tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30072737090606440472024-03-13T09:13:02.842-07:00Inside the Mommy's BrainAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-31474078520289936272011-07-25T18:01:00.000-07:002011-07-25T18:03:27.113-07:00The weekend was so much better!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">Hello, wonderful readers! I’m happy to report that, although I am still sick, I am back to my normal, chipper self. No more negative Nancy, thanks to a wonderful, relaxing, fun weekend. It’s amazing how good times with great friends followed by a lazy day at home with my little family, can be so energizing and refreshing. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">Saturday, JP and I went to one of his work buddies’ wedding. It was really beautiful. I decided to try to look extra nice, because JP and I don’t dress up often, so I wore a pair of wedge heels that I don’t normally wear. I was super cautious in them and made sure to take note of unlevel floors, loose gravel in the parking lots, etc, because, as we all know, I am clumsy. It started before I got pregnant, got worse when I was pregnant, and has not gone away. I managed to make it through the wedding and through the reception without so much as a wobble. Proud of myself, I was on my way back to the car to go home, and I suppose I got too sure of myself because, you guessed it- I fell. And I fell HARD. So hard I skinned a huge spot on my leg (through stockings, mind you!), twisted my other knee, and ripped, scuffed, and otherwise totally ruined a great pair of shoes. Two days later, I’m still limping a little and the scrape on my other leg has proven to not only be a large wound but is now a big bruise, as well. When I do things like this, I do them right. I don’t just fall and be done with it. I fall and it takes days to recover. Please also note that I have NO idea what caused me to fall. I didn’t trip, there was nothing in my path…I just fell. (Please also say a prayer that Lily has not inherited my clumsiness.) All four of my worst falls have been completely random, over absolutely nothing (one while I was 9 mos pregnant resulting in 2 skinned knees, one 6 mos before our wedding resulting in a broken ankle, one at age 12 resulting in a dislocated knee and subsequent knee surgery, and this one). </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">After nursing my wounds and switching over to flat flip flops, we picked up Lily and headed over to another friend’s house for a get-together. There, Lily made a new friend in <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311642170_0">Madison</span>, a two and a half year old girl two of our friends may be fostering. I was really excited for them to be able to play together, because Lily hasn’t really had many opportunities to play with other kids close to her age. Not only was she able to play with her, but she was lavished with attention by all of the grown ups there, too. She was so good! I was a very happy mama. She shared her toys, learned everyone’s names, and had a blast. And, she was worn out when we left so she slept SO good! It was a great night for me, too, because I got to hang out with some of my great girlfriends, who I don’t get to see nearly as often as I’d like to. JP and I really needed a night out with friends.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"><span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311642170_1">On Sunday</span>, we had planned to do house and yard work, but decided that since it was the first day in a LONG time that we were together, just the three of us, with no where we had to go, that we were going to spend the day being lazy together. We ended up taking a short trip to Rick’s Comic City, because we’ve decided we want to start indulging our inner nerd again with comic books. Lily loved the comic book shop, and she did really well not touching things and just looking. She kept saying “Oh wow! Mama! Wow!!” at everything. JP and I are pretty happy, because it’s clearly obvious that we have a little nerd girl on our hands. We decided on the way home that the Sundays when he is off work and we are both at home with Lily together are, from here on out, declared “Nerd Sundays”. These will be the days we have family time, watching movies, reading comic books, and catching up on our Syfy tv shows like Warehouse 13 and <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311642170_2">Eureka</span>. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">It’s really nice to be able to take the time to put the chores to the side, not leave the house to run a million errands, and just be with one another. Yesterday was such a great day. I took 2 naps with Lily, and we just got to relax. We don’t have those days nearly enough. It was definitely a “stop and smell the roses” day. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> <br /></span></span></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-37487497783971784542011-07-25T17:56:00.000-07:002011-07-25T18:00:58.716-07:00Friday on the homefront...I wrote this Friday, and unfortunately blogspot gave me some errors, so here it is, late.<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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I'm pretty sure you have. You know the kind I'm talking about- nothing huge goes completely wrong, just a bunch of little things go awry. But, at the same time, nothing at all goes completely right, either. This is how I would describe my entire week...it's been day after day of "those days". Nothing catastrophic has happened, but nothing fantastic has, either. I have felt down and under the weather this whole week, and have had some mishaps that have resulted in the feeling that everything is at a down hill slant. But, in an effort to remain positive, I'm going to try extra, super de duper hard not to complain in this blog (at least, not too much). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"">Most of you know this, but for those that don't, Lily doesn't go to daycare. My Mom quit her job shortly after JP and I got married, and has basically been counting down the days until we had a baby so she could be the caregiver when I went back to work. This has been a huge blessing to us, not only financially (even though a huge plus is that she won't let us pay her), but also I know Lily is getting one on one attention and the best care. I really do believe one of the reasons she is so advanced with her language skills is because of the attention she's lavished with all day long. However, I learned this week that this arrangement does pose a few problems. Tuesday morning, keys in hand, Lily on my hip, about to walk out the door, I get a phone call from my mother, who as it turns out, is really sick. She couldn't watch Lily, and this resulted in me having to stay home from work because it was too short notice to get someone else (or even get her to someone else without being really late to work). Wednesday, Mom was still sick, but I knew in advance and was able to enlist the help of my in-laws, who were more than happy to accommodate the little miss for the day.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"">Unfortunately, the little miss was not so receptive to the idea, and spent half the day crying (until she was bribed with food, her cousins Thai & Landon, and the Bubble Guppies). Don't get me wrong, Lily loves her BB and D-Daddy. She was just thrown out of her routine, and she normally doesn't stay with them for extended periods of time. Couple this with cutting molars AND an apparent summer cold, and you have a stage set for big sobbing crocodile tears. By the time I picked her up, though, she was happy (albeit tired from crying) as a clam, and had been for a majority of the afternoon. It was the morning that was rough on her (and filled Mama with unrelenting guilt).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"">To add to worrying my head off about Lily being so upset, I woke up Wednesday with a throat so sore I felt like I could breathe fire, and a head that felt as big and heavy as a mini-van.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I, too, have a summer cold, and boy, it's not awesome. I have been taking Claritin-D or Zyrtec-D, as well as Tylenol cold and sinus, and so far, all I've been left with is a sore throat, runny (then stuffy) nose, and the worst case of that drowsy, head in the clouds "medicine head" ever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Last night, neither Lily nor I got really any sleep, and I spent a majority of the night sitting up with her alternately napping and crying in my lap, in the recliner. For her, the only thing she is even mildly receptive to is the Tylenol. I tried putting the saline in her nose and using the snot sucker…it felt like I was fighting with a mutant octopus crossed with a rabid spider monkey implanted with a banshee’s voice box. Being sick myself probably didn’t add anything good to this mix. By the time I was done fighting with her, her nose was clear, but by then, she had worked herself up so much that she stuffed right back up from crying so much. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"">I’m hoping that tonight goes a little more smoothly, and that maybe we can set the stage for a good weekend. We do have plans, and I’d like to feel better enough to see them through.</span></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-42724198245623210842011-07-18T19:08:00.000-07:002011-07-18T19:11:16.373-07:00On the way to a new me<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">Today marks the dawning of a new era for me. It is the era of the fit, trim, healthy me. That girl used to exist, and years of no exercise and a penchant for McDonald’s at all hours of the day or night, did her in. Until now, when my determination is stronger than ever to bring her back.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">I remember, when I was 19, hearing people a little older than me, talk about how they used to eat whatever they wanted, and then one day, it caught up with them. Or, “I wish I could eat like you and not gain a pound. One day it won’t be that easy for you. Mark my words!” Did I listen to them, and start to change my eating habits or exercise habits? Of course not (after all, this is Amy writing this. I’m known for my stubbornness when it comes to these sorts of things). Now, don’t get me wrong, here- I did eat healthy sometimes. I loved (and still do) turkey burgers and ground turkey meat (instead of red meat), grilled chicken breasts, veggies, and fruit. I kept really healthy options at home. It’s just, well, being a 19 year old college student with 2 jobs, I was never home to eat them. But, because I was a 19 year old college student with 2 jobs, I burned off all the fattening calories as fast as I consumed them.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia;">And then, I left college. I got a job working 2<sup>nd</sup>, then 3<sup>rd</sup>, shift. I also met JP, who was also still in the “I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight” phase of his life, and who thought nothing of eating a quarter pounder with cheese, large sized, at <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311041365_0">3 am</span>. So, we played off of one another with bad eating habits. And then one day, it hit us…we weren’t losing the weight like we had in the past. We decided to eat better, and we started our countdown to our wedding. We both had high hopes to be slim & trim for our big day, and then…I broke my ankle and was completely out of commission for close to 5 months. Laying on the couch with minimal physical activity shot “Operation Hot Bride” right out the window. JP slimmed up a bit, but not as much as he’d hoped, either.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> Lack of motivation is contagious.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">Fast forward from that a few years, and JP and I had both gotten on a good track. We were both regularly in the gym, we were eating better (though still not awesome) and we were both losing weight. I saw numbers on the scale that I hadn’t seen in a while, and it seemed like the weight was just melting off. I was feeling better, looking better…and then, I got pregnant. I barely gained weight during my pregnancy because I was so sick, so I can’t really blame pregnancy for throwing me off track. In fact, I REALLY can’t blame pregnancy at all, because 4 weeks post-partum, I was back down to what I weighed the day the test showed a big fat “positive”. 12 weeks post-partum, I had gained most of the baby weight back, and 5 months post partum, I had added an extra 20lbs to that. Stress, bad eating habits, post partum depression, lack of time (and motivation) to go to the gym, and other factors came into play for this to happen.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">But, ultimately, excuses are like butts. Everyone has one. My excuses have gotten me nowhere, except feeling badly about myself. There is nothing worse, for a woman, anyway, than feeling that she is no longer attractive to her significant other. And while JP in no way makes me feel unattractive, I know I don’t look the way I did when we first met, and I am disappointed that I have become the fat wife. Also extremely detrimental to the female psyche is looking in the mirror and only feeling disgust.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have told us a story of when they knew they were past their prime attractiveness. They were both so comfortable with each other that they didn’t really worry about it anymore, and one day, when they were eating deep fried donuts, they realized they were never going back to how they looked when they first met. They called this moment “jumping the shark.” </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">I’m not ready to jump the shark. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">I’m not ok with how I look. I’m not ok with how I feel. I’m not ok with the kind of message I’m putting out to my child, with regards to being healthy and active. Things have to change, and they’re changing now.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">I have been doing Weight Watchers, and have had success, just not the success I’d been hoping for. This is not because there is a flaw in the program (it’s a great program), or because it’s too hard to do (it’s actually quite simple, if you eat the right things), it’s because I have not been as strict on myself as I should be. I was, at first, and saw great results, and then I just got <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311041365_1">lax</span>. And more lax, and more lax. I realize that I can’t do this program and see results if I don’t follow the rules. So no more “Oh, I’ll eat these M&M’s today and make it up at the gym in activity points tomorrow” (which, I never did, by the way).<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">I have also joined a weight loss challenge group on Facebook with some friends. We will weigh in every 2 weeks until Christmas, and whoever loses the largest percentage of weight wins. The first 2 weeks, I didn’t do so great. But, I really wasn’t trying as hard as I could’ve either. So I’m hoping for a better weigh in <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311041365_2">this Saturday</span>.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">You might be scratching your head at this point, asking yourself, “What makes right now so different than the previous 14 months she’s been talking about losing the baby weight? Where’s all this motivation coming from all of a sudden?” I’ve just gotten so tired of looking this way and so disgusted with myself for not being more determined, that I’ve reached my breaking point. I have got to do something. There is no more “maybe” or “I might”. It is “I can” and “I will”.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">I have also joined a group at my gym, called the Anytime Fitness Elite. This is something my friend Joe, the owner of the gym, has started. He will be documenting our progress over the course of the program, through journals we keep, before, during, and after photos, and group and one on one meetings. We are going to have fitness plans, and probably even meal plans or at least, meal ideas. This structure is what is motivating me.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">Sometimes, I have a hard time getting to the gym. But, on the days I get in there, I have a hard time figuring out how to maximize the time I have. What can I do to get the best workout and burn the most calories, in the time I am there? I tend to stick with what is comfortable- the stationary bike and the treadmill. I avoid the weights and the machines, not because I’m afraid, but because I don’t know what to do or where to start. So I’m looking really forward to having a plan.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">My main goal, of course, is to lose weight. I want to look better in the clothes I wear, or even wear smaller clothes hanging in my closet collecting dust. But, losing weight is not my ONLY goal. I want to be fit. Slim is one thing, but fit is another. Have you ever seen the magazine covers, pointing out who has flab in <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311041365_3">Hollywood</span>? Most of those women aren’t fat. They’re thin, but they’re not fit. They’re what I call “skinny-fat”. They have flabby bellies, jiggly arms, and thighs that rub together, but they don’t weigh more than 115lbs soaking wet. I don’t want to be that. Likewise, I don’t want to be so buff that I lose my feminine “softness”. I’d like to be somewhere in the middle- just fit. I don’t want to live my life eating Lean Cuisines and rice cakes (though I’m willing to do it for the time being), and passing up ice cream on a lazy Sunday with my daughter. I don’t want to be the person that puts gym time ahead of family time. I want to find that balance where I’m happy, healthy, and not cringing when I look in the mirror (or at a size tag in a pair of jeans). I want Lily to understand the importance of eating healthy and being active, not because we tell her but because we’re examples.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Georgia;">My husband and daughter are my whole world. I want to be around for them as long as I possibly can, and I want them to be proud of me. I want to lose this weight and get in shape for the two of them just as much as myself. I didn’t get involved with these programs because I want to “win” in the sense of prizes and rewards. I want to win by losing weight and hitting my goals. I don’t care if I’m in first place or last place, as long as I have personal success, that’s all that matters. I joined these groups for support, motivation, and direction. I am not a competitive person, so I normally don’t do well in challenges, particularly physical ones, but I’m going to give both of the weight loss/get in shape challenges I’m involved in my best shot. Not to win, but to see results. </span></span></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-28684149283383201142011-07-16T20:38:00.001-07:002011-07-16T20:39:16.961-07:00Things I've learned from my daughter<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: text; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1310873851_0">Lily is</span> now, amazingly, 15 months old already. I can’t think of another 15 month period where my life has changed so much. It’s amazing what an impact a 31 inch tall, 21 lb 4 oz person can have on everything from how early I get up in the morning (6: 15 am, or earlier if munchkin dictates), to what we eat (because we will inevitably be met with fierce demands of “Bite! Bite!! BITE!!”), to where and when we go somewhere (Has Lily had a nap? Do we have a baby sitter? How late do we want to be out past her bedtime?), to even what tv shows we watch (Bubble Guppies. All the time. The same 6 episodes, over and over again.) So, in honor of my sweet, strong-willed angel, I have compiled a list of the top 15 things I’ve learned in the last 15 months of being a Mama.<br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">In no particular order…<br /></span></span></p> <ol style="margin-top:0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Babies make messes. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Big ones. Even when they’re newborns. There is spit up. There is slobber. There is poop…lots and lots of poop. I still, to this day, have no idea how something so small can poop that much. Then, when they’re past newborns, there is baby food. And more drool. Then, there is that little period of time we’re in now, when they’re not quite babies, but they’re not totally toddlers, either. They’re eating regular foods, usually with their hands, and it goes everywhere, including to the dog. Toys go everywhere. Books, everywhere. More often than not, we end up changing Lily’s clothes after every meal. She refuses to wear a bib (and removes it hastily if we try to sneak one on), and has to feed herself everything (even mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, and spaghetti). This is all a part of her development, she has fun doing it, and hey, that’s what Tide Stain Release, Spray N <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1310873851_1">Wash</span>, and bath time are for. And the dog—my sweet, fur covered vacuum cleaner. I was told when I was pregnant “You haven’t seen anything until you start washing baby laundry. You will do more laundry than you ever thought was possible.” I laughed this off, thinking “Baby clothes are so tiny, and it’s not like the baby is going to be making messes.” Ha. Famous last thoughts! Another thing I hear a lot is “Shouldn’t she have a bib on? Oh she’s made such a mess.” And I think, “Of course she has. But she has managed to use the spoon 5 times this meal, so her dexterity is improving. Yes!!” So, yes, babies make messes. And yes, you spend a lot of time cleaning and washing such messes up, but, I wouldn’t trade the mess for anything.</span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">I gave my child formula and she…GREW AND THRIVED!! </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">I’m not knocking breastfeeding. Not one little bit. My plan was to breastfeed and give Lily breastmilk until she was a year old. After the first 2 weeks of her life, when she had only gained 1 oz, still had terrible jaundice, and hadn’t even made it back to her birth weight, I realized that exclusively giving her breast milk was out of the question for us. Our pediatrician, my ob/gyn, and our lactation consultant all agreed that we needed to supplement with formula while I tried to up my supply and while we worked on Lily’s latch and suck. Her latch never got better and my supply never really did, either, in spite of taking over the max dosage of all of the herbs and teas supposed to help, and drinking gallons of water every day. Every single problem (with the exception of thrush) that a baby and a mother could have during breast feeding, we had. Poor latch, flat nipples, low supply, poor suckle, cracked nipples, clogged ducts, post partum depression…I can go on. At 4.5 months, after I was back to work and had even less opportunity to pump, my supply went down to less than 3 oz a day. If we had not chosen to supplement, and ultimately switch to, formula, my child would have failed to thrive completely and been starving. I was disappointed that I couldn’t breastfeed the way I’d planned. I beat myself up over it for a while, and then I realized that I was doing the best thing for my baby, especially after she nearly tripled her weight from 2 weeks to 6 mos and was finally out of the 10<sup>th</sup> percentile for weight. I made the right decision for her, which is ALL that matters. I will not be made to feel guilty, or like I failed her, for not being successful at breastfeeding. I’m not apologetic about my feelings towards militant breastfeeding supporters, who have flat out told me that I could’ve “done more” to be successful at it, and that I clearly “gave up” when I should’ve pushed through. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Bath time is the best Family time.</span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> Ever since Lily was old enough to hold her head up on her own, we’ve taken a different approach to bath time. I fill up the tub and put the toys in. JP puts on swim trunks and gets in the tub with Lily. She gets to play and climb all over JP and he gets Daddy/Lily time. I sit on the outside of the tub and do the washing and get splashed. She gets to stay in the tub longer, because he is in there with her playing, and it’s the greatest bonding experience with her and JP. Now she’ll stand at the side of the tub and say “Daddy!! Daddy!! Bath time!!!” <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Murphy’s Law applies doubly to babies. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">A few times, I have had the ridiculous thought “I am only running to the store for a minute. I’ll just leave the diaper bag at home.” Or “Surely I won’t need to take a change of clothes, we’re only going to be gone for a few hours.” Fast forward to me frantically buying a pack of diapers and wipes we didn’t need, or a new outfit for Lily when she has a closet full at home. Sure, lugging around a diaper bag (which we’ve now managed to trim down to a toddler back pack), sucks. It’s heavy, and it’s full of stuff you never need when you carry it for a 5 minute trip to Kroger. But trust me, the one time you don’t take it is when your precious angel will have a poop-splosion to beat all. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Kids hear everything. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">I know, you all are thinking “Duh! Of course they do!” but that is really something we had to learn. Fortunately, we didn’t have to learn this in a terribly hard fashion. Lily has repeated a few words we would’ve liked for her not to say, but, she’s only said them in the confines of our home, when JP and I were the only readily available ears. We’ve been extremely lucky not to have had her yell out something inappropriate in public…at least, yet. Even when we think she’s engrossed to the hilt in Bubble Guppies, or her building blocks or books, she’s listening, and her little sponge brain is soaking up what we say so she can clearly and articulately repeat it to us at a later date, to our shock and chagrin. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">You have to find what works for you and your child. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Lily gets her diapers changed standing up. She has never liked laying on her back, even as a newborn she preferred her side. So, around 6 mos old, she started getting squirmy during diaper changes and when she was getting dressed. Since parenting is ever evolving for us, we started letting her get into whatever position she felt was good, and diapering her that way. This was, and has continued to be, standing up with her hands on the wall (kind of like she’s about to get frisked). It’s what works for us so we roll with it. We co-sleep. I slept on the couch with Lily for the first 6 mos, then I moved to the bed and now we all sleep in the bed. She’s never slept in her crib for more than an hour or two. She probably never will sleep in the crib, and at this point, we’re going to just transition her to a toddler bed when we’re ready (which I’m thinking will be sooner than later). This is what works for us. We have other things that we do that works for us, and things that we don’t do because they don’t work for us. If another family does something we don’t, more power to them because it clearly is what works for them. We don’t knock it, just like we appreciate people who don’t knock what we do.<b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">People will always say inappropriate things. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Complete strangers have tried to tell me how to parent my child- she had a meltdown in Kroger over a $9 helium balloon that she wanted and I wouldn’t buy- and a complete stranger told me that I needed to buy it for her to make her stop. Excuse me? How ‘bout YOU fork over $9 for a balloon she only wants because I said she can’t have it? People have also asked me if I breastfed, then shook their heads- some because they were disappointed I only did it for 4.5 mos, and others because I did it at all. And I cannot count how many times I’ve been asked about her eyes being two different colors. Most people just ask if they are, and I tell them yes, one is blue and one is brown, and go on my way, and this is fine. I don’t mind people asking that. It’s when they follow the question with “OMG! WHY?!” or “What’s wrong with her?” that irritates me. Then there are all of the people in the world who, when Lily was drenched in pink, asked me if she was a boy or girl. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Don’t fret over milestones. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Lily hit all of her milestones right on track with the emails I received talking about her development. Then, she was supposed to crawl. And she didn’t. She crawled one time, at 5 months old, and not again until close to 11 months. Of course, by then, the emails were saying she should be starting to walk. She had been holding our fingers and practically running since she was 6 mos old, but she flat out refused to walk…OR crawl. She didn’t take her first step until last month, at 14 months old. She can crawl at the speed of light and she’s come a long way in a short time with walking. But it didn’t stop me from fretting over it. She hit those milestones late, ohmygoshwhatdoIdo!? Well, it could be that her head is in the 94<sup>th</sup> percentile for size (meaning, only 6% of children her age have heads bigger than her) and she hovered down in the 30-40% range for height and weight (until the last visit, when she showed above average in height, but still down low in weight), so she was top heavy. Perfectly normal and well proportioned, but just needed a little extra time to be able to get her balance. And, I kept neglecting the fact that she was hitting many, many other milestones early (cutting teeth, eating with a spoon, drinking out of a straw) and her language skills are off the charts. Most children her age know 15-20 words, and here is Lily with close to 100 words and is even putting together basic sentences. I’ve learned that my child is strong willed, and stubborn, and it doesn’t matter if she CAN do something…if she doesn’t want to, she is NOT going to do it. She could crawl, she just didn’t want to. Given how fast she’s taken to walking, she probably could do that, too, and just didn’t want to. I fretted over nothing.<b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">TV, and sugar, won’t rot your child’s brain or teeth.</span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> Just this morning, Lily watched an episode of her favorite show “Bubble Guppies”. On this show, they discussed colors, and she turned around and said “Orange” and then “Purple” to me. I thought she was just repeating what she’d heard, but I asked her to show me something purple. She pointed immediately to my cell phone, which has a purple silicone case. I asked her to show me something orange, and she pointed to one of her blocks, which was, in fact, orange. She is not staring at the tv mindlessly, in a fog. She is learning things. I credit everyone around us talking to her all the time and reading to her often, as part of her language development, but I also owe credit where credit is due: to Moose & Zee on Nick Jr, along with Dora, Diego, the Backyardigans, and most recently, the cute little “gukkies”. As for sugar, for the longest time, Lily did not have a sweet tooth. At 10 months, I gave her a piece of brownie and she gagged and threw up. She still doesn’t like cake and other sweet confections. She does, however, like ice cream and cookies. A cookie, or a few spoonfuls of ice cream, every few days, isn’t going to hurt her. She will be fine, as long as we teach her that sugary treats are just that: treats. She still would rather have a piece of broccoli or a green pea over a cookie any day of the week, and I am totally ok with that, but I will not make sweets off limits or restrict them completely. I have seen this back fire with a lot of my adult friends- the ones with the worst sweet tooth were the ones who weren’t allowed to have treats when they were little. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">It doesn’t matter what (or how many) toys a kid has. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1310873851_2">Lily is</span> spoiled rotten. I’m the first to say it. We’re all guilty of doing it, too. She really is a good baby, so it’s hard not to buy her stuff. She has so many toys, both bought and inherited from her cousins, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. She doesn’t care if she has one toy or one hundred thousand toys. A few nights ago, she played with a Scentsy bar (in the plastic case, of course), JP’s shoes, and a DVD case she pretended was a phone. She had literally a hundred things (blocks, stuffed animals, books, etc) around her, and those were what she bee-lined for. She is perfectly happy trying to wear my high heels or trying to climb on JP’s foam roller, or stacking up and knocking over her blocks, it’s all one and the same to her. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">If you think your child won’t be interested in it, can’t reach it, or won’t try to open it, he or she will definitely do it. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Every time I have said “Oh, she won’t try to open that cabinet” or “She isn’t interested in your xbox remote” or “She doesn’t know how to turn the tv off”…she does. It’s like deep down, she has to prove me wrong (it’s clearly the teenage girl coming out in her early). So we’ve baby gated, baby proofed, moved things higher than 31 inches (plus a few more inches in arm’s reach), and hoped for the best. And as I watched her try to scale the tv stand last night in an attempt to get closer to the Bubble Guppies, then later, pull DVDs off of the DVD rack and barely miss her head, I realized we still have work to do, and I should never say “Oh, she won’t…can’t…doesn’t” because she will, can, and do. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">No matter what you do, someone will think it’s wrong. </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Whether the debate is controversial like to pacifier or not to pacifier, to co-sleep or crib sleep, formula or breast, or non-controversial such as letting your child sleep in a diaper instead of pajamas, or letting them eat with their hands at 13 months old instead of spoon feeding them, or giving them a brownie after dinner instead of apple slices…someone will have a differing opinion than yours. Someone will think it’s wrong, will have a better way to do it, and will not hesitate to tell you. The best thing in the world is to take their “advice” with a grain of salt and keep doing it the way you were (unless of course it’s genuinely detrimental to your child’s health). Not everyone is going to agree with your style of parenting, but as long as it benefits your child and works for your family, keep it up.<b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Not everything will go according to “The Plan”.</span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> In my labor and delivery class, we talked a lot about birth plans, but then we also talked a lot about complications and issues that can arise during the birthing process, as well as with newborns. I decided that I would not be making a birth plan, and that I would just go with the flow of whatever happened. And, given our situation (at the doctor one day for my 36 week check-up, and at the hospital the next night being induced 4 weeks early), it’s probably a good thing that I was able to squelch the “planner” inside of me. And, thus far, nothing has gone the way the books describe. Nothing. But, don’t get me wrong—this is not a bad thing. Everyone always tells me I am so laid back and calm about Lily, and 99% of the time, I am. We have just been through so much with her- the whole problem at the end of my pregnancy (which could’ve resulted in us losing her), the deal with her eye (and the scare of tumors), etc- that I’m not sweating the small stuff. I mean, is being anal about precise feeding times and nap lengths going to benefit us if she’s still hungry (or overfull) or still tired (or overly energized)? No. “Ideal” for us would have been a full term, breast fed baby who sleeps through the night in her own crib. We didn’t get any of that, but you know what? Lily is absolutely, 100% perfect, happy, well-adjusted, and extremely smart, and I have no regrets about any of our decisions.<b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">Sometimes other people’s advice is worth hearing.</span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> Sometimes, every so often, good advice comes out of the midst of all of the drivel of advice a Mom receives. This advice generally comes from the same small group of people (who have children of their own, usually under the age of 10), is not meant maliciously or to insinuate bad parenting, actually is extremely helpful, and, best of all, is usually solicited (and if it isn’t solicited advice, it’s prefaced by something along the lines of “I know you haven’t asked my opinion, but I can tell you something that worked great for me was….”) Read this line: THIS ADVICE IS WORTH HEARING. Even if you don’t take it, it’s still worth hearing, because every baby isn’t the same, and what you don’t do this go round, you might do the next time. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;">I never realized how fast time flies by.</span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> I can’t believe Lily is already 15 months old. It’s been 2 years since I found out I was pregnant. I also can’t believe how fast babies grow, learn, and develop. She’s still on the petite side for babies her age, so sometimes I lose sight of how much bigger she is. Then I find a pair of newborn socks, or a onesie I forgot to pack away and it makes me sad to see how much she’s grown, yet at the same time, amazed to see what she is growing into. She is a funny, curious, mischievous, extremely smart, stubborn, tomboy princess who is a perfect mix of JP and I. You can’t help but smile when you’re around her because her personality is huge and infectious. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us. <b><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></b></span></span></li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> <br /></span></span></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-69945834447710829522011-05-22T20:05:00.000-07:002011-05-22T20:13:57.253-07:00Weight Watchers!!!<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Last Saturday, my wonderful Dad took my Mom, me, and Lily to Red Lobster for a fantastic dinner. It was one of those wonderfully indulgent meals that only happen once in a blue moon. Though my main course was actually moderately healthy (as far as options at Red Lobster go), it was negated by the inundation of cheddar biscuits, salad with full fat <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_0">ranch dressing</span>, and a glorious molten <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_1">chocolate chip cookie</span> something or another for dessert. This meal was a turning point for me.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I had been toying around with the idea of joining <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_2">Weight Watcher</span> online to help me lose weight, change my eating habits, and take control of myself. I had even joked through dinner that the meal was a great last hurrah before starting WW. But it was half-hearted. I wanted to do something but I didn't REALLY want to. And then, we went back to my parent's house and I did the unthinkable...something you should never do at <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_3">9:00</span> at night, after eating all day including such a heavy last meal: I weighed myself. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I'm not ready to share the number that popped up on there, but I will tell you this: I wholeheartedly was ready to sign up on WW and did so that night when I got home, and started Sunday. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">And I've decided I'm going to blog about this journey. Maybe not every day, but definitely at least once a week. Though I can't bring myself to write the number the scale showed, I will say this: I have roughly 70 pounds I need to lose to get back into the middle of the weight range target for my height/age. I'm sure without even typing the number, you all can estimate what it is, and understand how that makes me feel. I knew I was overweight, and I knew I needed to do something, but I didn't realize how far out of hand it had gotten. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Here is how it breaks down for me on WW: I get 31 daily points, with 49 flex points per week to use (or not). Everytime I do an activity, I gain back activity points that, again, I can use (or not). Right now, I don't have a lot of time to do physical activity-- I don't have time to go to the gym with my schedule the way it is (and thankfully, that'll be changing, soon!), but I do try to fit some in everyday. On my lunch break at work, I walk around <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_4">Wal-Mart</span> at a brisk pace for about 30 minutes. I gain 3 activity points. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I'm not going to lie: these first few days I've been hungry. I'm still learning how to use my points best and what items to eat that have the most "staying power". I'm starting to get the hang of it, and instead of my snacks being point heavy, like <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_5">Weight Watchers</span> brownies or pretzels, I'm eating grapes and carrots (0 points per serving uncooked). But all in all, the point system has been easy to grasp, and I haven't gone over my points at all. I haven't really had to deprive myself of anything, either. I've been able to have a Weight Watchers <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_6">ice cream bar</span> every night with my remaining points. It's not about depriving yourself to lose weight; it's about using your points wisely. I've cut out soda completely, and am drinking around 186oz-200oz of water a day. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Thursday was a bit of a test for us: JP and I went to a member appreciation thing at Anytime Fitness, and there was a taco bar from Salsaritas. Proud to say that I did NOT over-indulge and stayed within my points range. I made it through week one and didn't use any of my activity points and only 2 flex points. I've learned that you can eat pretty much anywhere while on WW, it's just making the right choices there. For instance, a cheeseburger at McDonald's is something like 13 points, but chicken nuggets are 1 point a piece. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I looked in the mirror this morning when I was getting dressed and really felt like I looked a little bit different. I'm definitely less bloated (probably from all of the water) and my stomach looked a little flatter. This is probably all in my head, but it still made me feel good about making this choice to start this program. This is the first morning in a very long time I haven't been completely disgusted and disappointed by what I saw reflecting back at me. I still have a VERY long way to go but I think that I have finally found something that I can stick with. Saturday, I wanted to weigh myself, even though my official Weigh-In isn't until Sundays. As of Saturday afternoon, I had lost 4.3lbs! Today, when I weighed, I found I had actually lost 5.1lbs!<br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I am moving from the Wal-Mart branch to the Main Office, to a non-teller role, in about 2 weeks. This is excellent for so many reasons: I will get off work earlier, which will give me more time with Lily and JP. I will also be able to start getting up and out the door to the gym by the time JP gets home at 5. I'll be able to cook healthy dinners, and on nights JP is off work, we'll be able to sit and eat as a family. Also, one of my best friends works at the Main Office, and she is doing WW as well, so I will have someone there to help keep me on track. I also won't be sitting in Wal-Mart everyday, staring out into the abyss of chocolate bars, chips, Cheetos, and sodas. I know once I am able to get back into the gym, I'll really start seeing the fruits of my WW labors. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I'm sure the future updates won't be as long. I plan to touch on the progress I'm making, difficulties or struggles, maybe even good recipes I come across, and things like that. JP, in an act of solidarity, decided to join WW, too. He wanted to be sure I had support not only from Shelley at work, but from him at home. He figured it would be easier for me to stay on track, particularly when we go out to eat, if we were both on a points tracking program. Of course, he gets pretty much double the points that I do, but he is still sticking with it just like I have been. I'm thankful for him to be doing this with me, because I can definitely see it being a struggle to eat grilled chicken and steamed veggies when he's chowing down on a big, fat, greasy burger and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_7">onion rings</span>.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Starting weight: Not telling yet, but 70 lbs more than it should be</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Weigh in: Down 5.1lbs!!!! YEA!!<br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Meal of the week: I really love the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_8">Smart Ones</span> breakfast quesadillas, and also the raspberry <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306119976_9">dark chocolate ice cream</span> bars</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Struggle this week: I need to eat more fruits and veggies</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Goals for the upcoming week: I want to lose at least 2 lbs, continue drinking a lot of water (and no soda), not use any flex points, and walk every day on my lunch break</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-32458166179564792362011-03-31T17:29:00.000-07:002011-03-31T17:30:26.790-07:00Never bend over to wash your feet again...<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Let me just start by saying, while I'm now fairly certain Insanity won't kill me, it's still more than just a minor accomplishment to simply psych myself up to start the video. So to say I've completed 3 days of it now is a major accomplishment, particularly since I'm hardly the target audience. I did have to stop about 3 minutes before the cool down yesterday, but not because I thought I couldn't finish. It was because my child, apparently, is on the anti-exercise, "Let's-keep-mommy-fat-and-fluffy" bandwagon (she's a lone participant, I think) because she had a total and absolute meltdown last night in her playpen as soon as I started the warm-up. For those of you who know my child, she is really generally such a happy go lucky girl and can entertain herself for hours in her playpen with her toys...when <em><u>she</u></em> wants to. So I think that a "total and absolute meltdown" deserves a little further explanation, so you all know I'm not exaggerating.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><strong><u>Total and absolute meltdown</u></strong>- Lily's version: (v): Includes but is not limited to, crying, screaming so loud that the tv is drowned out, throwing herself backwards into the playpen, more screaming, jumping up and down and shaking her fists, and last but not least, sticking her fingers in her mouth until she gags herself or throws up. This stops the second she is picked up, and is a sign of being completely spoiled rotten. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So, after I begrudgingly shut off the workout and picked her up, she smiled, patted my cheek and said "Heya mama! Happy!" See? Spoiled. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">After I cooled down, drank water, and made sure my heart wasn't going to stop or explode (JP's warning today before I started the work out was "Keep your phone near you, just in case something happens and you need to call someone for help." I know, it made me <u>super</u> excited to work out, too.) I went on to bed, where I'm happy to say Lily slept <strong>ALL</strong> night! </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Thanks to Rebecca Black's auto tuned awesomeness, I can tell you that today is Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday, and there are some other days that come after that but I don't really care (for the next week, anyway) because as of <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301617799_0">Friday at 7:01pm</span>, I am on VACATION! Now, don't get too excited. I'm not really going anywhere. I'm just not going to be at work. I'm going to spend the week enjoying my baby and husband, because it's the last week my baby will BE a baby. I keep getting letters in the mail from Gerber, Similac, and Enfamil reminding me of this terribly sad fact. "I am not a baby" they say, "I am now a TODDLER." I am not ready for a toddler but I don't suppose I get much choice in the matter. It's hard to believe this time last year, I was 35 weeks pregnant with a ninja nicknamed Oops, fully expecting to have 5 <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301617799_1">weeks of pregnancy</span> left. Little did I know my baby girl would get jealous of her Daddy having all the birthday cake and Easter candy and come 4 weeks ahead of schedule.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">That brings me to another milestone I get to celebrate during my week off. My husband turns old..um...I mean...30...<span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301617799_2">on April 5</span>. He was 23 when I met him, and I was 21. It's crazy how time flies, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with on this crazy ride.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">This weekend, I'm going to finish putting out my garden. I've had pretty good success with the seed starters, and I have several good sized plants to put out. Hopefully, once they get out in the "real" world, and not on my kitchen chair in the window, they won't shrivel up and die. The day I get an actual, edible vegetable will be a great day in my house, let me tell you, because I am hardly the "green thumb" type.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">While I'm on vacation, I have a list of non-vacation-y stuff to do, like go to the eye doctor, paint the hallway and laundry room, and go through my, Lily's and JP's clothes and get stuff together for a yard sale (or Goodwill, depending on my patience level at the end of this venture), plus JP's birthday party and actual birthday, and Lily's birthday. I'm interested to see how much of what I have planned to get done actually gets done, because JP is taking some vacation days, too. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><strong><em><u>Random item of the day</u></em></strong></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Since I am inside of a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301617799_3">Wal-Mart</span> most days, I usually try to take a brisk walk around the store on my lunch break to get a little blood flowing and to break the monotony of staring out at the registers. In my travels through the store, I see a lot of interesting things (and I'm not just talking about the people shopping). Today, I saw an "As Seen On TV" item that is quite possibly the laziest invention known to man, if not by product itself, by tag line. It's a foot scrubber thing. I didn't catch the name, but from what I gathered it affixes to the bottom of your tub and you can slide your feet in it during a shower and it cleans them for you. It looks like a shoe with a scrub brush inside of it, kind of. The best part of this novel invention is it's tag line "Never bend over to wash your feet again!" Now you tell me, how lazy have we become that we want an apparatus that will keep us from having to perform the <em>arduous</em> task of bending over to wash our own feet? Really? The first image that popped into my mind when I pondered this was from the movie Wall-E, where all humans were pretty much fat, lazy, and perfectly content to know nothing and do nothing for themselves. Once I saw that, I texted two people to tell them about it. One was a woman, my friend Jennifer. The other? A man, my husband. Jennifer texted back and said "How lazy! JP, on the other hand, texted me back, "How much is it? I want one! So does Brandon and Joe!" That's the difference between men and women, right there. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-63700984521778397802011-03-30T18:30:00.001-07:002011-03-30T18:31:31.319-07:00Of all the things I've lost, I wish more of it had been weight!<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Hello lovely readers! It's day 30 of the blog challenge, and I'm on day 24 or 25 topic wise. It's also day 3 of Insanity. That means I not only surived Day 2 (which was the official first day of the workout), but I'm planning to continue. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Let me just tell you, this workout is the most aptly named workout I've ever seen. The workout is insane, and you have to BE insane to do it. I was ready to pass out halfway into the <em><u>warm up</u></em> yesterday, so none of you should be surprised to know that I threw up 26 minutes and 43 seconds into the 45 minute workout. But you will be surprised to know that I drank some water, let the room quit spinning, and got back to it and <u>finished</u> the workout. I have done more cardio in the last 2 days than I've done in the last 2 years (at least) and I have jumped more in the last 2 days than I have in probably my entire adult life (and my legs are killing me as a continuous reminder of how fat and/or out of shape I have become). I told JP if I don't lose weight doing this program then something is terribly wrong...between the jumping, running, and throwing up, the weight's gotta go somewhere! </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">As a reward for sticking with this and a motivator to continue with it, I got to get a new pair of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301534921_0">cross trainers</span>. I have a pair of Nikes that I've worn for a long time, and my feet just kill me when I am doing all the jumping. I think the arches flattened out in them just due to all of the wear. It makes me a little sad, because I didn't wear them out with exercise, I just wore them out wearing them around for the last few years. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Today's challenge topic is "Something I Miss" and while I could write about a lot of things or people, I'm going to stay right along with what I've been talking about.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><u><em><strong>I miss feeling good about how I look. </strong></em></u></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><strong><em></em></strong> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I miss the days when I could eat whatever I wanted (Hardees for breakfast? Ok! Los Compadres cheese nachos for lunch? Sure! Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner? Count me in! <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301534921_1">Waffle House</span> double order of hashbrowns scattered, covered, and chunked at midnight? Heck yea!). I miss the days where I could pull on a pair of size 5 jeans (now, I'm lucky if my LEG is a size 5). I miss looking in the mirror and feeling good about how I look, because now I don't even want to look in the mirror because I just hate what I see. I don't like getting my pictures taken, not even with Lily, because of my fat face, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301534921_2">double chin</span>, and belly. I miss enjoying the pool (I don't, now, because I'm too busy trying to keep my thunder thighs and bat wing flabby arms under wraps.) I hate these feelings.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So, I'm doing something about it.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I currently weigh 195lbs. That is 55lbs over what "ideal" weight is for my height, and embarrassingly enough, close to 15bs over what I weighed the day before I went to the hospital to have Lily. I lost a lot of the baby weight really quickly after having her, but as you now know, I managed to gain it all back and then some. This is due, in part, to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301534921_3">bad eating habits</span> for the first few months after Lily was born, while I was on maternity leave, but is due, more so, to complete lack of physical activity. I have been to the gym a grand total of 3 times since Lily has been alive. that's 3 times out of 356 days. That's ridiculous. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Before I got pregnant, I was really losing weight. I was at the gym 5 to 7 days a week, had a program from a personal trainer, was watching what I ate...the whole 9 yards. I was down to 160lbs, and though I wasn't totally happy with that, I was feeling good. I had started at 185lbs, so I was proud of my weight loss. Then I got pregnant, and sick, sick, sick. It was about 6 months into the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301534921_4">pregnancy</span> before I actually gained any weight because of how sick I was. I'd gain, then lose, then gain, then lose. My <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301534921_5">pregnancy weight gain</span>, total, was 20lbs. About 4 or 5 weeks after I had Lily, I was back down to 165, and now here we are 30lbs heavier. I had every intention of getting back into the gym as often as I could, as soon as I could, but it ended up being a lot more difficult than I had thought. I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as I could. My mom baby-sits, and sometimes Lily is with her 12 hours a day, and I just didn't want to burden my mom (and have Lily away from us even longer) by going to the gym in the mornings before work. Then my mom said she'd keep her later if I wanted to go after work, so I did a few times. But, picking Lily up at 9 at night didn't shorten the time she was at my parents and away from me, and then I had what felt like even <em>less</em> time with her once we got home, because I had house hold chores to do and she fell asleep. I had a lot of bad mommy guilt and bad wife guilt, so that plan went out the window. Even though I had changed my eating habits for the most part, no physical activity had caught up in a big way.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">That brings us to Insanity, here and now. I can do it at home. Whether I get up early, wait until Lily falls asleep, or do it in the middle of the afternoon while she watches me look ridiculous from her playpen, I can do it and not lose time with her. Being at home jumping around like a lunatic requires a clean floor, so the house is staying cleaner so I have work space. I'm going to work on my eating and change those habits even more.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">My goal for my family is to be really active and healthy. I want to make sure JP and I are able to instill GOOD habits in Lily so she enjoys outdoor/athletic/physical activity and doesn't wrinkle her nose at a plate of grilled tilapia and veggies because it's not breaded, fried, and nugget shaped. I want to make sure JP and I have ourselves in good shape before Lily is old enough to remember what we look like out of shape.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Rather than sitting around and continuing to complain about how big I feel (all the while getting bigger), I'm going to push myself through to the end of this workout. Then, I might do it again. Hopefully by then, I'll be at my new job at the Main Office with better hours, so I'll have more leeway for gym time. I'm GOING to get back in shape...maybe even better shape than ever!</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-55920894260979901172011-03-29T18:43:00.000-07:002011-03-29T18:46:08.497-07:00Look ma! No hands!<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Two in one day, how lucky for you, readers! I started out with 4 people following my blog and now I have 16, so I have to keep the interest up. Here's another blog, straight out of the challenge...<br /><br />Day 24: Something I've Learned<br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">In almost 28 years, I've learned a lot of things, so when I first read this topic, I thought along the same lines of a friend of mine doing this challenge... "Really? Something I've learned? I've learned a lot in 28 years...what kind of topic is this?" I talked a lot about learning lessons in the regrets blog, but I'm sure I can come up with something(s) I've learned for this one. You know all that book learnin' I did at Friendship Christian and Cumberland, as well as some real world experience has taught me at least something...we hope, anyway.<br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. I've learned that 2+2=4, unless you're doing algebra, then it could equal x, y, z, or even an imaginary number. That's another thing altogether that I've learned. There IS such a thing as an imaginary number.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. I've learned that sometimes stupid things take up space in your brain's memory bank, such as a childhood phone number (<span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301449393_0">410-538-6947</span>...my phone number when I was 5!) but other, more important things (like remembering to text your best friend on her birthday, which happens to fall conveniently on the same day every year for her whole life and as long as you've known her) don't stick.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. When I was about 24, I learned that I can no longer eat whatever I want with no repercussions. I learned this lesson the hard way.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. I've learned that no matter how hard you try, not everyone is going to like you. I've also learned that the people who don't like you when you're totally, 100% yourself aren't people you should want in your life anyway.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. I've learned that, while it's great to have my own identity, I truly love being "JP's wife" and "Lily's mommy". I will always wear those two titles proudly.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. I've learned that no matter how airtight and absolute you think a plan is that you've made...life is probably not going to happen that way. I've learned it's much easier to form a general idea of what you want out of life or a particular situation, and the rest of the time just go with the natural flow of life. Crap happens and plans get messed up, and instead of letting it ruin your day, life, whatever, you just kind of have to go back to square one, assess the damage, and move in the new direction.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. I've learned that I may not be the smartest, prettiest, thinnest person in the world, but the most awesome man on the planet loves me and THAT is all that matters.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">8. I've learned that sometimes, the best approach to life is to sit down, shut up, and strap yourself in for the ride. Other times, the best approach is go to "Look ma! No hands" while blindfolded.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">9. I've learned that acne doesn't always go away when you're no longer a teenager. Yay.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">10. I've learned that life is what you make it. If you let the bad stuff get to you and drag you down, you'll never find happiness. You've got to take the bad stuff and learn from it. It's important to realize that sometimes bad stuff is going to happen. No matter what you do, it'll happen-- you'll get sick, have an unexpected bill, whatever the case may be. It's how you approach these issues that determines what kind of person you'll let life make you. Those people that always feel sorry for themselves and make themselves out to be the victims of their situations instead of owning their situations, are the most unhappy people in the world. I don't want to spend my time dwelling on the bad.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">11. I've learned that I had no idea what love really was until I had Lily. The love I have for her is immeasurable, and the love I have for JP has grown exponentially.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">12. I've learned that baby poop is no joke. It still to this day amazes me how so much can come out of something so small, sometimes.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">13. I've learned that there are people in this world who are just really, truly, honestly and deeply bad. Likewise, I've learned that not everyone is out to get me, and there are more good, honest, and truthful people in the world than bad ones.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">14. Just as I've learned that not everyone will like you, I've also learned that you can't please everyone all the time. What matters is, at the end of the day, you make choices that are good ones for you and your family.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">15. I've learned that there will always be someone in my life who will disagree with me, just for the sake of argument or being different. If I say I love Dr. Pepper, they'll say Coke is better. If I say the sky is a beautiful shade of cerulean blue, they'll contend it's more of a greyish robin's egg blue., and that they've seen prettier. If I say I think Lily weighs about 22lbs, they'll say no, it's probably closer to 23lbs and 9.25 ounces. I've learned you just have to smile, nod, and continue on.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">16. I've learned that <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301449393_1">Wal-Mart</span> bathrooms are the nastiest places on earth. I know this is a glaring generalization but from what I've seen, it's true. Don't get me started on the bathrooms at the Wal-Mart where I work...that's a whole different blog post.</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-57816641545408368062011-03-29T14:44:00.000-07:002011-03-29T14:46:03.980-07:00Days 22, and 23...My favorite bible verse and favorite quotes, and other stuff.<div dir="ltr" id="idOWAReplyText15113"> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;color:#000000;">Upon looking back at this month, I found I have 21 entries. Some people are thinking "Wow! I can't believe I've read 21 pieces of nothing on this blog in the last month!" But others are thinking (myself included) "Wait, isn't this a blog a day challenge? Didn't she start it at the beginning of the month? Isn't this the 29th? That's 8 entries missing..." While the short attention spanned side of me is proud of myself for 21 rambling entries, the studious part of me is upset that I didn't totally stick to the challenge. But, I'm writing a lot of things that weren't part of the challenge, and I actually enjoy what I'm doing, so I guess I need to look at this as an accomplishment, even if completing the actual challenge takes 10935084 days instead of 30.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I'm actually going to write about the challenge topic, but before I do, here are short recaps of things I mentioned in prior blogs.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Lily didn't have a new word yesterday, but she still talked to us all night. She cheered for me when I did my fit test, and picked up some letters in the tub when I asked her to find them. Her favorite letters (or the ones she can identify correctly most often) are B, O, and T. She can show me her fish toys in the tub, as well as the octopus toys. Right now, one of her favorite things to do is pick up something and hold is up for us to tell her what it is, what color it is, and what sound it makes (if any). She's so curious, and I love it. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Since you're reading this, that means I actually wrote today, and THAT means I didn't die from the Fit Test for Day 1 of Insanity. (Sorry to those of you I bequeathed my stuff to yesterday before the work out, I know you all wanted my books, clothes, shoes, and cooking stuff!) I have never seen a work out more aptly named. It is insane, and you have to BE insane to do it. I did at least one rep of each exercise, which is saying something when the super buff, fit people on the video are only doing 9 or 10 of a particular exercise, for my fat butt to make it through one is an accomplishment. There were a few exercises where I actually did more than JP, which is also an accomplishment, considering I'm the antithesis of anything athletic and he has worked out <u>at least</u> 100 times more than me since I got pregnant. I didn't die, I didn't pass out, and I didn't throw up (even though I felt like it for a little while afterwards). Now I'm as ready as I'll ever be for the brutal workout, and the next Fit Test at the end of week 2. JP is bribing me with promises of new, skinny clothes, so I <span style="font-style: italic;">m</span><em style="font-style: italic;">ust</em> stick with it. I'd like to note here, after doing the actual Day 1 workout, Insanity is 45 minutes of hell 6 days a week. But, again, I didn't die. Threw up, but didn't die. Accomplishment!<br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">We are going to see <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_0">Minus the Bear</span> in concert-- I'm so excited! They're playing at the Cannery Ballroom <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_1">on June 1</span>, which is the day before our anniversary. It's also towards the end of Insanity, so we can dually celebrate.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">And now, I present to you, Day 22 of the actual blog challenge: "<span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_2">My Favorite</span> <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_3">Bible Verse</span>". </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I had actually decided to skip this one at first. Not because I don't like the Bible or anything like that, but because I wasn't sure what verse was actually my favorite. I try to live a good life and do the right thing, but I don't attend church regularly and I don't have a denominational affiliation. I was kind of concerned that I would come off as a hypocrite on this one. But, then I reconsidered it, and I know in my heart that it doesn't matter what church I do or do not attend, faith is faith and I have that. So, here is one of my favorite passages:</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><strong>1 Corinthians 13:4-8<br /><sup id="en-NIV-28670" class="versenum">4</sup> Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. <sup id="en-NIV-28671" class="versenum">5</sup> It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. <sup id="en-NIV-28672" class="versenum">6</sup> Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. <sup id="en-NIV-28673" class="versenum">7</sup> It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. <sup id="en-NIV-28674" class="versenum">8</sup> Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.</strong></span></div><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> <div dir="ltr"><br />To me, this passage is one everyone needs to take to heart and live their life by. I think people spend a lot of their time doing the complete opposite of loving one another. If we spent more time being patient, kind, humble, honorable, calm, and forgiving, wouldn't this world be a better place? Love is the perfect, clean, innocent emotion. I know this is the passage commonly used at weddings, but it should be a verse commonly used throughout relationships in our lives. I love my husband, and I know when he makes me mad, I'll get over it because I forgive him because of the love I have for him. But what if we applied this verse to other areas of our lives?</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">How often do we lose our patience with others? How often, when you get upset with everyone else, do you want to give them a laundry list of everything they've ever done to annoy you? (Well, you not only spilled coffee on my rug and ruined it, but 25 years ago, at my 3rd birthday, you took 2 goody bags, and when I was 12, you lost my favorite scrunchie, and 3 years ago you were late to our lunch date...) Instead of being happy for your friend who got a new job or moved into a bigger house, we often wonder why WE didn't get a new job or when will WE move into a larger house...why? Relationships full of anger, hatred, and mistrust ALWAYS fail, but relationships full of love thrive forever. </div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">I believe, wholeheartedly, that the life we have here is truly the worst it's going to ever get for those who believe in God and heaven. Bad days, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_4">Murphy's Law</span> (if it can happen, it will happen), anger, evil, jealousy, crime, fear...none of that is waiting for you on the other side if you live your life correctly. But, since we are stuck in this life for a long time, why can't we try to make it as good and happy as we can? Approach life and everything in it with love, and see what happens!</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><strong><em><u>Day 23: My Favorite Quote</u></em></strong></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Continuing right along with the actual challenge is something that goes along with the Bible verse day. "My Favorite Quote". It's hard for me to pick just one, so here is a sampling of quotes that have really stuck out to me over the years.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><strong>"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another"-- <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_5">Charles Dickens</span> </strong></div> <div dir="ltr">I like this one because it's so true. There are a lot of times when I feel like I'm not important, and this reminds me that sometimes even the littlest things I do for another person may have lightened their load (or their heart) and for that, I have a purpose.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><strong>"<span style="color:#333333;">Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you still have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analyses, you have got not to forget to laugh"-- Katherine Hepburn</span></strong></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="color:#333333;">This one is so true. You have to just find the humor in some things, or you'll drive yourself crazy. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="color:#333333;"><strong>"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I am out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." -- <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301435017_6">Marilyn Monroe</span></strong></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="color:#333333;"><strong>"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."-- Anonymous</strong></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="color:#333333;">I often talk about how it makes me sad that Lily is growing so fast, so this quote is really great for me right now. There is always something that needs to be cleaned or washed at home, but my baby girl won't always want to be cuddled and hugged. </span></div></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;color:#333333;"><strong>"Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger." -- Christian D. Larsen</strong></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;color:#333333;">I told you, I am an eternal optimist.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;color:#333333;"><strong>"Any change, any loss, does not make us victims. Others can shake you, surprise you, disappoint you, but they can't prevent you from acting, from taking the situation you're presented wtih an moving on. No matter where you are in life, no matter what your situation, you can always do something. You always have a choice, and the choice can be power." -- Blaine Lee</strong></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;color:#333333;">When bad things happen, it's so easy for us to take the route of "Woe is me! How could this happen?" It's so much easier to wallow in self-pity than to pick yourself up by your boot straps, brush yourself off, and continue on with life. It's hard for us to remember that we have a choice in everything, and how we handle even the smallest change can make a huge difference in our whole lives.</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-61052332842618074962011-03-28T18:35:00.000-07:002011-03-28T18:36:07.689-07:00I didn't die doing Day 1 of Insanity....<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">As promised, I'm bringing you a blog about things that make me happy. Happy is much better than annoyed, and I have to keep up my "Sunshine and Rainbows" positive persona. When you approach life positively, you feel better about the outcome of anything life throws at you, anyway, so we can all use a good dose of it every now and again. There is no easier way to improve your mood and help you feel better about yourself and your situation, than to make a list of things that make you happy. Not things that you <em>think </em>would make you happy (A mansion! A million dollars! A <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362535_0">Remington 700</span>! --that's for JP--etc, etc, etc) but things that you already have in your life that make you happy. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">There's a little kid's saying that is appropriate for this kind of thing: "We get what we get, and we don't fuss a bit." I say this is appropriate because life doesn't just hand you a golden ticket. Sometimes, life hands you lemons (to that, I say add vodka and throw a party), and sometimes, life takes a big poo and you step in it while wearing your favorite shoes (to that, I say, weren't you wanting new shoes anyway?). No matter what life hands you...what curve ball gets hit into the left field of your existence...it's important to take stock of the good, and wonderful things you have and what makes you happy. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So here is a list of mine. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. Chocolate makes me happy. I know, there is a chemical compound in chocolate that makes a person feel that way, but I'm still listing it. Chocolate would thrill me if it were fat free and still tasted good, and I would be nearly to the point of spontaneous combustion due to happiness if chocolate were fat free, tasted good, and melted away unsightly fat. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. Lily's voice makes me happy. It's just the cutest sound in the world. I can't explain it. Her laugh is contagious and makes me so happy to hear. I love hearing her talk and laugh. I guess, what really makes me happy is that <u>she</u> is happy.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. Reading a good book...actually...reading mostly any book, makes me happy. I like how quickly the time passes when I get engrossed in a book. I like learning new things by reading, and I like the enjoyment reading a trashy book brings. It makes me happy to be into books enough to read pretty much anything anyone puts in my hands.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. Pink stuff makes me happy. I thought by the time Lily actually got here, I'd hate pink because it exploded in a way I never thought possible in my house during my <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362535_1">pregnancy</span>. But in actuality, quite the opposite has happened. I LOVE the color pink, both for Lily and for myself and my stuff. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. Getting something I want on a really good sale makes me happy. Getting it on a really good sale AND being able to use coupons with it? Even better.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. My car makes me happy. No, not the Impala that I always complain about (though, in all actuality, once we fix the cosmetic problems and get it tuned up, I won't dislike it nearly as much), but my <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362535_2">Ford Escape</span>. I have had it for 9 years and 130,000 miles. It's been my car longer than JP's been my husband (or even my boyfriend, for that matter). When we finally do get rid of it, I'll cry.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. JP makes me happy. Duh. I know you all know this. So, something specifically that he does that makes me happy is when I'm <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362535_3">having a bad day</span> or not feeling so awesome, he acts extra goofy just to make me smile. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">8. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362535_4">Bath time</span> makes me happy. Lily is a little wild monkey, and when you put her in the water, she becomes a little wild monkey fish. She splashes so much water, that I might as well be in the tub myself. Some people would get mad at having to change clothes and sop water up off of the floor in the bathroom every night, but she has so much fun, I can't be mad. If she even hears the water running in the tub, the look of sheer joy in her eyes is the best thing in the world. She could flood the bathroom (and probably will, one day) and I'll still be happy.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">9. Don't anyone tell my husband, but it makes me happy that he is so into the whole survivalist thing. I mean, it does drive me crazy that he goes on and on and on about buying guns and ammo and making me & Lily go bags and how we need to stock up on food, water and supplies, but deep down I know he is crazy over it because of how much he cares for us and wants to protect us, should something bad ever happen. THAT is what makes me happy, to know that he cares that deeply, because other people aren't as fortunate to have a person like that in their lives.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">10. My <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362535_5">sense of humor</span> makes me happy. I can take a joke, and I can laugh at myself. I have a self-deprecating sense of humor and I'm the first to poke fun at myself. I never used to think I was funny, but as I get older, either I'm getting funnier or I have recognized I'm a little witty from time to time. Either way, I think I'm pretty down to earth, and I like that about myself.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I don't know about you all, but I feel better already.</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-57175961529692129252011-03-28T18:34:00.000-07:002011-03-28T18:35:03.664-07:00Yesterday was annoying!<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Yesterday was a terrible, no good, very bad, awful, icky, yucky, blah, "I-wish-I-could-go-back-to-bed-and-sleep-til-tomorrow" type of day. Nothing really, really bad happened, just a bunch of little crappy things that all together formed one big finger that pressed my big red "Do Not Push" button. Because I was little Miss Negativity yesterday, I have re-evaluated my day and tried to come up with something positive or some lessons I learned. Here's what I've got.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. An 8oz bottle of formula, when spilled in it's entirety across your bed in the middle of the night, looks more like a gallon. It also requires the memory foam mattress pad and sheet to be removed because if you cover it with towels to soak up the milk instead of change the bed, it feels much like a Princess & the Pea situation. I thought Lily and I were going to roll off the bed because it felt like we were sleeping on a mountain side. To make this positive, JP had been talking about removing the mattress pad anyway, and it was just about time to strip the bed and wash the sheets anyway. Both problems, solved. Thank you, Similac formula and leaky Avent bottle. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362463_0">Fuel injector cleaner</span> really does work and make a difference when put in your gas tank; however, the "Easy open pull tab" is not easy open. This will splatter on your wool coat, making it (and you) smell like a garage. At least my car runs beautifully, and at 130,000 miles, this is VERY good.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. I never carry an umbrella. One day, while out wandering through <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362463_1">Wal-Mart</span>, I happened upon a very compact, zebra print umbrella. I bought it, and have been quite proud of myself ever since because now, I always have an umbrella with me. Well, now that it's rained and I've used said umbrella, who's approximate circumference will only cover the width of a small child, not a fluffy (read: full figured) adult, I'm no longer proud of myself for my purchase. Maybe when I lose weight and don't have body parts sticking out all over the place from underneath the umbrella, I'll like it more. On the upside, my glasses didn't get wet, which is one of my very biggest <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362463_2">pet peeves</span>.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">In honor of my no good, very bad, terrible awful day full of annoyances, I am going to tell you about my top annoyances. But first, here are a few other things.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Lily's word of the day is actually more like a few phrases. She now knows the first 4 letters of her ABC's, and can tell you what noise a cow, sheep, and chicken make. Her "baaaaa" sounds more like some kind of creepy machine gun alien voice, but it's cute nonetheless. She has also learned that she can stand up in the seat of a cart (much to my dismay, my child IS a daredevil with no fear of <em><u>anything</u></em>), and now does this little cheesy grin and wave to people when we're out in public. I bought her a pair of pink bunny ears at Target yesterday, and she wore them, grinned, and waved at people through the rest of the store. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Tonight, I'm doing the "fit test" portion of Insanity. Should I survive this, I will give you an update on how I faired. I have a friend who's lost close to 15lbs in about 4 weeks on the Insanity program, so I'm hoping I have similar results. I'm really hoping I don't throw up, pass out, or let this workout kill me. It would be very detrimental to my already faltering self esteem.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I told you the other day about the Nesting book I read. I've now started a new book, "Sliding Into Home" by <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362463_3">Kendra Wilkinson</span> (yes, that Kendra...from Girls Next Door). I just started it today and I'm nearly finished. It's her autobiography, and it's awesome. I had no idea a lot of things that she'd gone through in her life. If you don't mind bad language (the book is written exactly how she talks on the show, but without the bleeps), it's a quick, fun read. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">And now, the topic du jour. We'll call this "Day 17..18..20? Things That <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362463_4">Drive Me Crazy</span>".</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. When people use big words incorrectly or misspell them, that annoys me. Pseudonym is pronounced Soo-dough-nim, not swayde-oh-nim. If you can't say it correctly, don't say it. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. When people turn their turn signals on <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301362463_5">230849023984</span> miles before their turn, so you get used to driving behind them with the signal flashing, and then they turn sharply...that annoys me.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. Laundry annoys me. Why is it NEVER ever done? I can do 300 loads of clothes and at the end of the day, the clothes we all have on are dirty and need to be washed. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. You all already know my annoyance when it comes to leggings, so I won't go into it again. One thing worth repeating: There are certain items of clothing that should not be worn once a person reaches a certain clothing size. These include: bikinis (not 2 pieces...bikinis...you know the things with the little triangles and strings), daisy duke shorts, and leggings, and this size is anything over about a size 4, unless you're in great physical shape.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. When people question the obvious, it annoys me. If I'm sitting indoors, wearing a coat, why ask me "Are you cold?" Worst than questioning the obvious, is pointing out the obvious. If I'm shaking off a wet umbrella, I don't need you to tell me "It's raining outside." I'm aware, thank you. I'd much rather be told things I don't know, such as "There is a giant attack spider poised to jump on your head" or "I know a secret phone number to Wal-Mart that will get you to someone who will not only turn the air conditioning off when it's cold, but will also get someone to actually maintain a clean restroom." </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. Dirty glasses, wet glasses, or anything other than pristine, clear glasses, annoy me. I'm nearsighted so I have a hard time seeing anything that's not right up in my face. As a result, even the slightest smudge on my glasses is ridiculously visible and annoying. One of JP's favorite past times is licking his fingers then rub my glasses with them. One of these days, I'm going to knock him out if I can ever get my glasses cleaned quick enough to see where he runs off to.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. When people ask when JP and I are having another baby, that annoys me. We'll have another baby when we feel like it. Right now we're enjoying and spoiling Lily, and Lily is our sole focus. We like it that way.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">8. Probably one of my biggest annoyances is when people treat me or talk to me like I'm less intelligent than them. I hate being made to feel like I am stupid, because I'm not. There are definitely ways to speak to people and ways not to. I also don't like being made to feel like I am less of a person or less quality of a person. We are all people, and none of us are perfect and flawless, so don't look down your nose at me.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">That's all I'll list for now. Those are my biggest, ugliest pet peeves. I think I'm going to have to follow this with a second post about things that make me happy. There are many, many more of those than things that annoy me. </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-20357361247545480542011-03-26T14:37:00.000-07:002011-03-26T14:38:52.827-07:00Things that were left out of my new baby handbook that I'm glad I know now...<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">After talking through a few facebook messages with a friend of mine last night, I got to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_0">thinking about things</span> everyone tells women when they're pregnant, and what you read in books, and things of that nature, and how different it can truly be for some of us once the tiny, pink, wrinkled, curled up <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_1">bundle of joy</span> arrives. In the first few months, I often found myself saying or thinking "Well, this certainly wasn't in the handbook!" So today, I decided to write about some of my experiences, and fill you all in on some topics that should've, most emphatically, been in MY handbook.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. Just because you have boobs doesn't mean you'll be a great breastfeeder. This also goes along with my number 2. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. If your child ingests formula, she will not die. She will not have growth problems. She will not get sick more than <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_2">breastfed babies</span>.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">These two things go hand in hand. So many different factors come together to determine how successful a woman will be at breastfeeding. I had just about every negative factor working against me. First, Lily was early, so her latch and suck weren't developed enough. Bottles are much easier to get milk out of than a boob, so she mastered a bottle quickly but never did have luck with breastfeeding. I also had low production and flat nipples. I pumped exclusively for months...sometimes up to 15 times a day for 30-45 minutes at a time. Then I went back to work and that was cut down to next to nothing. I took so much fenugreek I smelled like I bathed in maple syrup. I drank the nasty teas. I did everything to no avail. When Lily was about 5 weeks old, she was still a little bit of nothing. She hadn't made it back to her birth weight (which, by the way, they should do within the first week or two). We went to a lactation consultant who did everything she could for us, but who also suggested we start <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_3">supplementing with formula</span>. I had been so determined to breastfeed ("I'm going to breastfeed her until she's a year old!" I proclaimed.) that it was damaging to my spirits to have to supplement with the dreaded formula but I was more concerned at that point that my daughter, who was born early because she failed to thrive in my womb, was going to fail to thrive outside as well. There are a lot of very wonderful reasons to breastfeed, and I'm very proud of what I managed to accomplish for Lily, and I very quickly learned that while it was a setback to my "plan", it wasn't the end of the world. I did get some flack from some adamant breastfeeding proponents for supplementing and ultimately switching to formula. Some claimed I didn't try hard enough, and others claimed formula would cause her all kinds of problems. She'd get sick more, she wouldn't grow as fast, I'm not doing my motherly duty...I really let it bother me for a bit, but when we took her back at 6 weeks, after just 6 days of supplementing with a few bottles of formula a day, she had gained 15oz. The following week, she gained another 1lb 2oz. By the time my supply had dried up, in spite of the 20-25 herbal pills I was taking a day, I felt ok with going totally to formula. My child is thriving just fine. She's only been sick once, and that was just a cold (and it was brought on by teething), and though she's petite for her age (probably genetics inherited from both of her short grandmothers), her <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_4">growth chart</span> is arcing just perfectly.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. Every book, birthing class, and nurse will say that babies LOVE to be swaddled, and when the baby is fussing, the tighter the swaddle, the quicker the baby calms and the longer the baby sleeps. Maybe this is true for every other baby in the world...but it was never, not once, true for mine. Oh, we practiced and practiced swaddling. Ask JP. He was a master swaddler of all of the stuffed animals in Lily's room before she arrived. But Lily? She was like Houdini in baby form. We'd put her in a long infant gown (another thing everyone swore was so easy to use and babies loved...except for mine) and swaddle her so tight she was a burrito with a face. We'd put her in her bassinett, sneak out of the room, and within minutes, she'd cry. We'd rush back in and there would be arms, legs, and an open swaddle. Several times she couldn't get out of the swaddle alone, so she'd get out of the nightgown! We'd go in and there she'd be, looking up at us, laying horizontally at the top edge of the bassinett instead of vertically in her sleep positioner like we laid her, naked except for a diaper. Houdini, I tell you, considering we'd given up the swaddle completely by the time she was about 3 weeks old.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. Just because your baby CAN do something doesn't mean she WILL do it. Lily could crawl when she was 5 months old. However, she knew if she pitched a fit, threw her face into the rug, and reached up for us while giving us big puppy dog eyes, we'd pick her up. She preferred standing to sitting and holding our hands and walking to crawling. She has only just recently begun crawling to get places on her own, and still the whole time she grumbles. She slams her hands down and gives exasperated sighs the whole time. The reason she now crawls is because we get absolutely worn out walking her all over creation!! I'm fairly certain that the little whirling dirvish can walk, too, and just is too stubborn to show us. She's waiting until she's really good at it so she can take off running from me during diaper change time or something.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. On a serious note, no one really told me how serious, scary, and real <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_5">post partum depression</span> is or could be. I was blessed with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks on maternity leave, and doubly blessed that JP was able to be home with me. That time wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. We had a LOT of things go on during that time-- the feeding issues, the discovery of Lily's Horner's Syndrome, finding termites in the flower bed, the air conditioner unit needing to be replaced (along with the hot water heater AND the dishwasher) and a host of other things, including some work stress that I will not go into. A few weeks in to being home, I remember JP's parents and sisters came over and instructed me to go get some sleep (I had been sleeping with Lily on the couch for the whole time at that point) and they'd take care of Lily and clean the house. I remember laying in the bed with the door closed absolutely beside myself with worry over Lily. I couldn't sleep. That fear quickly spread to whenever I was away from her, if anyone other than JP had her, I silently and quietly panicked until I was back or she was back in my arms. That turned into a nearly paralyzing fear that she something would happen to her if she slept in her bassinett away from me. I had myself convinced that if I wasn't with her every second of every day, something terrible would happen. As nursing and pumping got tougher, and every new bad thing happened, it got worse and worse. I was crying more than I was enjoying my time with my new family. I remember telling someone in my family who laughed it off and told me I was being ridiculous. It felt like I loved her so much that it physically hurt me to leave her. JP and his sister were the only two people who listened, didn't judge and encouraged me to talk to my doctor about it. I was put on anti-depressants for a while and the results were amazing. I could actually go take a nap without images of Lily being dropped on her head popping into my mind. Several months in, I started feeling so much better that I weaned myself off the pills. I don't recommend doing this because all of those feelings came back and quick. I'm only just now getting totally back to myself and even now, I still have some days where I don't know why I feel the way I do and don't know how to shake it. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><br /><br /></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. I am almost completely convinced that my bladder will never work the same after being kicked repeatedly, from the inside, at increasing strengths, for 5 months. I am also convinced that my stomach will never look the same, and I may never be able to brush my teeth again, ever in my life, without gagging. Oddly enough, I am totally ok with it.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. People will say that you'll forget the sucky parts of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_6">pregnancy</span>, how tough labor was, and any other pregnancy, labor, delivery, or recovery discomforts as soon as you see your <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301175417_7">bundle of joy</span>. They say that's the only reason why women choose to have more than one child, because they forget. That's a crock. I don't know that I will ever forget how sick I was and how just a totally miserable pregnant person I was, nor will I forget how awesome and easy labor, delivery, and recovery were. I really disliked being pregnant, with the exception how amazing it was to feel Lily move around all the time. That being said, I still want more kids. I don't think it is that you forget all the bad parts. I think it's that you get to see all of the fantastic good parts, and that makes all the bad worth it. I'd go through every second of what I did, every ache, pain, and nauseating minute of pregnancy to have another baby. And I doubt I'll ever forget any aches, pains, and discomforts I may experience with that pregnancy, either. But it'll be so worth it, because every time I look at Lily, or she gives me a kiss or does something hilarious, or even when she's sad and crying, she's totally, absolutely, unequivocably, worth it.</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-44834009017321277612011-03-25T18:41:00.000-07:002011-03-25T18:42:06.427-07:00What's in a name?<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I am actually going to do the blog challenge topic today, but not right this second. I'll get to it, I promise. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Here is something I noticed this morning. I LOVE my ob/gyn...she is wonderful, and I'm sure you've already read my blogs about how her quick decision making made the difference in a healthy, living baby and a stillborn one. But anyway, she has steered me wrong and given me false hope in one area. From basically the second I became pregnant, brushing my teeth became the bane of my existence. Every time...every single time...I would get gagged. My doctor said it was definitely from my <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_0">morning sickness</span> and once that went away (which ended up being when I had Lily), I would be fine. Now, 15 days before Lily's <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_1">1st birthday</span>, I am still having the SAME issues brushing my teeth, and I assure you, it is NOT due to morning sickness. I'm going to chalk it up to something from <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_2">pregnancy</span> that is not going to go away, like some women end up with bigger feet or inability to ever eat their favorite foods again. But anyway...</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">One of my co-workers bought a wonderful book at the community help center for $0.25 and she brought it to me to read today. It's called "Nesting: It's a Chick Thing 100 Tales, 1,000 Tips, and Endless Inspiration for women who seriously play house and garden (and hold pink poker nights)" by Ame Mahler Beanland & Emily Miles Terry. It's really informative and funny, and it's basically taking a modern twist on the 50's housewife.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">What I've learned from this book so far:</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> 1. My decorating style is half Country Chic Chick and half Bohemian Babe. (There's that Gemini duplicity again!) What this means is in my house, you'll see that I'm "drawn to the patina of age and the charm of a little wear around the edges" and that I "weave a nest filled with character, whimsy, and in-your-face personality." I have a welcoming home filled with sentimental treasures as well as original artwork, unusual and unique furniture (or vintage, painted wood, or distressed pieces). This book says I should gravitate towards Country Living and <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_3">Pottery Barn</span> as well as Elle Decor and <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_4">Crate and Barrel</span>. I'm a little bit modern and a little bit shabby chic. I'd say that is pretty accurate, and anyone who has seen my house (or listened to my decorating ideas) should probably agree. Basically, I buy or paint first, then find a place to put it later. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> 2. Friends fall into 7 categories, and it's beneficial to have at least one in every category. There's the "Jackie" who is basically the Hollywood stylist-- from clothes to decorating. She's the fashion forward trendsetter. Then there's the "Green Gertie"-- the organic, dirt loving, garden happy friend who can lend you green thumbs when yours turn purple. The "Martha" who is, as you guessed, the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_5">Martha Stewart</span> (who is the women's MacGyver...give her a bandana, paperclips, and a dryer sheet and she'll make you custom drapes). The "Bargain Betty" is on a first name basis with every consignment store or flea market owner within a 100 mile radius (and emails the ones outside of it) and knows every where in the universe to find a good deal. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_6">The "Fix</span> it Fanny" is the friend who takes do it yourself to a whole new level. Tools don't scare her, even if she doesn't know their proper name. The "Neighborly Nellie" is the one who will always be there to help with anything-- whether you need to talk or you need someone to help you move furniture. Then, last but assuredly not least, there is the "Mother Hen". She is always there to take care of you, give you advice about any topic under the sun, and will not hesitate to swoop in and rescue you from anything from a recipe to a relationship gone bad. I can think of people in my life that fall at least somewhat, in every category. Do you know where YOU fall? </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> 3. I really, REALLY want to have a Pink <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_7">Poker Party</span> Girl's Night. It sounds like it would be a ton of fun, even though I really don't know how to play poker. There is supposed to be a fun themed dress, like, pajamas, 50's housewife, etc. Then, everyone brings some kind of over the top "diva" item (like a big piece of funky costume jewelry, a tiara, a feather boa, etc) and that is what becomes the pot in the last hand. So, the person that wins the last hand becomes the Pink Poker Diva. That would be a lot of fun, I think!! Who all is interested?!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> 4. Create the right atmosphere and present food in the right way, and no one will ever know it was all store-bought. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> 5. I have been inspired to create plant holders out of, well, everything. Gift boxes, old high heeled shoes, cowboy hats, hat boxes...I think it's time we added some springtime to our house. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Next on the agenda...Lily's word(s) of the day. Today, my little linguist pointed to a picture (of herself) and said "Pretty baby!" (no one said she wasn't conceited). It was so cute "Pitty baybeh...pitty pitty baybeeeee!" Then, when she handed my grandmother a toy, my grandmother said "Thank you". Lily responded "Tank yoooo!" She is also learning to say yellow and purple, and can point to those colors when asked. "yah yow" and "pip purl" </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Now, on to the blog challenge topic. I'm not sure what day this is, so we'll just call it "Day I'm-so-far-behind-in-the-challenge-I've-lost-track-completely: Nicknames!" (There, simple and easy to remember.)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">As long as I can remember, my mom has always told the story that she named me Amy because she felt like it was short enough and easy enough to remember that no one would give me any nicknames. Shortly after I was born, and probably because I was early and tiny, that went right out the window when my aunt christened me "<strong>Sweet Pea</strong>". </span><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Later, my grandfather started calling me "<strong>Amo</strong>" which my grandmother later shortened to just "<strong>Aim</strong>". </span><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">At <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301103400_8">Cumberland</span>, my sorority sisters christened me "<strong>Amers</strong>", which was again later shortened to just "<strong>Aim</strong>" until my friend Brandi's mom started calling me "<strong>Aimless</strong>". </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">In the last 10-15 years, I've answered to any and every variation of "Amy", as well as "Baby", "Babe", "Sweetie", and now, one of my favorites "Mama". </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">As a funny side note, when I was pregnant with Lily, I was adamant that she wouldn't have any nicknames. "Her name is Lily Katherine!" I'd say emphatically. "She's been called Oops for the last 6 months! Her name is Lily Katherine!" </span><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Within minutes of the decision her name would be Lily Katherine, she was nicknamed Lily Kate. Within minutes of her being born, she was nicknamed Peanut, and she's been everything since then-- punkin, punkinhead, Lily-bug, sugar bug, sugar booger, baby girl-- you name it, and we've probably called her by it. So much for no nicknames!! </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-91479729189663705432011-03-24T17:49:00.001-07:002011-03-24T17:49:45.020-07:00Luh Yoo Mama<div dir="ltr" id="idOWAReplyText52141"> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I've got no challenge topic today, either. I'll do the photo ones, I promise, just as soon as I can get blogger to cooperate and put my photos where I want them in my blog. If I could get the hang of this and supplement my rambling with photos, I feel like you'd be much more amused. One day. Maybe this weekend I'll have a spare few minutes to give myself a tutorial. Until then, I apologize for subjecting you to endless text. Maybe I should start doing a quiz at the end, or nominating a reader of the week like Courtney at Cowboy Cookies does. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. Lily's word of the evening last night: Fish. Her new word this morning: Shoe. Also, she said something I have been waiting almost a year (and the 9 months I was growing her) to hear. I told her "I love you" and she looked up at me, smiled, patted my cheek and said "Luh yoo maamaa" I melted into a big puddle of proud, mushy, gooey, sappiness and cried. After she said that, she pointed to my foot and said "Shoe!" and burst out laughing. I love her so much that it kills me to leave her every day. I just cherish what time we do have together. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. JP and I did the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Home Study program in Oct/Nov. I calculated it today, and we've paid off $10,000 in debt since October. We still have about another $10,000 to go (about half of that is our car) and then we'll have nothing but the house. Remember those bad financial decisions I talked about in the "regret" blog? They're almost gone. I'm really glad they're almost gone, and I am still ashamed for bringing that to my marriage. Instead of debt, I wish I would've brought a fat savings account. C'est la vie. There's not much I can do now, except pay it off and try to instill financial intelligence in my daughter. It's been a hard lesson, and one I've had to burdern JP with, as well, but we've both learned a lot and have big plans for our financial future.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. I am starting to get excited about Lily's birthday party. A lot of our closest friends will be there, and I can't wait to see how much fun she has. I'm sad she's almost a year old, and I don't know where the time has gone, but I know I can't stop her from growing. This year has brought us so much. I'm looking forward to seeing how how she grows and changes in the next year. We are so blessed by having her in our lives. This time last year I was wondering what we would do with her, and how our lives would never be the same. It's true, life is totally different than it was last year, but it's such a good different. It's hard to remember what it was like without her. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. This entry should probably just be titled "Lily" because, so far, 3 of the 4 posts are directly about her, and the other even mentions her. So, some of you may know, she hates chocolate. I think this is completely crazy, considering A. she's female and B. she comes from a long line of chocolate lovers on both sides of the family. I let her try a brownie a few weeks ago, and she gagged so hard she caused herself to throw up. She always wants to try what we're eating, and every time it's chocolate, she gags and/or throws up. Well, last night JP went to Sonic and brought me back a chocolate milkshake. Lily likes milkshakes, so I gave her a taste. That little booger drank half my milkshake and CRIED when it was all gone!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. Today, Lily rode in her big girl car seat for the first time. I wasn't there to see it. She rode to her D-Daddy and B-B's house with her Daddy in the forward facing big girl seat. Can you tell how sad it makes me that she's growing up? I hate missing big events in her life, and to me, the first time in her big girl seat is a big event!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. I love springtime. It's probably my favorite time of the year. I love it when everything is sprouting, budding, and growing. HOWEVER...I HATE what it does to my allergies!! So spring is my favorite time of the year, and my least favorite time of the year. There's that Gemini duplicity again.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">That, my friends, is that. We've gone from one end of my brain to the other. Until tomorrow!!!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-59920038593639582482011-03-23T18:04:00.001-07:002011-03-23T18:04:48.522-07:00Of mullets, gardens, and sewing...<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I can't even remember where I am in the daily challenges because I'm a. behind and b. picking and choosing the order I write them (or if I write a particular topic at all). So today's blog is just going to be another daily dose of random thoughts. I hope you all enjoyed our lively discussion on jeggings in the last one, so you're as pumped as me about today's. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. First, lovely readers, you'll remember a few days ago where I mentioned how God brings people together in strange ways at just the right time, right? Well, the prayers for my friend have been answered. She received very good news yesterday regarding that whole situation. I'm still so thankful that I was able to get my two friends together to talk about it, because she was able to go into yesterday with a bit more peace than she would've had, and was able to rejoice in the good news she received. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. I have been discussing learning how to sew for a long time. I think I had even mentioned it when I wrote about finding a new, productive hobby. My grandmother and mom both used to sew their own clothes, as well as clothes for me. So, I figured, while my grandmother is here visiting, it was the perfect time to pick both her and my mom's brains and learn how to sew. Yesterday, my grandmother and I went to Joanns, where I picked out a pattern, material, and other things needed for the project. And, I'm proud to say, I sewed Lily a dress. It doesn't look awful for my first attempt at sewing using a real pattern on a sewing machine. Of course, I feel like you can tell it's handmade because it doesn't look immaculate, but I am patting myself on the back here for a "not to shabby" job. I have another yard of different material and I'm going to make another one this weekend. I feel like this may be the productive hobby I have been looking for. I MAY even try to make her some matching hair bows, or, when I feel more talented, make them and sell them. I may even begin to get really industrious and make matching hair bows and other accessories. Look out, Etsy and mothers of baby girls...</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. My dad came over last weekend and he and JP built my garden boxes. Since this is my first year trying to garden, and I don't need huge amounts of crop yield, we decided not to till the yard. If I don't end up having a green thumb, I didn't want my yard to be too messed up. So, we built 3 big boxes. I'll fill them with fill dirt and topsoil and plant my plants on top. That way, if it is a big fluke, we can spread the dirt over the yard (maybe fill in some holes that the dogs dug) and put down some grass seed and ta da! the yard isn't ruined. I started my seeds in a little "greenhouse" which is basically a plastic tray with 72 little peat circles. I am so excited to see that some are already sprouting! We also planted a grape vine, a raspberry plant, and a blueberry plant. I have since read that it helps to have more than one of each plant because they cross pollinate, so I think I'm going to pick up another raspberry plant and another blueberry plant. Talk to me in the middle of the summer and see if I'm still as excited about my garden project, after picking weeds, watering, and protecting it from bugs, bunnies, and who knows what else.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. I really need to take a tutorial on blogspot. I would like to post more pictures; however, I find myself getting frustrated trying to upload and insert them. Fellow bloggers...help!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. Lily has been amazing me lately with how quickly and exponentially her vocabulary is growing. Just about 2 weeks ago, she had a vocabulary of 17 words. Now, it's around 25, probably even closer to 30. It seems like every day, she has a new word or phrase. She really is a little sponge. She just sits and listens sometimes and then pops out with the cutest, funniest little expressions, actions, and words. This morning, she pointed at a segment of her multi-colored caterpillar and plain as day said "yellow". And she was pointing to the yellow part! She knows where other people's eyes, noses, mouths, and teeth are, and when you ask to see her teeth, she'll chomp, chomp, chomp her teeth and laugh. She has a shape sorter and can put the circle and the square in the right holes. She loves to walk around. Last night she was practically running through my parent's house, holding onto my dad's fingers, and everytime she saw my mom, she'd scream at the top of her lungs and punch my mom in the butt. This morning, she saw my grandmother and said "Hey dude!" She points at pictures of herself and says "Aww...baby! Awww...." She greets everyone she sees by saying "Hey baby!" except for JP. When she sees JP she says, "Hey boy!" He answers her with "I'm not boy! I'm Daddy! It's 'Hey Daddy!'" and she just cracks up. It's amazing how much she's grown in the last (almost) year. As much as I don't want her to grow up, I can't wait to see what the future holds for us and her antics. I have a feeling we're in for a wild, crazy ride. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. Fun Fact: Off-brand Pyrex glass baking dishes have the potential to explode into a million bajillion pieces if stored in the garage. Second fun fact: The pieces of exploded glassware will be so tiny that they will not puncture your tire if you don't see them when you pull into your garage and run them over. I learned these two fun facts yesterday night, much to my dismay.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. JP and I have decided to do the Insanity work out program by Beachbody (the makers of P90X), because we're ready to do whatever it takes (read: gluttons for punishment) to lose our weight and get back in shape. Because we're cheap (read: scared we will hate the program and wuss out before the 60 days is up), we're getting the program from a friend of ours temporarily. Once we decide we like it (read: we don't pass out, throw up, or die), we'll invest in our own copy. Our goal is to do Insanity for the 60 days to shed weight, then do P90X for the 90 days after to continue weight loss and build muscle. I also plan on hitting up the park as often as the weather allows to push Lily in her stroller around the track so we can both get some sunshine and fresh air. If anyone would like to join us on these excursions, let me know and we'll plan something. I don't want to be the fat mommy. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">8. I'm taking a week's vacation the week of JP's and Lily's birthday. I'm already compiling my list of things to do when I'm on said vacation, which will really make it not a vacation at all. So far, my week off includes painting the hallway and laundry room, and treating the yard with weed and feed and grub, tick, flea, and spider killer, and going to the eye doctor. I'm also going to reorganize the kitchen. Fun events of the week are Lily's first birthday and party, and JP's 30th birthday and party. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">9. Today at work, I saw the most interesting mullet I've ever seen. It was a hybrid between dredlocks, a perm, and a mullet-- business in the front, and a curly, dredlocked mess about 11 inches long down the back. That's taking it to a whole new level. I get a front row seat to People of Wal-Mart on a daily basis. A piece of fashion advice for you all: If your belly hangs over your jeans...buy a pair of jeans in a larger size, and please, for the love of all things pure and innocent...wear a shirt that covers your midsection. Also, if coming to Wal-Mart and walking the outer edge of the store over and over again is your daily exercise, it's probably worth looking into a membership at the gym, or at the very least, using the walking track at the Jimmy Floyd or the park. Wal-Mart isn't part of the mall walkers club.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">10. I'm thinking about having a yard sale in May. I have a bunch of junk that I'd like to get rid of, as well as a bunch of clothes, baby stuff, etc. Would anyone be interested in bringing their junk over and sitting with me? If I get a few people, maybe we can put an ad in the paper or something.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">And that, ladies and gentlemen...probably just ladies, as I doubt men read my blog...is that.</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-36122424577804202292011-03-21T18:22:00.001-07:002011-03-21T18:22:46.291-07:00Regrets are lessons you choose not to learn.<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I don't know what today's blog entry is supposed to be. I'm so far behind I'm just kind of picking and choosing the topics I like now. The latest one I've read that I thought, "Well, this one could get interesting" is about regrets. "Something I Regret" is the official title. I think it's something like Day 20, but it's only Day 13 or 14 for me. That's ok, though. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Regrets, for me, are kind of funny. I try to look at everything that I've done in my life, good or bad, as learning experiences. I have learned different lessons from all of my mistakes, and every decision I've made is a decision that's helped me become the person I am today. Without them, I would have missed out on some valuable (read: long, hard, annoying, and costly) lessons. Having made most of these bad decisions when I was young, though, it's helped keep me from making worse mistakes (read: even more annoying and more costly) since I've been with JP and been married. I believe that everything happens for a reason, even the crappy stuff, because it enables us to make positive or negative changes in our life. But, that being said, I probably would change a few things if I could not change the outcome of any major events in my life. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. I wouldn't have gotten a Visa credit card when I was 19. Well, actually, I probably would still if I had to do it over again, given that I was living on my own then and trying to build my credit. What I would NOT have done was add my then boyfriend as an authorized user of the card. 9 years and several thousand dollars later, I'm finally close to paying it off. Mistake? Yes. Lesson learned? Yes. Several. I will never have another credit card again, ever, and I will always tell everyone I know that if they DO have a credit card, to be very selective when and where you use it, and who is on it with you.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. Normally, people would say "I never would have dated this person or that person". I am of the opposite opinion, which is kind of suprising to most people because until JP, I dated far less than stellar people who treated me terribly or took advantage of me, or both. I wouldn't change dating them. If anything, I'd change the duration in which I stayed with them. It would've been much, much shorter, and I would've made sure I didn't put up with nearly as much crap. Mistakes? Yes. Lessons learned? Oh, yes. The terrible, awful, lazy, dead beat, serial cheating, lying guys I dated made me realize what I had found in JP, very early in our relationship. Remembering how they treated me makes me appreciate him a million times more than I would if I hadn't had those experiences. They've also helped me learn to stand up for myself a little more and be less of a doormat, so my relationship with JP is give and take, and compromise. They made me realize I was worth more than I was giving myself credit for, and made me much more upfront with my feelings and thoughts. When JP and I first started dating, I laid it out on the table for him-- there were no games, and no back and forth. We were real with one another from the get go, and we still are today.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. I wanted to go to school for interior design for as long as I can remember. I never did. I would've really liked that, I think, impractical as it probably would've proven. I have a great job and am very blessed to work for a stable employer where I don't have to worry. Had I gone to school for interior design, I would've been left to my own devices and probably been a starving artist. But, I would've done something I wanted. There is no real lesson to learn here, because deep down I do feel like I made the best decision. Even leaving college before I graduated is a decision I feel ok about. I didn't know what I wanted to do and wanted to wait to finish school until I knew what I wanted to do. When we're more financially ready, JP and I both plan to go back and finish school. Him for a degree in Criminal Justice, and me in nursing.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I read a silly email forward once that I think was supposedly written by <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300756933_0">Erma Bombeck</span>. She was a comedienne back in the day, and I believe she passed away from <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300756933_1">breast cancer</span>. But anyway, this email was about how, looking back on things, she wished she would've done little things in her life differently. For instance, she mentioned how she'd burn the decorative candles rather than box them up and hide them away in the attic. She'd let her kids and guests use the pretty hand towels and expensive soap. She'd set her table with the good <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300756933_2">china</span> on an average Tuesday spaghetti night rather than hide it away in a china cabinet. Basically, she would've done things to allow herself and those around her to enjoy life to it's fullest. That email has always made me think. As a child, I collected erasers-- you know the kind shaped like flowers and smiley faces, etc. I also collected <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300756933_3">Lisa Frank</span> notecards and stickers. And I never used them. I didn't want to "waste" them. I found a box at my mom's house a few months ago that contained ALL of those notecards, stickers, erasers, and all of my other "pretties" I never wanted to "waste". What did I do, then, essentially? Yep. I wasted them. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I could sit back all day and think about things I wish I would've done or said differently in my life. I could complain about people who have done me wrong, hurt my feelings, or broke my heart. I could hide all of my nice hand towels, and special food treats. But what good would it do? What good does being negative and constantly dwelling on the past? Instead of wishing about what I would change, I try to learn from my experiences and take those lessons to become a stronger person, and a better example for my daughter. Crappy stuff is going to happen. It's what you do when faced with it that makes a difference. </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-50573122889348850952011-03-18T18:34:00.001-07:002011-03-18T18:34:40.307-07:00Jeggings are the worst fashion trend since mullets.<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Today I'm feeling random, so I'm not going to do today's topic. It's supposed to be a picture that makes me smile but I haven't got that picture scanned onto my computer so it would be kind of hard for me to post it. And since getting the picture out, scanning it and so forth is a little bit of work, I'll save it for another day. One of the other topics I could've picked was "My Favorite Places to Eat". I am trying to eat healthy and lose weight so the only fat girl I have is my inner fat girl (not inner AND outer, as the current case is) so I'm skipping that topic all together. We need not angry the inner fat girl while the outer one is weak and easily succumbs. My inner child loves food, is highly imaginative, and a complete bully. If she says "Eat a Frosty", she backhands the outer me into submission. Then from somewhere in a corner, the outer me whimpers "But now we'll have to go the gym for an extra hour...and we haven't been at all this week...." </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Today, I'm going to write about whatever pops into my head, so it's likely there will be little rhyme or reason to the subject matter. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. I wish that diet chocolate tasted like regular chocolate. The chocolate in Slim Fast, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300498421_0">energy bars</span>, meal replacement bars and protein shakes IS NOT THE SAME as a regular old <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300498421_1">Hershey bar</span>. It's really unfair to those of us trying to eat better that have a weakness for chocolate. Better yet, where can I find chocolate with 0 calories and fat? I'm guessing that's what will be on my dinner table in heaven. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. The way that God brings people together is really random, yet at the same time, really cool. I have 2 mutual friends come to my Thirty-One Party a few weeks ago. I had no idea that they knew one another from a bible study group. One of the friends had something going on in her life and I just wasn't sure of the right thing to say or do to make her feel better. I prayed about it and then read something the other friend wrote a few days later. She had gone through the exact same thing. I was able to direct one to the other to talk about their situations, and I really think that everything about this situation had God's hands all over it.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. My mom keeps Lily for me and I am eternally grateful for that. However, I wish that, sometimes, my mom would acknowledge that I am the primary caregiver and, after 11 and a half months of having Lily, I have a pretty good handle on things. Each day when I leave the house from picking her up, my mom says "She will probably need her diaper changed later." or "She will probably want a bottle before bed." Not, "I just changed her diaper a few minutes ago" (so I'll know not to as soon as I get home) or "She ate at <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300498421_2">6:30</span>" (so I'll have an idea of when she's hungry again). No, just general care instructions, like I'm going to forget or just randomly decide to let her starve one day. Sometimes, just to be snarky, I will say things like "Nope, she's not getting fed until I bring her back here tomorrow" or "You expect me to actually change a diaper? What do I look like? Her mom?!" </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300498421_3">Wal-Mart</span> sells everything, so why don't they have a magic fat melting pill? I know, I know, nothing worth it comes easily, so I just need to suck it up and get to the gym. I think JP and I are going to try the Insanity work out, by the people that make P90X. It's a 60 day plan that's supposed to be really challenging but with rocking results. I think I'll get more in the working out state of mind once I start seeing a difference. It's the first part that is always a challenge for me, when I work and work and work and don't have anything to show for it yet.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. Today was one of those days when I went out on my lunch break, I found myself thinking of about 100 excuses to get me out of going back inside, but, alas, my grown up, responsible side knocked my irresponsible, sunshine loving side in the nose and said "Hey buddy, get back to work!" It also helps that I'm off tomorrow, and tomorrow is one of my favorite little people's 2nd birthday party! Happy Birthday Timothy!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. I would like to point out that it's 80* here today. I sent Lily to my mom's dressed in a pink Polo dress, bloomers, and sandals. I sent a light weight denim jacket, too, just in case it rained or something crazy. At lunch when I called to check on her, my grandmother informed me that she didn't think I dressed Lily warm enough, and she is clearly cold. Lily has JP's naturally warm body temperature, so I can assure you all out there in the internet, that the LAST thing she is today is cold. Teething, tired, hungry, missing Mommy & Daddy, ready to walk...yes to all of the above. Cold? Decidedly not.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. Now, let's discuss "jeggings". Those are, if you're not familiar, denim leggings. My first opinion on leggings is, unless you're over the age of about 6 or are at least 5 foot 7 inches tall or are in fantastic physical shape, you should not, ever, under ANY circumstances whatsoever, wear leggings UNLESS you are wearing them under a dress or something really long for warmth. My second opinion on leggings is that they should never come in jean form. So far, the only wearers of jeggings I have seen have been entirely too large to wear anything so tight, and have had on shirts that don't cover anything. If you jiggle...anywhere...LEAVE the leggings at home. Case in point: I jiggle. As a result: I don't wear leggings. This is to save the eyes of everyone around me because I know that there are some things that cannot be unseen, even when you rinse your eyes out with bleach.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">8. I just realized I've mentioned different "sides" of me at least twice in this blog. I'm a Gemini and we have what is known as "duplicity". This means I can totally get away with having an inner child and an outer grown up, as well as loving clean sheets but hating doing laundry, loving spaghetti but hating tomatoes, and several other parallel things that make no sense. I can also simultaneously love my outfit but hate the way I look. Yes, I'm aware it makes no sense, but I can't help it and probably wouldn't change it if I could. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">9. I just recently bought a purse, and had it monogrammed with my initials. My initials are AMT, but in monogram form it is ATM. I can't begin to tell you how many times in the last 2 weeks the fact that A. Work at a bank and B. My monogram is "ATM" have been pointed out to me. When I am famous, and make it onto a trivial pursuit question card or end up as a question on an episode of Jeopardy, this will probably be the question, so take note. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">10. I need more hobbies. Like, actual, productive, rewarding hobbies. Though Farmville relaxes me before bed, it's hardly what I would call a rewarding hobby. Maybe couponing could be considered a hobby, but it's more of a job since I do it to save money for my family. I need something else. I'm planning on doing a garden, but it's going to be vegetables and fruit, again, for my family and to save money, so is that a hobby? I thought about learning to sew and make hairbows, and so far those 2 are the only 2 that I keep coming back to. Lily can always use clothes and hairbows, right? And I know some wonderful people that have either recently had, or are going to have baby girls. They could always use clothes right? Maybe one day I'll get really good and can sell them on Etsy or something. Until then, Lily and all the other little lovelies I know will get to benefit. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So, after all that, if you're still with me and your head hasn't exploded, thanks. There will be more stuff, and less randomness, tomorrow. </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-78974416991132273092011-03-17T18:46:00.000-07:002011-03-17T18:58:27.136-07:00And now I bestow on you my coupon knowledge...<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Part 2: Couponistas(os) Unite!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So now, hopefully you've all signed up for your money making surveys. Now I'll tell you about an even easier, more sure fire way to save money...couponing. I'm going to try to make this as organized as I can, so I'm going to give you my background, how I organize my coupons, how to use them, and where. At least, I think that'd be the best way to tell you about all this. I won't go into tons of detail here in this blog. Maybe I'll do another series, when the 30 day challenge is over, just on coupons. Whaddaya say, stalkers...I mean loyal readers? </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I first started couponing thanks to my lovely sister in law, Joan. She started telling me how she was saving so much money at Target, my then favorite store. Lily was a few weeks old and I thought "I could use this extra money right about now, especially with <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_0">baby stuff</span>." So, one night we went to Target and picked out my supplies: a nice, sturdy pink binder with a zipper, tons of baseball card sleeves, pink and brown divider tabs, and divider pages with folder slots. I spent around $25. I could've spent less but I really wanted the pretty divider tabs and bright plastic divider folder pages. I ended up making that $25 back in my first coupon shopping trip, and I've gotten better since then, so it was definitely a great investment.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">When I "built" my coupon notebook, this is how I divided it. In the front, I put colored, plastic folder style dividers. I have one for each of the major weekly ads I keep (Publix, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid). Then after that I divided the notebook into a few major categories: Health & Beauty, Cleaning/Home Needs, Food, Pet, and Baby. In each category, I put in baseball card sleeves and fixed the pink & brown tabs on them. I divided mine like this:</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Health & Beauty:</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Make-up (including nail polish)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Dental (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Feminine Needs</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Deoderant</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Soaps/Body Wash (including face soaps)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Lotion</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Razors (and refills)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Pain Relievers (asprin, tylenol, tums, etc)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Allergy/Sinus</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Vitamins</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Misc (anything else)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Cleaning/Home Needs</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Laundry (detergent, dryer sheets, dryer bars)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Bathroom cleaners</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Kitchen cleaners (including dishwasher and dish detergent)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Dusting/floor care (swiffer, pledge, bleach, etc)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Light Bulbs</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Batteries</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Miscellaneous (PUR water filters, air filters, etc)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Writing/School supplies</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Pets</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Food</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Treats/Supplies</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Food </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Breakfast</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Cereal (there are SO many cereal coupons)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Beverages</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Frozen</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Meat</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Dairy</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Yogurt</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Cheese</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Snacks</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Bread </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Desserts</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Baby</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Diapers</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Food/Formula</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> Miscellaneous (medicine, toys, etc)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Wow, that was a lot, huh? Having them sorted like that, at least for me, makes it much easier to find coupons when I need them. I used to carry this entire binder with me when I went shopping, and I'd flip through as I shopped. But then I realized I was buying things simply because I had coupons for it, and not because it was on an exceptionally good sale. Now I do things a little differently and my savings has increased dramatically. I look through the ads and my coupons and figure out what I'm buying from which store BEFORE I go. I pull ONLY those coupons and put them in a small zippered pouch (I got mine from Thirty-One). </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Where do I find my deals? Where do I find my coupons? </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">First, about mid-week (like now, or tomorrow) I go to <a target="_blank" href="http://sundaycouponpreview.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_1">sundaycouponpreview.com</span></a> and see what coupons will be in the Sunday paper. I usually buy 2 papers (from Kroger or <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_2">Wal-Mart</span> where they are $0.99 <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_3">on Sundays</span>, not $1.75), unless there are some really good coupons (like the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_4">Similac coupons</span> from a few weeks ago...I bought 4 papers) then I buy more. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Then, <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_5">on Sunday</span>, I pull out the ads and see what is on sale where. Then I see what coupons I have for the sale items, or if I can find any. I often use <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.southernsavers.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_6">www.southernsavers.com</span></a> to find coupons. They have a coupon database, where you can type in what you're looking for and it will bring up every coupon that is out for it. It'll tell you where to find it, or if it's able to be printed online. This is the easiest way to find out if a coupon has a store coupon counterpart (like Target, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_7">Food Lion</span>, etc). </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So here is an example. Say I need toothpaste. This week, Publix is selling <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300412793_8">Colgate toothpaste</span> for $1.00 per tube. I have 3 manufacturer coupons for $0.75 off one tube. I also have 3 Target coupons that I printed online for $1.00 off one tube. I can go to Publix right now and buy 3 tubes of toothpaste that would total $3.00 without coupons. I can use all 3 of the manufacturer coupons, so then the toothpaste only costs $0.75. Then I can also use all 3 of the Target coupons, so then I pay $-2.25. How do you pay $-2.25? Well, it ends up as $2.25 off of the rest of my grocery bill. That is why I love Publix. Many other stores won't do that. They'll change the coupon to make it less off rather than give you credit. Now, you can't go in and ONLY get toothpaste. You have to at least get other things to make up the difference, but think of how nice it is to pay $2.25 less for a nice piece of steak (that they don't make coupons for) or formula or diapers? Now, I could take the same sale and coupons and get 6 tubes of toothpaste for $0.75, instead of 3. This is stockpiling. If it's something like that, and you have room to store it, then it might be better to do this. However, you don't want to turn stockpiling into hoarding. Say you have 10 coupons...how long will it take you to use 10 tubes of toothpaste? Where will you put them? Toothpaste is small and stores pretty easy but you can see how this would easily get out of control with say toilet paper...or cleaning supplies...or a particular type of food (will you really eat 100 cans of green beans? So what if they were a penny each!)<br /><br />I do almost all of my shopping at Publix simply because they will accept competitor coupons, and they consider nearly everyone (Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Kroger, Wal-Mart...even Food Lion) a competitor. Plus, they do their own coupons in their fliers and in extra ads you can pick up in the store. Kroger is good with their cartbuster stuff-- where if you buy X number of qualifying items, you get $X off your total bill. (But, a word to the wise from someone who found out the hard way-- you only get that money off once, no matter how many qualifying items you buy. So tonight it was 10 items gets you $5 off. I bought 20 items and still only got $5 off. I should've done 2 separate transactions. But oh well, live and learn.) But, even though I do most shopping at Publix, as you just read, I do go to the other stores. Sometimes there are just better deals. Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS all have programs where you can purchase specified items and get register rewards, which is like money for future purchases. I have a $6 one for Walgreens right now, so I could go in there tomorrow and pick out something that would total $6.01, give them that register reward, and pay $0.01. Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS all take manufacturer coupons so you can see already how this could work out to your advantage.<br /><br />The biggest advice I can give you is just be patient and watch for the deals. Don't worry about missing out on one or two every so often because there will be many more. Don't worry yourself sick trying to get to 5 different stores to do shopping-- you'll find that they tend to run similar specials. And, last but not least, don't just buy it because it's on sale or because you have a coupon! Buy it because you need it (or will need it in the near future), you have a coupon for it, AND it's on sale, all at the same time!<br /><br />I could go into much more detail, and maybe, at some point, I will. But this is all the basic stuff to get anyone started! I hope that it helps you all, and I look forward to hearing stories about your savings. By the way, on my last trip to Publix, I paid $19.04 on a $76.32 total, thanks to coupons.<br /></span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-1959273841129931872011-03-17T18:41:00.001-07:002011-03-17T18:42:36.118-07:00Money, Money, Money...Mon-EEEEYYYOne of the good things (probably the ONLY good thing) about not staying totally caught up on the blog challenge is that I get to see what the next few topics are before I write about them. Then, I can pick and choose the order in which I write them, or even if I write about a particular topic at all. Remember my "Friends" blog, where I mentioned I thought I'd skipped a day? I did, and just realized last night it was the "My Favorite TV Shows" blog. That's probably why I skipped it, because I don't really do much in the way of adult television watching. While Ni Hao Kai Lan, the Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer, and Yo Gabba Gabba are positively riveting, I don't think you really want to read about how often I watch them (so much that I know what Blue is trying to tell Steve before they even find a clue because I've seen the episode 5902093480 times). However, if I could point you in the direction of just two TV shows before moving on, the first would be "Being Human". Not the American version on SyFy, but the British version on BBC America. It's truly a fantastic show and worth the time to DVR it if you have a chance. The second is one of the funniest shows on TV right now, "Modern Family". I knew that show was going to be a hit in our household because one of the characters is a Vietnamese baby named Lily. (We have one of those, too, so how can I not be endeared to this show?)<br /><br />Another moderately lame topic was "My Dream House". I actually think that's where I'm supposed to be today. I don't know that I have a dream house. I want certain things IN a house, like more closet space than I have now, a big pantry, and a bonus room. I love the house I live in now, except it's missing those things. But it's cozy and it is our first house. When the time comes for us to move, I'll be sad. But anyway, yea, I don't have a real preference for a dream home. Moving on...<br /><br />I've mentioned a few times that I wanted to talk about coupons, and a few of my loyal readers are anxious to hear what I have to say. Maybe my stalkers (how lofty of me to think I have any) want to learn, too. Who knows. That being said, I deem today "Day 13: Coupon, Surveys, and how to save...Amy Style" This is likely going to have to be split up in to Part 1 and Part 2, so your eyeballs don't fall out.<br /><br />The shorter of these two topics is definitely the "Survey" portion. I follow several different frugal living/money saving blogs on facebook. Several of the women that author these do paid surveys and things online. I looked into these, poked around on the Better Business Bureau website, and signed up for some. One of the bloggers I read takes these very seriously and does many of them and actually makes enough each month to allow her to be a stay at home mom. I haven't had such luck with them, but I have made a little extra money, and not had to use a lot of precious time to do it. And, really, ANY extra money I can make while messing around online, sitting on my couch is good, right?<br /><br />Here are the sites I use:<br /> 1. Inbox Dollars: www.inboxdollars.com This site will send you emails each day. If you click on the "read this email" button, $0.02 gets credited to your account. Of course, these emails are all kinds of different offers, and often if you sign up for a particular offer, you get more money. There are also surveys that you can take, and they pay anywhere between $0.75-$2.00. There is a coupon printer that is through coupons.com, and each time you use one of the coupons you print, you get another $0.10 credited to your account. It doesn't sound like much, but it adds up. It took me maybe 2 months of less than 15 min every few days to earn a $50.00 check in the mail.<br /> 2. Opinion Outpost: www.opinionoutpost.com This site is strictly a survey site, and they usually give me about 4 surveys a day to try to qualify into. If you fill out your profile surveys, the higher your likelihood becomes of receiving qualifying surveys. I have really good luck at qualifying into surveys at this site. I've made $35.00 so far from them. Last week I had 2 surveys that paid $5 a piece, which was cool. Another good thing about this site is it will let you pick how you want your money-- paypal, a paper check, a visa gift card, or a donation to the red cross. These surveys give estimated times that sound really long (that $5 survey said it'd take 40 minutes) but I've never had one take longer than 15 minutes.<br /> 3. Toluna: www.toluna.com I haven't cashed out from this site yet, because I am trying to really accumulate some points here. You don't have to take cash on this site. You can get other "rewards". Each survey pays in "points" and once you accumulate a certain point level, you can get money, starting at 20. Some of these surveys are longer, but I still haven't taken one that has been longer than about 15 minutes.<br /> 4. My Points: www.mypoints.com This one works a lot like Inbox Dollars except there are a lot more emails and ways to earn points. Here, though, the points can be redeemed for a BUNCH of different things-- cash, gift cards, stuff. Also there are "deals of the day" and you can go through stores that slash their prices on certain items. One day there were $49.99 Sketcher shoes for $14.99, so the deals are usually pretty good! If you shop the stores online through this site (inbox dollars has something similar) you can get a percentage cash back credited to your account.<br /><br />This isn't a survey site but it is one that I use a lot for online shopping: Ebates. www.ebates.com Ebates works like the cash back areas of My Points and Inbox Dollars, but some of the time, the percentages you get back are higher. For instance, on Inbox Dollars and My Points, Wal-Mart is something like 2% back but on Ebates it's 3%. Usually I check them both, and if Ebates is higher, I use it. Ebates also does a "site of the day" and they'll double or sometimes even triple, the percentages back. Ebates is not only shopping-- there are hotels, travel agents, and I believe even airfare, and there are hundreds of stores so it's very likely you'll find what you're looking for. This site is great for holiday shopping-- you're spending the money anyway, so why not get a little back, as well as shop from your couch in your pajamas? Shopping without ever leaving home AND getting money back for it is SO my style.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-37472885158065895542011-03-15T16:50:00.001-07:002011-03-15T16:50:57.455-07:00Day 12: Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Oh man, how lucky are you all? TWO blogs from me in one day? </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I decided to go ahead and do another blog challenge entry. I may be getting it out of order, but I think the next one is about goals. I have a lot of different goals for myself, personally, professionally, financially, and others. Some are not a big deal at all, but I consider them goals because the feeling that you get when you reach a goal, no matter how small it is, will usually be enough to make you push towards other goals. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">One of the things I've learned about setting personal goals is that I tend to be really hard on myself. I'm my own worst enemy, and I put a lot of undue pressure on myself to not only succeed but do whatever it is I'm trying to do perfectly. It's taken me a long time to realize that life isn't perfect and sometimes you have to go with the flow. I've also realized that the loftier the goal, the easier it is to get discouraged and give up. I've learned, slowly but surely, that I can't put so much pressure on myself and that I have to be more realistic. Instead of making a goal today to lose 60 lbs by <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300233015_0">May 1</span>, which is completely ridiculous, I've learned to make a goal of "Lose 20 lbs over the next few months" then "Lose 20 more lbs over the few months after that" and "Lose the final 20 lbs". That looks much more attainable and far less daunting than even "Lose 60lbs by the end of this year", doesn't it? "To be the best mother in the world" sounds a lot harder than "Be less <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300233015_1">Mommie Dearest</span> and more <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300233015_2">June Cleaver</span>", right?</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><u>1. To get out of debt other than our house.</u> We are Dave Ramsey-ites in our house hold to an extent. I wish we were a little more gung-ho about it but we're working on it. We're doing the debt snowball right now, and if my budgeting calculations are correct, we should be out of debt other than our house, by the end of this year. That means: no car payments, no loan payments, no doctor's bills hanging over our heads, and no (I repeat NO) calls from any collections agencies wanting their money. I am the first to admit, I was not financially responsible in my younger days, and as a result have caused myself some hardship now. But I'm very thankful to say that we are working harder than ever to get everything cleared up so we can just save, save, and save some more. Once we're out of debt, we have a few other goals: to replace both of our vehicles with ones we've paid for in cash, to save 6 months worth of expenses in savings, to start a college fund for Lily, and to move to a larger house with a 30 year mortgage and get it paid off in less than 30 years.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><u>2. To lose the weight I'd like to lose.</u> This is where my "Lose 20lbs" then "Lose 20 more lbs" and "Lose the final 20lbs" comes in to play. I'm trying to change my eating habits, my exercise habits, and do the whole healthy transformation. Of course, I'd like to see results immediately but I know that's not feasible. So I'm going to take it one day at a time, and try to look at every pound as a step in the right direction. Every piece of fruit I eat is a triumph over chocolate chip cookies, right? </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><u>3. To become more organized at home.</u> I'm already making great strides with this one. I'm taking a room at a time, and cleaning it top to bottom. I'm purging things that we no longer wear, use, need, or want. Some of it I donate, and others I'm saving for a summer yard sale. The only room I'm having real trouble with is Lily's, because it hurts me to get rid of anything that is hers. I'm too sentimental. If I have a shirt in my closet that I haven't worn in a year, I haven't got a problem getting rid of it. But let me pick up a 0-3 months dress Lily hasn't worn in 8 months and I bawl like a baby. I guess a goal here should be to get less attached to some of her things.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><u>4. To be more patient.</u> I have found myself being more impatient and frustrated with things that are out of my control, or too silly to matter. In the grand scheme of things, getting impatient, frustrated, and angry won't change the outcome of any situation except make it worse. I'm working on being more positive and upbeat. There are two things letting everything get to me causes: stress and grey hair, and Lord knows I don't need any more of either. Happier people live longer, and happiness is contagious.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><u>5. To be more "handy".</u> This one is already in progress, too. I'm going to have a garden, learn to can and store vegetables, and learn to make my own jam. I'm also going to learn to sew. I think that homemade gifts and food is just so much more special. People appreciate the time and effort one puts into making something from scratch. Not to mention the taste is so much better. And I like that I will have the opportunity to make things for Lily that no one else has! Maybe, and this is probably lofty, wishful thinking, I could get good enough at all of these to make some money by selling it to others! One can only hope, right?</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Professionally, I just want to get to a position where I'm happy, and don't mind coming to work everyday. I'm pretty sure that is waiting for me in the new position I have with the bank.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">And, of course, I strive every day to be the type of person that people can count on, talk to, and want to be around. I want to be a good, strong wife and an example of an honest, empowered, smart woman for Lily (and any other future children). I want to enjoy every moment I can with my family and friends, and be as positive and shining example as I can be for those around me. </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-75267081448202424882011-03-15T14:56:00.001-07:002011-03-15T14:56:30.683-07:00Believeeeeee<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">After yesterday's heavy topic, I'm really glad that today is much lighter fare for my loyal readers (however many or few that may be at this point). If you're not tired of my ramblings yet, thank you for sticking with me. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Today is Day 11: <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300226113_0">What I Believe</span> In. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">1. I believe I'm doing much better with this challenge. I've blogged 3 days in a row now, and I really think there's a distinct possibility I may finish the 30 day challenge in less than the 5802893 days I thought it would take me.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">2. I believe that <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300226113_1">Wal-Mart</span> is the East Nashville of grocery stores, and Publix is the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300226113_2">Brentwood</span> of grocery stores. I believe that I'm becoming a Publix snob, but as long as I can keep getting deals like 2 1.3lb containers of Similac Grow-N-Go 9-36 months formula for a total of $3.02 instead of $18.99 a piece, I'm ok with that snobbiness of my ways.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">3. I believe in God, and faith. Faith is the belief in things unseen, right? I think that takes on a new meaning now that I'm a mother. I had blind faith in God that everything was going well with Lily while she was in my belly. I couldn't see her. I didn't know how she was developing. I only had my faith and a few ultrasound pictures to assure me for 9 months, she was fine. I also believe that she is a miracle-- from her conception on, she has been a gift from God.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">4. I believe that sometimes, the best cure for a bad day is a trip to Sonic for ice cream. Other times, the best cure for a bad day is a stiff drink. And then sometimes, it's coming home to JP and Lily, who are always happy to see me.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">5. I believe I was much smarter before I got pregnant, but Lily ate a lot of my brain cells. Things I used to be good at, like spelling, for instance, I now struggle with more often than not. I'm also more forgetful when it comes to silly things. For instance, I'll spend half the morning making a grocery list and leave it at home. I believe that this is why Lily is so smart...she has a lot of my good brain cells and won't give them back. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">6. That being said, I believe that I'm smarter, more determined, and tougher than I give myself credit for.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">7. I believe that we will be able to meet our goal of getting out of debt this year, except for our house. I believe I'll probably faint, cry, hyperventilate, scream, and cheer when I send the last payment on the last bill. Maybe I'll just call <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300226113_3">Dave Ramsey</span> and yell on his radio show instead.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">8. I believe that I am getting closer and closer to having a mini-breakdown over Lily turning 1, the more I do to plan her party. I cannot believe my baby girl is almost 1! It feels like it shouldn't be here already. Next thing you know she'll be in school, then driving, the graduating...oh...here it comes...</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">9. I believe that <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300226113_4">dogs are better than cats</span>, broccoli is the best vegetable, chocolate is a cure for any ailment, that I have the best family and friends in the world, and nothing beats spending a quiet night at home watching Lily play and learn.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">10. I believe that I still have a lot of learning, growing, and developing to do as a mother, wife, and friend, as well as in my faith. I believe that once you think you're done doing all of these things, life isn't worth living anymore. There is always room for growth and change, as long as it involves becoming a better, more honest, and more moral person. </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-8090160455016571632011-03-14T18:40:00.000-07:002011-03-14T18:41:05.149-07:00I lost a day somewhere...Day 10: My Biggest Fears<div dir="ltr" id="idOWAReplyText7059"> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I'm now at Day 10 of the blog because I skipped one and can't figure out which one it was, and I've been blogging for about 16 days. Something is so wrong about that but I can't help it. Every time I sit down to write, something else comes up and away I go. Lily cries, the dog starts barking, JP cries...one thing or another keeps me from staying right on track. It's ok, though. At least I'm still hanging in here. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Today's topic is one I've been dreading for the last few days. Fears. No one wants to discuss their fears, but I guess this is an integral part of the "Getting to know Amy" process so I can't skip this one-- especially since my fellow 30 day bloggers have already tackled and trudged through this one. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">One of my "lesser" fears, if you can have a "lesser" fear, is that I will never have the time and energy to go back to the gym, I will never lose this extra weight I've been carrying around for over a year, and I will never get back into skinny clothes. I'm not happy with myself at this stage of the game because of how I look, and I want so desperately to change it. It's a real challenge for me right now to find the time to get into the gym, between work, taking care of Lily and JP, and taking care of our house, due in part to the weird 10-7 middle of the morning, day, and evening schedule I'm working. I'm planning on starting to get up when JP gets home in the mornings from work and going then. I'd rather be tired than miss out on time with Lily or let my house fall to shambles. But I just can't help but have this fear that I'm always going to look in the mirror and be unhappy with what I see. I don't want to be the big, unhealthy mommy and wife. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I have a few bigger fears. These are the dark, scary ones that make my hands get clammy, my mouth go dry, and my head spin with worry. Part of me wants to go, "Yep, what I just wrote was my fear. Good day!" But I'd be lying, and lying is bad. So put your serious caps on because here we go.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I am terrified, absolutely trembling terrified, of losing JP and/or Lily. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Everyone asks me how I sleep at night and how I'm not just beside myself with worry because of JP being a cop and being out on the roads at night. I've never known JP any other way. I didn't know the JP that waited tables at nearly every restaurant in town, or the JP that floated around all the stores at the Outlet Mall. I've only known the JP that works nights as a patrolman for LPD. I didn't have a choice BUT to get used to it. If I wouldn't have gotten used to it, or been able to handle it, I wouldn't be where I am today with him. It takes a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_0">certain kind of woman</span> to be married to a cop, for sure. There are a lot of women that can't handle it. But, with all that being said, it doesn't mean that I don't worry. With cops being killed in the line of duty in record numbers this year...with people getting less and less moral as time goes on...I worry. When the phone rings in the middle of the night sometimes, I worry that it's going to be someone on the other end telling me JP's gotten hurt. I have dreams of his Lieutenant and Sergant knocking on my door in the middle of the night to tell me he's been killed in the line of duty. I just try my hardest not to let that get to me. JP is well trained, level-headed, and I trust more than anything that in split second situations, he'll be able to make the right decisions for both himself and others. But it still is one of my biggest fears. I don't honestly know what I'd do with out him. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">With Lily, the fear is a whole different type of fear. I guess it's because we've already had some scares with her. When I was at my 36 week ultrasound, the tech commented on her lack of movement (which was surprising, considering she was normally like a jumping bean). Then she kept taking shots of Lily's stomach, the blood flow from the umblical cord to her, my amniotic fluid. I knew in my heart something wasn't right. And then they wheeled in the fetal stress test machine. I've since learned we barely left the hospital that day-- had my doctor been there, we wouldn't have. The next day at work, they called to tell me I was being induced, and that Dr. Deppen would talk to me more about it at the hospital. When she did sit down to talk to us, the thing that stuck out (and still reverberates in my mind) is "I felt like this was the best course of action. Your amniotic fluid levels are very low, and while I'm sorry to have you in here on the weekend, I think your baby will do much better outside. Right now, she is failing to thrive in your body, and we're not sure when she stopped growing, but she has. I didn't want to wait until Monday, because the difference between delivering today and delivering Monday could be a healthy baby versus a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_1">stillborn baby</span>. Every day that she stays in your body is a day that she could go into destress and we could lose her." That's terrifying. When I delivered, I had my doctor and nurse as well as a neonatal nurse and neonatal respiratory specialist doctor, because no one was sure at what point Lily stopped growing and developing, so there was a chance she would have <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_2">breathing problems</span>. What a blessing it was to hear her take a very big, very deep breath and start crying her head off. What a blessing to see that she was perfectly proportioned, perfectly healthy, and a great size for a 4 week early preemie. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"> </span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">And of course, later, when Lily was just 2 and a half months old, we were sent to Vanderbilt's Lion's Group Eye Center to see a pediatric opthlamologist because we noticed her eyes were 2 different colors. The pediatrician also noticed her pupils were 2 different sizes, and was concerned at what was causing it. We found out she has Horner's Syndrome, which is heterochromia of the eye and causes the pupils not to dilate at the same levels. Then the doctor started tossing around phrases such as "tumor on the nerve", "tumor on the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_3">pituitary gland</span>", "can sometimes be treated", and I thought I was going to pass out. We had to take her for an MRI at Vanderbilt <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_4">Children's Hospital</span> a few months later. She was put under anesthesia for over 3 hours while they looked at pretty much her whole body. The risks of putting someone that young under anesthesia is huge, and the hardest thing I've had to do to date was hand my happy, smiling baby over to the nurse who was taking her away to put her under. Thank God for answered prayers, because she is just fine. There's no way to tell what really caused the Horner's- it could have been some kind of trauma during birth, or just a development thing, but there are no tumors. She's not blind, and she's perfectly normal. But, even in spite of all that, the fear of losing her is blinding. When I was dealing with <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_5">postpartum depression</span> when she was a few months old, it was crippling. I didn't want to leave her anywhere. I did, but not without having a small <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1300153206_6">panic attack</span> on the inside that something would happen while I was gone. I'm doing a lot better with that all now, thank goodness. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Losing my closest loved ones is only 2nd to my other big fear, which is failing them. I am very hard on myself when it comes to doing the best I can for those around me, and I worry a lot that I'm going to fail them in some way. I'm not going to be the best wife to JP, or that I'll do something wrong raising Lily and she'll resent me for it. I'm worried that I never do enough for them, and that I didn't do enough to be a good example as a wife and mother. I know, deep down, that this is silly, because all one can do is their best, but I'm always scared I'm either not doing my best, or that my best isn't their best. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Some other things that give me goosebumps, raise my blood pressure, and cause me general discomfort in the way of fear: spiders, chainsaws (I'm right there with you, Mere), and large flocks of birds (it doesn't matter if it's a huge flock of hummingbirds...swarms of birds scare me). </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-40302437916638724752011-03-12T19:07:00.001-08:002011-03-12T19:10:43.510-08:00Friends, Friends, FRIENDS!! Day...8? 9? Whichever, this one is important!<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I'm trying hard to get back on track with this blogging. I have so many other things I want to write about that I need to go ahead and breeze through the 30 day challenge so I can get to the other things. Or maybe I just need to write more entries each day. Either way, I have things to say! </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Today's topic is a good one. Friends! I have friends, and they're awesome, so I'm looking forward to the winding way this blog will go. But then I thought, "Where do I start? Who do I write about? What if I don't have pictures? What if someone feels bad if I leave them out?" My friends...my true friends...know who they are. They also know me, and they know I'm just slightly scatterbrained (ha..slightly) and could possibly be easily distracted...What was I writing about again? Oh yea...(haha) so my friends will know if I left them out and they know as well as I do that we're friends, it's not by any malicious measure. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">I have been really blessed with some wonderful close friends, and even wonderful not-as-close friends. I noticed, while thinking about what to write and who to write about, that I don't have many pictures of me and my friends. So friends...expect this to change! And if you run the other way when you see me approaching, camera in hand, I'll follow you relentlessly until you let me take a picture of us. Consider this your warning!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">An obvious person who would be my best friend is my husband, but that's a given, and anyone that knows JP and I knows how we are together. I already talked about him when I talked about my family in the first or second entry so I won't go back and repeat myself. But, yes, he is my very best friend. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Another person who most of you will think is quite obvious is Dodie. We met on our first day of sixth grade at Friendship Christian. I had been there a year longer but didn't really have any friends there (my fifth grade class consisted of 12 students who had basically been together since kindergarten- I wasn't received well as the northern newcomer that year), and Dodie was brand new from Byars Dowdy. Mrs. Wimberly had no idea what she was doing when she sat us across the desks from one another. (I think, shortly after, we were rearranged to across the room if that's any indication of how fast we became friends). Now, I've already mentioned Dodie briefly in the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299985581_0">First Love</span> blog post, because nothing is like the love between two honest to God best friends. Dodie and I were voted "Most Likely To Remain Best Friends" our senior year of high school, joined the same sorority at the same college (Alpha Sigma Tau at Cumberland), and then some stupid boy came along in my life that clouded all judgement and caused a big falling out between the two of us. Luckily, thankfully, we were able to patch things up, and Dodie took her rightful place in my wedding, back in my life, and now in Lily's life. Lily is one of the best dressed babies ever because of her Auntie Dodie. Dodie is, and has always been, one of those people that I could call at 2 am after not talking to her for months, and be able to pick up where we left off. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">When JP and I got together, I was introduced to a whole new group of friends. JP's buddies from his teens and early twenties are an awesome, varied, and unique group. One of the best things about getting to be friends with these guys is that they have all grown up and gotten married and I have another group of friends. I've gotten to be closer friends with one, in particular than the others. Maybe this is because JP and Justin hang out more, or maybe it's just because our personalities just "click". Either way, I've been very blessed to have Tiffany in my life for the last several years. She is my uber-stylish "I wish I could pull what she's wearing off like she does but I can't so I'll just admire her outfit", natural hippie, funny, beautiful, and talented friend. She's Lily's godmother, and Lily loves her to pieces, too. I'm so excited for her and Justin as they're just a few short months away from welcoming their own, sure to be a fashionista, daughter Matilida into the world. How fun will it be for Lily to have a best friend in the daughter of OUR best friends? </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Next on my list is my Shelley. It's funny how friendships form and grow. A little known fact to most is that Shelley used to be my aunt. She was for years. And that whole time, we rarely spoke and we were definitely not what I'd call friends. Neither of us know why, but it just happened that way. Then, she was not my aunt and we were no longer in touch, and shortly after that I began working with someone that used to work with her, and we were kinda-sorta-but-not-really in touch. And then, fate stepped in and I got a job at the bank. She emailed me during orientation and then we started texting, and as both of our husbands can now attest, the rest is history. The amount of things we have in common (and the amount of texts we send) is staggering. Timothy, her baby, is exactly one year and 2 weeks older than Lily, so she has been my go-to for Mommy advice since pretty much the second I found out I was pregnant. She and I can spend all day chatting and then all evening texting and start all over again the next day. I hate that I didn't know her in all the years she was my family, but I'm so thankful and blessed to have her as such a big part of my life now. I'm so excited to be joining her (hopefully sooner than later) at the main office when I start my new position. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">This is turning out to be longer than I thought but you know what, too bad. I told you I was blessed with some wonderful people in my life. Rub your eyes, put some drops in, and keep on reading because I'm not done yet.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Next up: My beautiful, smart, and funny friend Samantha. The internet brought us together from pretty much two different sides of the US. My friendship with her preceeds even meeting JP. She is absolutely brilliant, and I think it's so fantastic we are living not only in the same state but in the same area now! It's great to know I can hop in the car with Lily and meet her at the park with her daughter. And when we first met one another in person, you would've never guessed that we hadn't ever seen one another before. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Beth is someone that I also inherited due to a friendship of JP's, and another that I consider myself very lucky to have! She is someone I can hang out with when JP and her husband are off cuddling...er...I mean, playing paintball for the weekend. She's one I can talk to when JP is at work because he works with her husband. She has been a great friend for the last several years! <br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Probably my newest friend that deserves mention here is Jennifer, who I work with at the branch. She and I have only known one another since she came to work in July but I can always count on her to cheer me up, make me smile, and just be there for me. She's even rescued me from bad weather...twice!</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">There are so many others that I feel like I should mention but I'm sure you're all so tired of reading now. So I'll just list them. I could say amazing things about all of these people, too: Doralyn and Leslie (they came with JP's friends, and I couldn't ask for any better people)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Sarah, Valerie, Jennifer, Kerri, and Kristen (the D-Detail Wives)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">Caitlin (who else can I text about any kind of random topic under the sun?), Dawn and all the rest of my lovely Sarcastic Wives, Meredith (my coupon mentor and wonderful example of a Godly woman), Leigh Ann (my only friend from CSC), Brandi...God as always managed to bless me by putting the right person in my life at precisely the right time. Even if they don't stay for long, they're still exactly right for when they are there.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;">So, to all of my friends, thank you!</span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-17452096557247493092011-03-11T19:08:00.000-08:002011-03-11T19:09:47.266-08:00Day 7: Get out the popcorn...it's movie time!Wow, I am SO far behind. Meredith and Courtney are somewhere around Day 13, and here I am on Day 7. Oh boy.<br /><br />Anyway, without further adieu, I present to you: "Day 7: My favorite movies"<br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;color:#000000;" ><p>One of the first things JP and I realized we had in common was our love of movies. One of the first things we realized we didn't have in common (at the time, at least) was which movies we loved. Together, I'm fairly certain we've seen every major movie ever made from 1970-present. Some that he loves (<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_2">Maximum Overdrive</span>, Tron, <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_3">Grandma's Boys</span>...), I can't stand, and some that I could watch a lot (Hitman, <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_4">Drop Dead Gorgeous</span>, <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_5">The Bone Collector</span>), he can't stand. Then there are the ones we agree on (<span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_6">Star Wars</span>, <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_7">The Hangover</span>, <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_8">I Love You Man</span>, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_9">Garden State</span>) that we both love. Our first date was to see Garden State. Back to the point I am trying to make...writing about my favorite movies is going to be difficult. Where to start? Which few to pick? Decisions, decisions. Have I mentioned I'm a Gemini? Indecisiveness is my forte! Here are a few of my top favorites. I'll divide them up into category (and one you won't see is a "<span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_10">chick flick</span>" category. Drop Dead Gorgeous- a mockumentary about beauty pageants-- is as "chick flick" as I get). </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Cartoons:</p> <p>Up, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_11">Toy Story</span>, and <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_12">Coraline</span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Comedy:</p> <p>The Hangover, I Love You Man, <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_13">Shaun of the Dead</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Horror:</span> </p> <p>Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_14">The Crazies</span>, and any zombie movies</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Action:</p> <p>Iron-Man, any of the Transporter movies (Jason Statham=Swoon)</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Other:</p> <p>Garden State, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_15">Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</span>, <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_16">Empire Records</span>, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1299898826_17">Inception</span></p> <p>Keep in mind, this is a small sampling of my favorites...there are probably hundreds more I could list...which is why I hope there's not a music blog coming.</p></span> <div style="font-family: georgia;" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007273709060644047.post-54414129207855533912011-03-10T07:03:00.000-08:002011-03-10T07:24:53.324-08:00A little break from the blog-a-thonAt the rate I'm currently writing these blogs, a 30 day blog a thon is going to take me somewhere between 60 and 90 days to complete, as I'm managing one every two or three days. I need to step it up, huh?<br /><br />Today is supposed to be "Day 7: Movies I Love". Maybe I'll write that one later. But, right now, I have a different blog to complete. Meredith over at The Woman With You, has tagged me in a fun little post and I'm going to complete it, instead.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(56, 118, 29);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-size: medium;">1. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?</span></span></span></strong><br /><br />I try not to let things embarrass me. Really. I know, I know, you're not believing it, but it's actually true. I will laugh my butt off at myself for doing something dumb right along with everyone else. BUT, that being said, I do have a moment that when I did start laughing, I was still wishing I'd melted into the ground. It was my freshman year, at Cumberland, and I was sitting with a few of my friends on the patio outside of the C-Store. I don't know if they're still there or not, but they had a bunch of metal tables and metal chairs. It was a beautiful warm day and since I was still skinny and cute, I had on a short white skirt and a tank top. Because of the white skirt, my underthings were...ahem...small, to say the least. So, I'm sitting there having some conversation, and I was leaning back in the chair, so it was up on 2 legs. I had my feet hooked under the bottom of the table to hold myself in place. Well, you know how in grade school when you did that, the teacher always told you not to because you'd fall? Yea. I leaned back too far and the chair just kept going....and guess who ended up showing her thong to everyone at the C-Store? Yep. Me. The worst part is that, since the chair and the table were metal and I fell pretty hard, I had these AWFUL bruises on the backs of my legs as well as on my ankles for probably 3 weeks afterwards, so it was a constant reminder. And, yes, the C-Store patio was pretty full that day with guys and girls...Ugh, I shudder just thinking about it.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(56, 118, 29);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: cyan; font-size: medium;">2. Favorite holiday and why?</span></span></span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(56, 118, 29);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="color: black;">I really like Thanksgiving. There isn't any pressure on anyone to do a ton of special stuff. We go to JP's sister's house with his whole family and then we go to my parent's house with them. At JP's sister's, everyone comes over-- extended family and immediate. There's a lot of talking and laughing and having fun. Everyone brings their own dish, too, so there is a TON of food, and it's out of this world. At my parent's house, since it's just them, JP, me, and Lily, my mom cooks. She always ends up making a spread like we're having 100 people over, but then we get to enjoy left overs for a week. Also at my parent's, my mom makes crescent rolls, and each person writes on a tiny slip of paper something they're thankful for, and my mom bakes them in the rolls. Everytime you eat a roll, you have to read the slip of paper inside and then we talk about it. It's really neat. </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(56, 118, 29);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: cyan;"></span> </span></span><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(103, 78, 167); font-size: medium;">3.What's the weirdest thing you think you eat?</span></strong><br /><br />I don't think I eat anything weird, but I'm sure some people would think that the Vietnamese food JP's mom cooks for us is weird. But, nay, I say it's delicious. :D<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: magenta; font-size: medium;">4. Favorite brand of makeup?</span></strong><br /><br />I don't have a favorite brand. I really don't have a problem with any brands, so I use different things from different brands. Usually, my favorite brand is whatever I have the best coupons for or can get the cheapest!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: orange; font-size: medium;">5. If you had to choose a color of a crayon to be out of the color box, which would be you...and why?</span></strong><br /><br />I think I'd be purple. It's a color everyone uses, but it's not the first one everyone grabs, so I wouldn't get used up or broken really quickly but I would get loved and used in pictures.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: lime; font-size: medium;">6. Favorite hobby?</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span>It's funny that this question is on here, because JP and I were just talking about this last night. Aside from the obvious, which is spending time with him and Lily, I really don't have any hobbies anymore. I love to read, and do that when I can, and I love to draw and paint, and do that when I can, but I don't have anything I just do to relieve stress or have me time...yet. I'm in the process of planning a great vegetable and fruit garden that I'm going to do this spring/summer, and then my friends Shelley and Jennifer are going to teach me to can the stuff that comes from it. Shelley makes jam and salsa, so that will be tasty! Also, I think I'm going to try to teach myself to make hair ribbons for Lily (and other girl babies), sew pillowcase dresses (also for Lily and other girl babies) and quilt. I guess I need to be asked this question again at the end of this year.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">7. Biggest Fear?</span></strong><br /><br />There is a whole blog in the 30 days of blogging that is dedicated to this, so I won't get into it here completely. That being said, I have 2 biggest fears. One is being taken away from my family and not being able to be there for them and watch them grow (for whatever reason: death, etc). The other is failing them in some way.<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;"></span></em><strong><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">8. Best present you have ever received?</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Lily is the best present I've ever received. I know that is cliche, but she is truly a gift. I was on the pill, and was never supposed to get pregnant with her when I did. Also, she was delivered at 36 weeks because of some fetal health issues, and our doctor said every day we would've waited after the day she delivered Lily, was a day closer to having a stillborn baby. It was very serious. Then, we went through everything with her eye, and all the tests to rule out cancer and tumors. She is a miracle and a gift from God and I'm so blessed to have her in my life.<br /><br />I guess the best physical, tear the wrapping paper off of it and scream in delight, present is my black and white diamond turtle necklace. If you've seen me since Christmas 2009, you've seen this necklace. JP sold our 4 wheeler that fall, and had just kind of squirreled the money away. We used some of it to remodel the living room and some of it for other things and he was going to use the rest to buy some stuff for him-- guns, whatever. I had mentioned probably six months before Christmas that I had seen this diamond turtle necklace and thought it was so beautiful, but it was kind of expensive and I couldn't see myself buying it. Well, that was the last Christmas we had just the two of us, and he decided he wanted to make it special for me, so he went all over looking for that necklace. I was shocked, to say the least, when I opened that gift, and I've worn it, literally every day, since.<br /></span></span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14107952213138588019noreply@blogger.com2