeping you from something. You're going places sweet girl, literally and figuratively. 

But the very best thing you've shared with us thus far is your smile. You're a beautiful child and your smile lights up a room, and my heart. I'm so blessed to have you, as difficult as our time together so far has been. You make our family complete, and I don't know how we ever survived with out you.

Stats:

Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz

Height: 21.5 inches

Diaper Size: 1

Clothing Size: 0-3 Months

Eyes: Still Blue!
Hair: Turning Auburn!

Wordless Wednesday

2'fer Tuesday

2'fer Tuesday Survey


1. Ages? 
Kelly: 19 Months, 1 week
Sadie: 4 Weeks!!!

2. What's went on this last week?
  Well we had a double doctors appointment for the girls- and everyone managed to live through it. Sadie is above birth weight now, she's been gaining 3 times what a normal newborn does daily!! The doctor looked suspicious of the reflux thing, but when I told her how many ounces I have to make per feeding, combined with how much of it Sadie spits up, she started to believe me. Then she had the opportunity to see Sadie eat, and after noting how long it takes her to eat, how much she spits up and how she spits it up, she prescribed my sweet girl Zantac. It's been less than a week, but we're already seeing a remarkable difference.
   Kelly on the other hand... well her part of the visit was even less delightful. We were (finally) following up on her anemia issue that was diagnosed at her 1 year check up. Turns out she's still anemic so she had to have blood drawn. If you think shots are bad, try holding down your screaming toddler for fifteen minutes as someone sticks a needle in their arm. It was horrible, even worse than when they did it at her year check up. But the tech gave her lots of stickers and despite all the torture she still very sweetly, with a tear streaked face, thanked him. Breaks my heart I swear.
  Kelly also had an intake with a developmental specialist. It's really more for my own welfare. Kelly is a little advanced for her age, and I'm struggling to keep her challenged. So Wednesdays for us are now Kelly-focused.
  Finally Sadie had her newborn portraits, during which Kelly and I hopped in for some family portraits as well. I didn't realize how much of a mess my hair was, but I guess it's not the end of the world. It wasn't about me anyways. Some of the pictures were posted yesterday, and more will be through out the week so do enjoy!

3. What are the challenges we dealt with (or continue to deal with)?
  Mama has to go to physical therapy 3 times a week now for her back. Which means the girls go to the sitters three times a week! Good lord!

4. Any milestones reached this last week?
K: New words: No, Cookie, Maybe. She's also now stringing together sentences! Scaring the crap outta me I'm tellin' ya!
S: A lot more alert, making some non-screaming noises now.

5. How are you feeling about having 2 at this point?
  Good, tired but good.

6. Any Mommy Epiphanies?
  Nah I got nothin this week!

A Formal Introduction

Now that S is here, and we've gotten into some what of a swing of things, I'd like to finally and officially introduce you all to our complete little family. All anonymity aside.

Meet Sam aka Mama
  I'm Sam, but mostly I go by Mama. I'm legally disabled. I'm young. I'm a single stay-at-home-mom. I'm a gemini. I used to have a substance problem, but I've worked past that. I love food. I hate to cook. I went to an art school, but my passions lay elsewhere. I have a short attention span. I love to read. I love to explore. I love heat. I love family, comfort and safety. I love expending energy. I love new and dangerous. Mostly I love.

Meet Kelly aka K1 (or K)
  Kelly's my oldest daughter. She's... beyond words, but I'll try. She's loving, so loving. She loves like the love she's been shown, which is a lot. We have some beautiful people in our lives, and they've shown Kelly how to be pretty amazing too. Kelly loves to dance, and to talk, she'll chatter away for hours. She loves books too, at least twice a day we have to put all her books back on the shelf- in both her room and the play area. Kelly is helpful, she takes pride in it, and I do too. And she is so smart, probably because she's so curious. She hasn't discovered the word why yet, but that isn't stopping her from asking questions. She points and her little voice will lift at the end of "mama?" she'll turn her big blue eyes on me waiting for information. She's also coy, secretive and a little bit of a rebel- she hears the word no often, and there's hardly a day where I'm chasing after her yelling her name in a panic, she wants to go and she wants to know.

Meet Kassidy aka K2 (or S) 

  Kassidy, who we mostly call Sadie, is my youngest child. We haven't gotten to know each other very well yet honestly, but I have to say she has the sweetest smile. She reminds me a lot of her sister, and when Kelly isn't around I sometimes forget that Sadie isn't her! I'm sure the sleep deprivation helps with that confusion.
   She seems like she has a great capacity to be as sweet and curious (and devilish) as her sister, time will tell. Until then I'm reveling in her quickly fading newness.


And there you have our little family :) I've been pretty cautious for a while about our names, but really it's taxing to go back and edit every single blog post, not to mention confusing as hell. The anonymity was a preventative measure for something I now realize isn't even a possibility. So now we have a bit of breathing room and a bit of room to be honest in. Gotta say, I'm enjoying it. Nice to meet you! And nice to be met!!

A Day in the Life of Mama

I thought I'd give some insight as to what a typical day at the K household looks like, now that we've fallen into some sort of routine.

7am- Wake to crying. Feed S 2 oz, burp, repeat as necessary until she's sedated.
8 or 8:30am- Put S in bouncer, pound a protein shake, shower and get dressed.
9am- We all go into K's room for diaper changes, S has some tummy time while K and I clean her room up.
9:20am- K goes in the high chair with some raisins while I make the rest of her breakfast and S's next bottle. K eats her breakfast while S eats her bottle.
9:40am- Let K out of high chair, wipe hands and face, and clean up breakfast mess. K begins free play until S goes to sleep. I finish feeding S and put her in the swing.
10 or 10:30am- K and I read some books, have a tickle fight, throw around the balls from the ball pit. I clean as we go, K destroys as we go.
11:30am- Lunch Time. K goes in the high chair with some wheat crackers while I get lunch for everyone ready. K eats while I feed S and eat too.
Noon- Nap time! K gets her hands and face wiped off, and tucked in for a nap. S goes down for a bit too in the swing or her crib. I'll typically check my mail, facebook and blogs. I restrain from cleaning up the toy war zone that is my living room, because I'll only have to do it again later. Might try to nap, but every time I've tried one of them has woken up.
2pm- K wakes up, S usually has or is about to as well. K gets in the high chair for a snack while S gets fed.
2:30pm- We usually spend this time running errands or at appointments or play dates. Typically we're back home by...
4 or 4:30pm- At which point K has some quiet independent play in her room, and I start on dinner and do dishes.
5pm- Dinner time, K goes in the high chair while I feed S, and myself.
5:30pm- Time for a walk, possibly go over to a friends house for some coffee and chit chat, or just come home and play some more.
7pm- Start the bedtime routines. Brush our teeth, Bath time for K, tuck her in with a bed time story and a kiss. Then make S a bottle to have ready for after her bath. Once S is calmed I usually let her lay on her play mat while I change out of my (by now) soaked clothing and do my own bedtime routine.
9pm- Last feeding for S before lights out! Good night!

Like I said, this is just our rough schedule and every day S spends more and more time awake and less time asleep so it's probably going to be evolving soon. "Evolving" isn't that a fun term for it? Such a creative way of saying my shits gonna be all f*cked up again.

Any other 2under2 mamas? How are you ladies handling the days?

19 Month!

Monthly Survey

Age 
19 Months!

Stats

• Weight: 23 pounds -as of 7/12
• Height: 31 inches -as of 7/12
• Clothes Size: 2T 
• Diaper Size: 5
• Hair Color: Dirty Blond 

Milestones

• Teeth: 6 on top, 5 on bottom, still cutting two canines, I can see the tips!!
• Vocab: My little parrot repeats, or attempts to repeat everything everyone says. New words include: Aunt Nett, Meow, Belly Button, Purple, Mouth, Boots. Favorite words include Baby and Sissy (pronounced Issy). She's also stringing them together now. Today she said "Oh 'aybe get baby?" and yesterday was "Issy's Juice, Mama!" when she brought me an empty bottle.
• Body Language: Glaring, which leads to giggling or tantrums. And more new dance moves! The girl loves to shake it :) She's pointing to body parts now too! She knows Hair, Ears, Eyes, Nose, Mouth, Hands, Feet, Fingers and Toes- and can say the words for them too. She can point out (usually) cheeks, chin, legs, knees and arms, but hasn't quite picked up the words for them.

Loves
Toys: She's formed an attachment to a specific baby doll, but when that one's unavailable any will do. She's also started insisting several stuffed animals be in bed with her every night too.
Books: Counting books this month!
Songs: ABCs again :)
Other: Inspecting Sissy, playing with the doggies, being picked up (she now does the arms up thing), splashing in the tub, brushing her teeth.

Hates 
Being away from sissy to long, not being able to play with sissy as she pleases, nap time, when we're done brushing her teeth.

Sleep
12 hours a night, we're down to one nap, and she doesn't want it lasting more than an hour, but to be fair we're still adjusting to S being around and so her sleep schedule has not been consistent.

Things We're Looking Forward to
 Getting back on a schedule!! Well maybe that's just me....

How I Like Motherhood
Likes: Watching her inspect S, the amount of joy she puts into eating, dancing and life in general, and the way she still acts shy with people.
Dislikes: Working out this napping business. The temper tantrums. That's from last month, but still applies.

Wordless Wednesday

 

.linking up.
the paper mama
project alicia
live and love out loud
dagmars momsense

 

2'fer Tuesday

2'fer Tuesday Survey


1. Ages? 
K: 19 Months
S: 3 Weeks

2. What's went on this last week?
  S is jaundiced no more! She had her first go of tummy time, and her first bath as well!! K made a new friend, who happens to be half her age and apparently worthy of kisses (little cougar!). And Mama got weighed- twice. Explain to me how I gained 2 lbs in 4 days?!
  S was also diagnosed with Reflux issues. Mama spent a fortune on some fancy bottles, and they seem to be helping, because S is almost back to birth weight and is eating and sleeping almost fuss free now!


3. What are the challenges we dealt with (or continue to deal with)?
  Well, I got some bad news this week. Maybe not bad, but... uncomfortable? Unhappy? Whatever, that's another blog post. Point is it's kicked my PPD into over drive, but thankfully I was put back on anti-depressants as of today. My back issue was also addressed today- now I'm supposed to attend physical therapy twice a week. How I'm supposed to do that with two under two, I really have no freaking idea, but I'll figure it out somehow I guess! If it isn't helping within the month I'll be going to a spine specialist and pain management doctor.
  On just the mommy-hood front, I'm happy to report further success, I'm making meals again, cleaning the house again, K even gets bed time stories pretty consistently. Granted not all of those things ever happen in the same day, but typically 2 out of 3, which is still progress!

4. Any milestones reached this last week?
K: New words are Mouth and Boots, she's also now pointing out a lot more body parts, I'll be sure to include that on her 19 month update tomorrow!!
S: First Bath! First 4 oz bottle too, big girl!

5. How are you feeling about having 2 at this point?
  Excited, I feel like I'm running a marathon and I've just set a good pace. Make sense?

6. Any Mommy Epiphanies?
   Breathe!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Just seconds before they were in an incredibly cute pose.
Soon as the shutter started to snap they started struggling.

.linking up.

the paper mama
project alicia
live and love out loud
dagmars momsense

 

2'fer Tuesday

2'fer Tuesday Survey


1. Ages? 
K: 18 Months, 4 Weeks
S: 2 Weeks

2. What's went on this last week?
  For starters we had several appointments including one that required me to be away from both the girls for the first time since... well, since I became pregnant! Scariest two hours of my life. I had a chiropractor appointment, then was able to wander on my own for an hour.  I thought about enjoying myself, then felt so guilty I ended up spending money I really couldn't afford to spend on buying the girls gifts. Don't worry, I already put them aside for Christmas.
  We also had our first double play date, which was actually an excuse to round up all the kids and dump them on my friend's teenage cousin and sister while my girlfriend colored and cut my hair.
  Then there was 4th of July, we went to a friend's bbq/birthday party and I was going to just be done there- but I didn't want to deprive K of an experience just because of S being so little. So we went and saw the fireworks anyways. I kept S in the sling, well insulated with my hands over her ears for the whole 30 minute show. She was startled at first, but didn't mind much after the first minute or two. K was enthralled for about the same amount of time, then wanted to run out on the field with her light up wand that her uncle had bought her. We managed to keep her seated and entertained through the rest of the show though- then booked it home!
  Finally this week was the first week that farmers market transitioned into "Olde Town Market," where regular vendors and bands all join in the fun to sell their goods as well. I took the girls for a quick stroll through, K had her first corn dog, S had a good nap, and I swallowed a hot dog whole while maneuvering a sit'n'stand one handed through a pack crowd. All in all a very successful trip!


3. What are the challenges we dealt with (or continue to deal with)?
  S began to refuse the boob Tuesday afternoon. We're officially a formula family, and I'm honestly somewhat relieved. Emotionally I couldn't afford the struggle of latching, or rather being rejected, and time-wise our little family just can't afford for me to pump, plus my supply started to drop despite the fenugreek. I'm a little disappointed, but I keep reminding myself formula is not child abuse, she will be just fine, and I did what was best for the whole family.
  Good news about the formula is it's helping S pack on weight and shake the jaundice a bit quicker. She had blood work done last that was a bit concerning, but when we went in Thursday her color was fantastic and she had gained a bit (although not a good amount, it was still in the comfortable range). As long as this keeps up she may be able to avoid admission to the hospital for free tanning :)
  Overall I'm doing a lot better too. I'm getting a little more sleep, and getting a little more done through out the day. I feel like even though the plane may still be spiraling out of control,  I'm able to keep everyone calm. I have made a couple of important appointments though, one concerning postpartum depression- something I've suffered through in the past, and one for addressing my back pain which has actually gotten worse since delivery. Hopefully both can quickly and easily be addressed. The PPD is a temporary thing in my experience, and only lasts about 4 months for me, but if it isn't addressed it can get pretty serious, something I'm not willing to risk. The back issue however, is concerning. At times it's hard for me to even lift S, and the chiropractor so far has served as only an extremely temporary relief.

4. Any milestones reached this last week?
K: New word is purple. And I've noticed she wears a lot of it! "Held" sissy for the first time this week too. Didn't get any good pictures of that though :(
S: Super alert at times, waking up more often, almost jaundice free. We also had our first scream free diaper change! And we're starting to fit comfortably (as opposed to swimming) in 0-3 month sizes.

5. How are you feeling about having 2 at this point?
  Blessed. I'm supposed to feel blessed right? Kidding, I really am grateful, my life feels almost complete. I feel like this was the next right thing, and I'm positively soaring with joy at how fantastic (although intimidating and overwhelming) life is. S is getting into a rough schedule, which means I'm getting more quality time with K as well.

6. Any Mommy Epiphanies?
   Caffeine good.

Fit Friday

Like I said on Monday, I'm going to start making a weekly commitment to talk about getting healthy. Honestly, I can't quite tell you what this is going to look like. Some weeks it could be a recipe, some weeks it could be an inspiring image. Some weeks it could just be a disappointing report about how I ate big macs for dinner every night that week. I don't know! I'm full of surprises!

Today, I'm just going to go over some history. Warning: Some of the following are flat out excuses I have, and even continue to use to avoid accountability in my health and lifestyle choices.

Lets start around the fact that I struggle with food to begin with. I'm not going to say "eating disorder" because first off I think that's become a catch all phrase for anyone with unhealthy eating habits, and secondly because I'm not currently struggling with it. However I do think that anyone with either an eating disorder or a long history of unhealthy eating habits knows how easy it is to slump back into it with out even realizing.

Anyways suffice it to say I used to control my weight by controlling my eating. Or rather, not eating. When I did eat it was crap, because I was so picky, and on top of all that nonsense I have some food allergies that make gaining weight rather difficult. So "healhty" has never really been a Mama type thing.

Early in my pregnancy with S I made two very important decisions regarding not only my health, but the health of my family. I quit smoking, and I started eating differently. Since quitting smoking I obviously feel better, can do more, and save a lot of money. The pros are undeniable even before you quit. Changing what I ate though, that was scary.

I started small, I started shopping pretty much solely at a local grocery story that offers plenty of preservative-free groceries. The store brand products are all actually preservative, artificial flavoring and artificial food coloring free. Instantly I felt a difference- partly because I happen to have an allergy to a common preservative, so water weight dropped off, migraines almost disappeared, and my energy was significantly boosted. Plus there was all the added perks of just knowing I was eating better, the pride of knowing I was doing something better for myself and my family.

One good decision paves the road for more. I became more conscious of what I had been doing to my body through what I was ingesting, so I started to change. I started looking into alternative solutions for issues I'd usually medicate through, like anxiety (chamomile) and allergies (raw honey) and anemia (iron rich foods). I started going to our local farmers market, where I bought more seasonal and local fruits and veggies. I cut out a lot of processed foods, and packaged meals. I started experimenting with making our own food from start to finish.

Now I'm not saying this is how everyone should live, and if you don't you're destined to be miserable or live a less worth while, whole life. Today I still participate in a lot of less than stellar eating habits. But I'm moving in the right direction, even though I drink a soda a day still, I drink a lot more water. And even though it comes in a can, I'm supplementing my diet with more protein.

The very best thing about these choices is I get to share them with my children. There are few things I love more than strolling the farmers market with K as all the vendors give her samples. It's not just the local, clean food either. It's the fact that I am able to walk with her without getting exhausted or taking a smoke break, or feeling winded or drained by the time we get home again. I have the energy to back my enthusiasm for life again!

So there's the background information. Now here's the rough plan. I'm breast feeding right now, and leading a pretty active lifestyle with the girls, so I've set my Myfitnesspal plan to 1900 calories a day. In about 5 more weeks I have my post partum check up where I should be cleared for more strenuous exercising than our average walks. Basic plan is to eat well until that check up, and walk 3 times a week, no big deal. As the clearance date gets closer our home will hopefully be closer to a regular schedule again, and I'll be able to plan (and have time to complete) better toning workouts as well, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it :)

Linking up with Erica @ Mi Todo where she does a weekly installments of her own Fit Fridays, which kept me enthused my whole pregnancy about getting back into shape.

Pinterested?

By now I hope you've heard of Pinterest. If not, please call your local internet provider and set up some wifi for that rock you've been living under.

Personally I have a love hate relationship with Pinterest. Some days it's better than cheese crackers and peanut butter, other days I wouldn't want to find it on the bottom of my shoe. That's because I tend to be more of a dreamer than a doer. I really wish I had the time to cook all those things and crochet all that stuff and organize the crap out of every organizable thing in my house (and yours too), but somewhere between the pinning and doing a child starts to demand my attention, a floor cries out to be swept or something shiny catches my eye (it was a nickle, score!).

But sometimes I manage to trick, or manipulate the time out of my day to complete a little thing or two. They're usually not huge fantastic closet overhauls, or bench building tangents, but they're pretty awesome to me. As such, and this being my corner to share what Mama thinks is awesome, I thought I'd occasionally share some with ya! And I even plan on doing it in a fun little question and answer session, so you can join in too if you'd like. I may do this weekly, but probably more like monthly, like I said I'm a dreamer less than a doer! Lets get started:


Currently Pinning: Party ideas and inspiration for K's birthday. I know this is completely neurotic, because her birthday is in 6 months, but better be safe than sorry... same reason I've started pinning for Christmas too!

Recent Success: Baked "Hard Boiled" Eggs. If you haven't seen or tried this yet, I suggest you check it out at The Burlap Bag. Personally I hate boiling eggs, but it's my favorite way to eat them. I just don't have the time, attention span, or clones to take care of it. The timing is ridiculous, I can never keep track of what I'm supposed to add when (root of unicorn horn powder at 0.963 seconds after a rapid boil is reached? what?) and at least one breaks when it gets in to the water, every single time. Matter of fact I think my secret ingredient for making exactly 11 hard boiled eggs on the stove top is excessive profanity 0.286 seconds after submerging eggs.

This little gem though changed the Mama & Ks household forever. They're so easy to make, when the timer went off I was changing a diaper and I didn't immediately have to sprint off to start trying to get them out of the water before they turned into rubber balls. I finished the job, took them out and they were still perfect. The yolks are creamier, and if you can look past a few aesthetic blemishes, then this is beyond worth it. 

 Next Project: Sweet Potato Fries. I've been intending on trying my hand at them for a while now, and even have a few sweet potatoes laying on my kitchen table waiting ever so patiently. Just as I forgot about their existence, a good friend pinned what looks to be a perfectly awesome recipe "Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries" from the ever hilarious The Art of Doing Stuff. I too, consider myself to be a french fry professional.

I'm loving this recipe because it has room to maneuver (adding spices and such) and more importantly everything it calls for I have on hand. Thank goodness, because a certain Mama may have lost her debit card and had to call for a replacement the same week we were due to go grocery shopping again. Like I said. May have.

Dream Pin: Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bar. Oh Cheesecake. Lovely delicious cheesecake. The very first thing I plan on doing when that card comes in the mail is going to get some cheese cake. Tomorrow I start posting about healthy eating though so I'll have to either make it myself or hope our preferred grocery store has some on hand. Guaranteed they won't have the Carmel Apple topping though, so I might just have to make that myself, but I honestly probably won't. I don't have the time, dedication, patience or appetite to make an entire one of these things. That's just the cold hard truth of it. And it's depressing. But I will put this on file for our local family game night on the 21st. Maybe that'll be a good enough excuse to stick around in the kitchen! If you're more motivated than me check out The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Now Following: Kid  Blogger Network Activities & Crafts board. I'm always looking for better parenting ideas, whether it be for feeding the girls, playing with the girls, or teaching the girls. This board has tons of bloggers checking in with their newest posts, its like... well its like an information super highway!! Yeah I'll look for an article on being more original tomorrow.... Anyways if you're a controlling dedicated parent like me, I suggest you look it up!


Well that's all for now folks! I know there's a lot of food going on up there. Honestly I think it's because my body thinks it's still pregnant. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Wordless Wednesday

S is turning out to be quite the expressive young lady. I'm ashamed to find that I have no new pictures of K this week. If I snap one today I'll sneak back and update. Until then I'm chalking it up to new baby bliss, not photographic neglect. That's fair right?


.linking up.

the paper mama
project alicia
live and love out loud
dagmars momsense

 

2'fer Tuesday

2'fer Tuesday Survey


1. Ages? 
K: 18 Months, 3 Weeks
S: 1 Week

2. What's went on this last week?
  Well we had a baby, brought her home, and began adjusting our little lives to make room for this new little person!


3. What are the challenges we dealt with (or continue to deal with)?
  K loves her "issy" and adores having her around. No struggle there. S is to tiny to know what a struggle is... her biggest issue is being jaundiced, and not waking up early enough to still maintain the patience to latch when she's hungry. So despite finally having a child who can latch, I am still spending time at the pump. I'm hoping in the next week her jaundice will clear up and she'll be able to go back to the source, because I can't physically or mentally afford to continue pumping. If at this time next week she isn't a boob girl again, we're goin' to formula with no shame about it.
  So mostly Mama seems to be the only one struggling. I was not prepared to jump in to raising two under two so quickly. Some how I had envisioned a bit more of an easing in process. But thus far everyone has managed to stay mostly clean, and mostly fed, and mostly well rested. I'm even starting to be able to get some chores done again. Though I'm sure once I get my feet under me some thing will change or someone will go through a growth spurt and things will change, requiring us (well me) to adjust again!


4. Any milestones reached this last week?
K: New words are Belly Button and Meow, and a few names too. She's also now saying words in a more conversational way, rather than as a question or echo.
S: Latched! And starting to spend more time alert.

5. How are you feeling about having 2 at this point?
  I haven't really had time to assess my feelings.
  I love S, but I already miss all the quality time K and I used to have. Tonight we managed to have bath time and actually read a bed time story while S was snoozing, so I know thing are just going to get better as we all adapt, and I'll be able to get more of that quality time back.

6. Any Mommy Epiphanies?
   Time changes everything! And if I use it wisely, than I really can be super mom.

Still alive!

Yes, I am still alive! And working on a few blog posts, including Miss K2's birth story. Life is just a little... disorganized right now. Not impossible, not insanely overwhelming, just disorganized. Bare with me....

I'm going to start filling out a weekly survey for the girls, I've adapted it from another survey and as our family grows and changes hopefully this will too in order to better present the current states of our lives that are quickly slipping away. It's called 2'fer Tuesday and it starts tomorrow.

Also I'm going to start talking about getting healthy. I know this is a blog about Mama stuff and little girl things, but I believe this falls under "Mama Stuff." I'm not talking about getting skinny, or buff or whatever. And I certainly don't intend to turn this into a diet and exercise blog, or come off like a guru, or start some movement. I'm just talking about feeling better, and not just when I look in the mirror... I'll save the "Feeling Better" speech for that post though.

Basically I plan to have at least 2 regular weekly posts beyond Wordless Wednesday. And I intend on other frequent (but not regular) posts about parenting subjects as well.And maybe not even just parenting stuff, maybe just long rambling "odes to the burp" kind of stuff that I'll label parenting and expect no one to question. Speaking of which, side note: it is adorable how S can't for the life of her drink an entire bottle- no matter how much is in there she always leaves about half an ounce left.

Anyways, this is just a check in to say, well, I'll be checking in more often!! Now I have to go plan Christmas!