![](<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6NeZWu-NtfRVw2Vb-RF1Y67pNoNVML2eL6MFmb7SZfg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_foMdij7no_M/TSFupHRNAqI/AAAAAAAAA3U/PGtfJWSEP4o/s144/DSCF0281.JPG" height="108" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/amymlumsden/JustUs?authkey=Gv1sRgCK2c4ofA8aadRw&feat=embedwebsite">Just Us!</a></td></tr></table>)
"Hey Guys! Can you think of anything more romantic than saving an orangutan together?"- GreenPeace chick in downtown Portland.
"This sure ain't like the "squeeze cheese" I'm used to!"- Fella in the next booth over at Melting Pot, reacting to the swiss fondue. They were Klassy with a kapital "K". Wish we would have been there when they received their bill! His date was guzzling the overpriced cocktails faster than you can say "squeeze cheese".
As you can probably guess, Ross and I had an overnight romantic getaway in downtown PDX. Maddy stayed with her grandparents and we hit the down. We had a blast together, and really just had a very memorable night. It was awesome for us to connect and really be together without distractions.
We stayed at the Benson Hotel, and there could have been a cheesy sitcom made about how inexperienced I am when it comes to fancy living. I was concerned about how we forgot to roll our car windows up as we handed the keys to the valet guy. He just graciously replied, "I can roll them up for you". Then we totally forgot to tip him, felt bad about it, and chased him down later to give him a tip; very much after the fact. Smooth. I have to giggle about it all, though, because it makes me feel human. So we aren't fancy people. Please tell me we're not like Klassy Keith at the Melting Pot, though! But we totally enjoyed the room and roomservice for breakfast! Sleeping in on the most comfortable and luxurious bed I have ever slept on made it all worth it.
We did both decided that if we ever had a big overnight date night again that we would try to figure out a way to stay here. We visited the 8th floor bar/restaurant last night called "Urban Farmer" which was totally amazing. Who knew cow hide and canned food could be so classy (faux, I'm sure. Its Portland afterall)? Great music, huge atrium space with a huge skylight and a lot of seating areas, and great drinks. Appearantly there's an even more amazing place on the top floor, but it was closed last night, because the only people who go out on Sunday nights are parents/car salesman, obviously.
I think I am off to go to bed early. I'm having a hard time being productive tonight, so I think I will just sleep. Maddy has been really fussy ever since we picked her up today, but went down okay for bed tonight. Poor Munchkin.
And oh yes! How do you like my new look? Thanks Becca @ JumpingJaxDesigns.com! She was wonderful to work with and gave me something that perfectly fit my picky/plain style. She does cards and announcements, too!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Hey, I can make that! (Cuter, and for way less $$!)
This is my new philosophy on life: for food, cards, and other art. I am not a master at sewing clothes yet, but I have made some adorable burp cloths, blankets, wipes, and diapers.
I was flipping with this hideous catalogue called "First Wishes" that somehow got my address, trying not to vomit. I'm talking the most tacky, hideous, and overpriced, made-in-China crap that perfectly illustrates everything that I am against. But I did like this little dress:
I was flipping with this hideous catalogue called "First Wishes" that somehow got my address, trying not to vomit. I'm talking the most tacky, hideous, and overpriced, made-in-China crap that perfectly illustrates everything that I am against. But I did like this little dress:
Price tag: $69.00. what what what!?!?!?!
So I went to JoAnne Fabric, used a plain white one-sie she already had, and in about an hour total of work, we have this:
(The glitter lettering might look a little weird, because I was too excited to let it cool and take off the plastic cover before I took these pics.)
Price?
White onesie: $0 (already had, and it was a gift)
Glitter letter iron on's: 5.99, but I have a ton more to make other shirts
Cupcake iron on applique: $3.99 (2 in a pack; comes with another one just like it in white)
Elastic: already had- $0
Pink Tulle: $3 ($1.99/yard; used 3 yards = $6, but had a 50% off fabric coupon)
Rhinestone iron ons: $2.99 (still have a ton left I can make other pieces with!)
Total: Just under $16! BUT, keep in mind I have a lot of leftover supplies from what I bought, so I can make a cute cupcake tee shirt or onesie, and probably 2-3 more shirts that I can design myself with the letter and gemstones. I love it!
Friday, August 27, 2010
How to Have a Clean Fight, and Why Its Important
Its taken me....over 6 years to learn this. But it is quite effective.
When your spouse does something to really, really make you so so so angry. Do NOT act on your first impulse. Because when you are angry, your impulse (if you are a firecracker like me,) may be to make things SO.MUCH.WORSE by making bold, radical, and possibly hurtful comments that will only anger the husband more. Just shut the door and walk away. Carry on with your evening. Bathe the baby (she's still a baby, right?) and have lots of giggles and smiles. Read her stories, and rock her to sleep while humming lullabyes (since I don't actually know the words. I know LAME. On to do list: learn words to lullabyes). Kiss her forehead and lay her down. Go downstairs and breathe.
Guess what? When I did that, the husband came down and apologized for being a butt head! Then we talked about how we can both not be butt heads, came to an agreement within 5 minutes, and gave each other a hug. This was a BIG moment for me! I have this curse of always having to have the last word. I have been known to storm out of a room and slam the door; only to come stomping back and get my last twenty-five cents in, which only makes things worse. I guess I have finally grown up, a little. What caused me to face these situations a little less passionately and a little more maturely was knowing that my sweet baby girl was watching. My girl who watches us hug and kiss and giggles with delight every time we do. We look at her and say, "Mommy and daddy love each other!" and then kiss again and she just explodes with laughter and smiles. I realize that we are currently shaping her views of what a healthy marriage/relationship is supposed to be like. When she studies us and reacts to us, you can see the gears turning. Our job is not only to take care of her now, but to show her how a man and wife treat each other and love each other. The lesson I am SO blessed to have learned from my parents.
So thank you, Madelyn. You have made me want to be a better woman, and a better wife and mother.
When your spouse does something to really, really make you so so so angry. Do NOT act on your first impulse. Because when you are angry, your impulse (if you are a firecracker like me,) may be to make things SO.MUCH.WORSE by making bold, radical, and possibly hurtful comments that will only anger the husband more. Just shut the door and walk away. Carry on with your evening. Bathe the baby (she's still a baby, right?) and have lots of giggles and smiles. Read her stories, and rock her to sleep while humming lullabyes (since I don't actually know the words. I know LAME. On to do list: learn words to lullabyes). Kiss her forehead and lay her down. Go downstairs and breathe.
Guess what? When I did that, the husband came down and apologized for being a butt head! Then we talked about how we can both not be butt heads, came to an agreement within 5 minutes, and gave each other a hug. This was a BIG moment for me! I have this curse of always having to have the last word. I have been known to storm out of a room and slam the door; only to come stomping back and get my last twenty-five cents in, which only makes things worse. I guess I have finally grown up, a little. What caused me to face these situations a little less passionately and a little more maturely was knowing that my sweet baby girl was watching. My girl who watches us hug and kiss and giggles with delight every time we do. We look at her and say, "Mommy and daddy love each other!" and then kiss again and she just explodes with laughter and smiles. I realize that we are currently shaping her views of what a healthy marriage/relationship is supposed to be like. When she studies us and reacts to us, you can see the gears turning. Our job is not only to take care of her now, but to show her how a man and wife treat each other and love each other. The lesson I am SO blessed to have learned from my parents.
So thank you, Madelyn. You have made me want to be a better woman, and a better wife and mother.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thrify Thursday: Our Story (Money, finances, and how we live)
My blog topic on Costco that I mentioned earlier will be cancelled . Partly, because I realized I didn't have that much interesting stuff to talk about with that. In a nutshell, Costco has a lot of cool stuff for a great deal, so it is far too easy to spend over $200 there. Just don't go, unless you have a specific shopping list, and you promise yourself you won't be swayed by cool steam cleaners (even though we do love ours ;) and tempted time and time again by those delicious oversized muffins; which I avoid, because they give me muffin-tops. haha. But everytime I go, they tempt me.
Instead, I am digging out this old blog I never finished and kept in private. I don't share any details like actual numbers in income, because I think that is tacky and inappropriate. But I do like to be open about our journey with finances, because it has been a touchy point in our marriage, and is for MANY MANY marriages. My blog is all about openness, sharing and relating, so here you go :)
We traded in our Subaru for a newer one a few months ago. When Ross called me from the dealership to sell me this idea (yes, my own husband pulled the sales pitch on me! I wanted to slap him silly) I told him it was frivilous and unecessary. After much convincing and the fact that it actually wasn't going to cost us much at ALL due to the fact that he gets an employee discount and would get top dollar for my 2008 Tribeca (which was in mint condition) my ears perked up. Once the numbers looked good to me, I told him we could do it based on one condition:
The car had to look identical to our old one. Same color, same body. Basically, no one should be able to tell we got a new car.
Why, you ask? Why not enjoy a NEEEEEWWW CAR! (said in Bob Barker voice) and enjoy the fruit of our labors? Why? Because I was afraid of other people judging us. (have you judged us yet? Be honest.) I didn't want people to think we were frivilous and that a 2008 car wasn't "good enough for us". Obviously, most people wouldn't understand the position we were in, the deal we got, and the reason for upgrading under those conditions. I was also afraid people would say, "Gosh, Ross and Amy always say they are trying to save money; but then they go out and buy a new car- what's up with that?". I totally understand the judging, because I have done the same thing with people. I can shamefully admit to that, and it is wrong. Working on it!
Well let me give you a little peak into our history. In the 6+ years we have been married, we have been through financial feasts and famines. From new nursing jobs with a night shift differential to Ross being laid off when I was 2 months pregnant and we had to contemplate me being on maternity leave on nothing but his unemployment income- we have seen it all.
The Feast: I had my first nursing job and was earning more than what I knew what to do with. Ross was working overtime, so we were quite a team. At least financially....Because I worked nights I spent many days alone. A woman with too much time and money leads to only one thing: unecessary trips to Target and Lowes at $50-100 a pop. This eventually caused a huge strain on our marriage and we went through a lot of difficulty because of it. Ross, intensely frugal by nature, caught on to me and couldn't trust me with money. This lead to him placing me on a strict budget for all spending aside from groceries(not disclosing the amount, but needless to say, it was like telling a raging alcoholic they can suddenly only have one beer a month). I became bitter and angry. I hated my job and I hated the hours. I never got to see my husband, so I created my own joys out of shopping, and now that was taken away from me. I felt like I was entitled to the spending, since I suffered for every dollar (if you have ever been a nurse working a night shift on a med-surg floor, you would know what I mean). It's funny that I titled this story "The Feast", because even though there were many dollar signs at this point of our lives, it was lacking in happiness.
Middle Ground: I took a significant pay-cut and took a day job. This change paired with marriage counselling (yep- we had to work hard on fixing this and I want to make sure I didn't make light of it) put us in a really good place. We continued to save our money and build a nest egg savings account, with putting a gernerous amount in monthly and living more minimally. I eventually realized I was wasting money and cut back significantly on my spending. Ross and I decided on a much more fair budget just to help me have a guideline (since I am a recovering shopaholic). Councelling made him aware that he can, in fact, be TOO frugal and he worked on that. His trust for me was renewed. We both changed our hearts about money and things were great. I switched jobs to a clinic 10 minutes from our home where I got a pay raise, so I was able to cut back my hours a little. Ross had a good job. We decided that with financial peace and marital bliss, we were ready to welcome a baby. The rest is history, and on January 19th, 2009 we discovered we were pregnant with our dear Madelyn.
Famine: On February 27th, 2009 Ross was laid off from the best job he had had since we have been together. I was in the throws of morning sickness, and we had just seen her heartbeat for the first time. As my dreams of being a stay at home mom (who just worked a day or 2 a week) began to crumble, we faced a much more difficult scenario of being able to pay the bills while I was on maternity leave. Thankfully, with my income, Ross's unemployment checks, and God's neverending protection, we made it.
Madelyn was born. I worked up until the day before she literally rushed into our lives. I had enough vacation time to get us through a month and a half with pay. I had worked JUST enough hours and saved up JUST enough paid leave hours to qualify for FMLA, so my family had health insurance during this time (praise God. Seriously, this was a miracle. If I had started working for Providence a mere 4 days later than I had, we would have had to pay approximately $2400 for COBRA health coverage.) The remainder of my leave, we just lived very minimal, which was easy, as we just stayed home a lot. We were also very blessed to have family and friends visit us. I also must include that our families were very generous with baby gifts, food, and their time. This definitely helped us get through. We never missed a house payment, or any bill payment for that matter. God always provides. Even though the numbers barely added up in our life's hectic equation; He made it work.
Ross was still unemployed and I insisted on working only 3 days a week so I could raise my daughter. I told him I would rather be poor than work full time. So, in many ways, we lived as though we had no money to spend. Amazingly, living this way occasionally gave us....money to spend! And save!
Here are some things we do to help dispell the rumor that babies are expensive (and don't forget that nice tax refund they bring.)
1)We use pre-folded cloth diapers with covers. I sewed reusable baby wipes out of recycled flannel receiving blankets. I do all the laundering and maintenence myself. People told me I was crazy and would probably resort to disposables or a diaper service when I went back to work. Nope! It was a tremendous learning curve at the beginning, but all my hard work paid off and now I love hanging diapers on the laundry line (which coincidentally saves money on power!).
2) I breastfed Maddy exclusively until she was ready for solids; and even then I made all of her baby food. By my calculations, I saved our family approximately $100-$200/month with these choices. I had to start buying formula when she was 9 months, but she doesn't drink very much these days due to eating solid food so much). I understand that not every mother has the choice of being able to do this (due to constraints beyond their control) so I am thankful that I was able to do it for as long as I did.
3)We NEVER go out to restaurants or bars. Part of this is a side effect of being with child ;) We didn't go out to bars often anyway, but this sealed the deal. Even our beloved Happy Hour has gone by the wayside. If we ever go out to eat, it is to Sweet Tomatoes with a buy one get one free coupon. Our entire family eats a healthy meal out for $17. If we want an alcoholic beverage, we serve either 3-buck Chuck or Bud Light, which we buy in bulk from Costco. We eat at home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, except for a couple times in a month. We would rather have our wonderful friends and family over to eat, drink, chat, and play Wii; than go to a bar with a bunch a yahoos we don't know, and most likely wouldn't even like (ouch! harsh but the truth can hurt ;).
4)over 80% of Maddy's clothing are hand-me-downs or purchased off of craiglist or garage sales. The rest are gifts from her Aunties and baby showers (again, Maddy is very blessed by nice gifts from those who love her). I have only bought her a handful of new baby clothes, and even those were all on sale.
5) Groceries are mainly bought in bulk. We freeze loaves of bread, meat, fish, and even some veggies so we can manage this. Lately I buy all our produce at the local produce stand in my neighborhood, or if we are lucky, Ross's parents have a great crop of cucumbers, lettuce, berries, squash, tomatoes, onions, and much more from their garden. No spending hundreds of dollars at Whole Foods for organic veggies for us. (AGAIN, we are SO blessed by our family and I don't take this for granted!)
6) We do our best to give to our church. Its about time we gave thanks for all that has been given to us. I know this doesn't seem like a way to save money, but our faith has gotten us through everything. So in that way, it is part of the secret to our success.
I want to clarify that I in no way think my choices are better than other choices (like with Breastfeeding and cloth diapering). Heck, I keep a few disposables around for long trips and the occasional diaper rash (which doesn't happen often, but we have one now curtesy to Maddy having a massive poo during a 3 hour nap). I LOVE using the disposables; they are so trim and EASY! So I'm not a cloth diaper snob who thinks I'm better; in the end its mostly about cost :)
Instead, I am digging out this old blog I never finished and kept in private. I don't share any details like actual numbers in income, because I think that is tacky and inappropriate. But I do like to be open about our journey with finances, because it has been a touchy point in our marriage, and is for MANY MANY marriages. My blog is all about openness, sharing and relating, so here you go :)
We traded in our Subaru for a newer one a few months ago. When Ross called me from the dealership to sell me this idea (yes, my own husband pulled the sales pitch on me! I wanted to slap him silly) I told him it was frivilous and unecessary. After much convincing and the fact that it actually wasn't going to cost us much at ALL due to the fact that he gets an employee discount and would get top dollar for my 2008 Tribeca (which was in mint condition) my ears perked up. Once the numbers looked good to me, I told him we could do it based on one condition:
The car had to look identical to our old one. Same color, same body. Basically, no one should be able to tell we got a new car.
Why, you ask? Why not enjoy a NEEEEEWWW CAR! (said in Bob Barker voice) and enjoy the fruit of our labors? Why? Because I was afraid of other people judging us. (have you judged us yet? Be honest.) I didn't want people to think we were frivilous and that a 2008 car wasn't "good enough for us". Obviously, most people wouldn't understand the position we were in, the deal we got, and the reason for upgrading under those conditions. I was also afraid people would say, "Gosh, Ross and Amy always say they are trying to save money; but then they go out and buy a new car- what's up with that?". I totally understand the judging, because I have done the same thing with people. I can shamefully admit to that, and it is wrong. Working on it!
Well let me give you a little peak into our history. In the 6+ years we have been married, we have been through financial feasts and famines. From new nursing jobs with a night shift differential to Ross being laid off when I was 2 months pregnant and we had to contemplate me being on maternity leave on nothing but his unemployment income- we have seen it all.
The Feast: I had my first nursing job and was earning more than what I knew what to do with. Ross was working overtime, so we were quite a team. At least financially....Because I worked nights I spent many days alone. A woman with too much time and money leads to only one thing: unecessary trips to Target and Lowes at $50-100 a pop. This eventually caused a huge strain on our marriage and we went through a lot of difficulty because of it. Ross, intensely frugal by nature, caught on to me and couldn't trust me with money. This lead to him placing me on a strict budget for all spending aside from groceries(not disclosing the amount, but needless to say, it was like telling a raging alcoholic they can suddenly only have one beer a month). I became bitter and angry. I hated my job and I hated the hours. I never got to see my husband, so I created my own joys out of shopping, and now that was taken away from me. I felt like I was entitled to the spending, since I suffered for every dollar (if you have ever been a nurse working a night shift on a med-surg floor, you would know what I mean). It's funny that I titled this story "The Feast", because even though there were many dollar signs at this point of our lives, it was lacking in happiness.
Middle Ground: I took a significant pay-cut and took a day job. This change paired with marriage counselling (yep- we had to work hard on fixing this and I want to make sure I didn't make light of it) put us in a really good place. We continued to save our money and build a nest egg savings account, with putting a gernerous amount in monthly and living more minimally. I eventually realized I was wasting money and cut back significantly on my spending. Ross and I decided on a much more fair budget just to help me have a guideline (since I am a recovering shopaholic). Councelling made him aware that he can, in fact, be TOO frugal and he worked on that. His trust for me was renewed. We both changed our hearts about money and things were great. I switched jobs to a clinic 10 minutes from our home where I got a pay raise, so I was able to cut back my hours a little. Ross had a good job. We decided that with financial peace and marital bliss, we were ready to welcome a baby. The rest is history, and on January 19th, 2009 we discovered we were pregnant with our dear Madelyn.
Famine: On February 27th, 2009 Ross was laid off from the best job he had had since we have been together. I was in the throws of morning sickness, and we had just seen her heartbeat for the first time. As my dreams of being a stay at home mom (who just worked a day or 2 a week) began to crumble, we faced a much more difficult scenario of being able to pay the bills while I was on maternity leave. Thankfully, with my income, Ross's unemployment checks, and God's neverending protection, we made it.
Madelyn was born. I worked up until the day before she literally rushed into our lives. I had enough vacation time to get us through a month and a half with pay. I had worked JUST enough hours and saved up JUST enough paid leave hours to qualify for FMLA, so my family had health insurance during this time (praise God. Seriously, this was a miracle. If I had started working for Providence a mere 4 days later than I had, we would have had to pay approximately $2400 for COBRA health coverage.) The remainder of my leave, we just lived very minimal, which was easy, as we just stayed home a lot. We were also very blessed to have family and friends visit us. I also must include that our families were very generous with baby gifts, food, and their time. This definitely helped us get through. We never missed a house payment, or any bill payment for that matter. God always provides. Even though the numbers barely added up in our life's hectic equation; He made it work.
Ross was still unemployed and I insisted on working only 3 days a week so I could raise my daughter. I told him I would rather be poor than work full time. So, in many ways, we lived as though we had no money to spend. Amazingly, living this way occasionally gave us....money to spend! And save!
Here are some things we do to help dispell the rumor that babies are expensive (and don't forget that nice tax refund they bring.)
1)We use pre-folded cloth diapers with covers. I sewed reusable baby wipes out of recycled flannel receiving blankets. I do all the laundering and maintenence myself. People told me I was crazy and would probably resort to disposables or a diaper service when I went back to work. Nope! It was a tremendous learning curve at the beginning, but all my hard work paid off and now I love hanging diapers on the laundry line (which coincidentally saves money on power!).
2) I breastfed Maddy exclusively until she was ready for solids; and even then I made all of her baby food. By my calculations, I saved our family approximately $100-$200/month with these choices. I had to start buying formula when she was 9 months, but she doesn't drink very much these days due to eating solid food so much). I understand that not every mother has the choice of being able to do this (due to constraints beyond their control) so I am thankful that I was able to do it for as long as I did.
3)We NEVER go out to restaurants or bars. Part of this is a side effect of being with child ;) We didn't go out to bars often anyway, but this sealed the deal. Even our beloved Happy Hour has gone by the wayside. If we ever go out to eat, it is to Sweet Tomatoes with a buy one get one free coupon. Our entire family eats a healthy meal out for $17. If we want an alcoholic beverage, we serve either 3-buck Chuck or Bud Light, which we buy in bulk from Costco. We eat at home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, except for a couple times in a month. We would rather have our wonderful friends and family over to eat, drink, chat, and play Wii; than go to a bar with a bunch a yahoos we don't know, and most likely wouldn't even like (ouch! harsh but the truth can hurt ;).
4)over 80% of Maddy's clothing are hand-me-downs or purchased off of craiglist or garage sales. The rest are gifts from her Aunties and baby showers (again, Maddy is very blessed by nice gifts from those who love her). I have only bought her a handful of new baby clothes, and even those were all on sale.
5) Groceries are mainly bought in bulk. We freeze loaves of bread, meat, fish, and even some veggies so we can manage this. Lately I buy all our produce at the local produce stand in my neighborhood, or if we are lucky, Ross's parents have a great crop of cucumbers, lettuce, berries, squash, tomatoes, onions, and much more from their garden. No spending hundreds of dollars at Whole Foods for organic veggies for us. (AGAIN, we are SO blessed by our family and I don't take this for granted!)
6) We do our best to give to our church. Its about time we gave thanks for all that has been given to us. I know this doesn't seem like a way to save money, but our faith has gotten us through everything. So in that way, it is part of the secret to our success.
I want to clarify that I in no way think my choices are better than other choices (like with Breastfeeding and cloth diapering). Heck, I keep a few disposables around for long trips and the occasional diaper rash (which doesn't happen often, but we have one now curtesy to Maddy having a massive poo during a 3 hour nap). I LOVE using the disposables; they are so trim and EASY! So I'm not a cloth diaper snob who thinks I'm better; in the end its mostly about cost :)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Food for Thought/Thoughts on Food
A friend of mine from work just completed the Master Cleanse. In case you are not familiar with this master of a cleanse; it involves having nothing but water with lemon juice, cayanne pepper, and maple syrup, straight water, and herbal laxative tea for 7 days. When I hear about cleanses, I tend to be really skeptical, but I learned a lot of interesting things from her. It has less to do with weight loss and more to do with cleaning out toxins and clearing your bowels of junk that has been sitting in there for way too long.
Until recently, I have never stopped to think about the effects of what I am putting in my body. I always figured that since I eat Taco Bell only sparingly, don't really eat chocolate or soda, and usually have a vegetable or two or three each day, and I'm not at all overweight; that I was healthy. But only recently have I discovered that I suffer from sugar and salt "hangovers" way more often than hangovers in the traditional sense ;) I LOVE my snacks, and have no problem eating a half a giant bag of Sour Cream and Onion Baked Lays instead of real dinner on those nights I get home from work and Ross doesn't get home until 8pm. I'm not fat, so its okay, right? RIIIGHHHTTT?!?!?!
No.
I am not being that nice to my body! Binging on all those simple carbs are making my poor pancreas work overtime in order to process all the crap. When I was pregnant I was borderline for gestational diabetes. I had to take that gruesome 3 hour glucose tolerance test and the numbers spoke for themselves:
Baseline: 71 (perfectly normal-pass)
1 hour (post 100g sugar): 235, and way above acceptable limits for the purposes of the test
2 hour: 145ish; Within acceptable limits for the test
3 hour: 29. Labratorically speaking, that is considered "critically low". Like the word I just made up? I think its pretty awesome.
The covering physician who doesn't know me, passed it off as a lab error. My real physician called me as soon as he saw the results to make sure I wasn't passed out behind a dumpster. The truth is, I was swerving along the Milwaukie Expressway in cold sweats (okay, maybe I wasn't swerving), chugging a Dr. Pepper and scarfing handfuls of McDonalds fries. Why Dr. Pepper? I never drink Dr. Pepper. I was craving SUGAR though. The moral of the story, and what my OB and I discussed later was that I didn't have diabetes, but that my pancreas does NOT handle high doses of sugar very well and I am at risk for developing diabetes. For the remainder of my pregnancy, I would do a pretty good job of avoiding the sweets. Then Maddy came. Then ravenous breastfeeding appetite came. Then the attitude that "I can eat whatever I want since I'm burning thousands of calories breastfeeding" came. Then lost all the weight, then the mentality of, "Hey I lost all that weight! I can cut myself some slack!" came. I didn't gain it all back (just 2 lbs) but I know I am not healthy enough.
So cutting to the chase, here is my reasonable mini goal (since radical goals like, "I'm not eating red meat from now on!" are ridiculous, since it is so unattainable without a bigger drive):
Eat MORE raw foods. Try not to eat blatant simple sugars.
I am contemplating a Raw Food cleanse for a week or so, but I refuse to do anything like that until I'm mentally ready. I am starting by trying to have my breakfast, lunch, and snacks be mostly raw foods, since I don't have as much of an affinity to eat a ton during those times. Once 5-6 pm hits, I want FOOD. Probably because of my lack of wanting to eat much before then, which I understand isn't so good. Its also for emotional reasons; I think. 5-6pm symbolizes the end of the work day, and getting closer to the end of Ross's work day. It symbolizes my family being together and enjoying eating with each other. I love to eat. That won't change, and I don't want it to. So I will just try to avoid simple sugars except for special occasions. I have done it before; when I was pregnant, and when I was on Weight Watchers. I can do it now, and use my family history of diabetes and my obvious risk for it as my motivation.
The catch is that I don't want to have "fake" sugar. I'll have the occasional Diet Pepsi, but no Splenda in my daily morning coffee. To be honest, I don't know what brought this all on. I think it is a combination of spending time with my naturopath father in law and spending more time with my sisters (and sister in law) and their healthier inclincations towards food. After hearing my friend's thoughts and journey with her cleanse, I really just made that decision.
Food Goal :
Buy more local/organic . I used to scoff at the words "Organic" and "Local", because in the real world, it has meant $5 for two tomatoes. I know some people think that its worth it, but it is not for the thrifty minded. Not only that, but its so unfair to those who are FORCED to be thrifty. My opinions about this magally changed 100% when I discovered Justy's Produce right down the street. It is 100% family owned and operated. This place is fantastic and you can get delicious organic and local food for CHEAPER than Fred Meyer- just the way it should be. Seriously; you can save loads of money by getting all your produce here (not to mention make your own bouquet of beautiful flowers for $1 from their fresh cut flowers section). Even if its out of your way, you can come visit me and my beautiful family ;)
At my last trip to Justy's I picked up a tomatillo and decided to make salsa out of these things:
Until recently, I have never stopped to think about the effects of what I am putting in my body. I always figured that since I eat Taco Bell only sparingly, don't really eat chocolate or soda, and usually have a vegetable or two or three each day, and I'm not at all overweight; that I was healthy. But only recently have I discovered that I suffer from sugar and salt "hangovers" way more often than hangovers in the traditional sense ;) I LOVE my snacks, and have no problem eating a half a giant bag of Sour Cream and Onion Baked Lays instead of real dinner on those nights I get home from work and Ross doesn't get home until 8pm. I'm not fat, so its okay, right? RIIIGHHHTTT?!?!?!
No.
I am not being that nice to my body! Binging on all those simple carbs are making my poor pancreas work overtime in order to process all the crap. When I was pregnant I was borderline for gestational diabetes. I had to take that gruesome 3 hour glucose tolerance test and the numbers spoke for themselves:
Baseline: 71 (perfectly normal-pass)
1 hour (post 100g sugar): 235, and way above acceptable limits for the purposes of the test
2 hour: 145ish; Within acceptable limits for the test
3 hour: 29. Labratorically speaking, that is considered "critically low". Like the word I just made up? I think its pretty awesome.
The covering physician who doesn't know me, passed it off as a lab error. My real physician called me as soon as he saw the results to make sure I wasn't passed out behind a dumpster. The truth is, I was swerving along the Milwaukie Expressway in cold sweats (okay, maybe I wasn't swerving), chugging a Dr. Pepper and scarfing handfuls of McDonalds fries. Why Dr. Pepper? I never drink Dr. Pepper. I was craving SUGAR though. The moral of the story, and what my OB and I discussed later was that I didn't have diabetes, but that my pancreas does NOT handle high doses of sugar very well and I am at risk for developing diabetes. For the remainder of my pregnancy, I would do a pretty good job of avoiding the sweets. Then Maddy came. Then ravenous breastfeeding appetite came. Then the attitude that "I can eat whatever I want since I'm burning thousands of calories breastfeeding" came. Then lost all the weight, then the mentality of, "Hey I lost all that weight! I can cut myself some slack!" came. I didn't gain it all back (just 2 lbs) but I know I am not healthy enough.
So cutting to the chase, here is my reasonable mini goal (since radical goals like, "I'm not eating red meat from now on!" are ridiculous, since it is so unattainable without a bigger drive):
Eat MORE raw foods. Try not to eat blatant simple sugars.
I am contemplating a Raw Food cleanse for a week or so, but I refuse to do anything like that until I'm mentally ready. I am starting by trying to have my breakfast, lunch, and snacks be mostly raw foods, since I don't have as much of an affinity to eat a ton during those times. Once 5-6 pm hits, I want FOOD. Probably because of my lack of wanting to eat much before then, which I understand isn't so good. Its also for emotional reasons; I think. 5-6pm symbolizes the end of the work day, and getting closer to the end of Ross's work day. It symbolizes my family being together and enjoying eating with each other. I love to eat. That won't change, and I don't want it to. So I will just try to avoid simple sugars except for special occasions. I have done it before; when I was pregnant, and when I was on Weight Watchers. I can do it now, and use my family history of diabetes and my obvious risk for it as my motivation.
The catch is that I don't want to have "fake" sugar. I'll have the occasional Diet Pepsi, but no Splenda in my daily morning coffee. To be honest, I don't know what brought this all on. I think it is a combination of spending time with my naturopath father in law and spending more time with my sisters (and sister in law) and their healthier inclincations towards food. After hearing my friend's thoughts and journey with her cleanse, I really just made that decision.
Food Goal :
Buy more local/organic . I used to scoff at the words "Organic" and "Local", because in the real world, it has meant $5 for two tomatoes. I know some people think that its worth it, but it is not for the thrifty minded. Not only that, but its so unfair to those who are FORCED to be thrifty. My opinions about this magally changed 100% when I discovered Justy's Produce right down the street. It is 100% family owned and operated. This place is fantastic and you can get delicious organic and local food for CHEAPER than Fred Meyer- just the way it should be. Seriously; you can save loads of money by getting all your produce here (not to mention make your own bouquet of beautiful flowers for $1 from their fresh cut flowers section). Even if its out of your way, you can come visit me and my beautiful family ;)
At my last trip to Justy's I picked up a tomatillo and decided to make salsa out of these things:
Its was AMAZING salsa, and will be made again, and again. No recipe; just the ingredients above (plus a yellow tomato and 3 more cloves of garlic, and 1/2 a seeded jalepeno- not pictured. Not so smooth on the cooking photography skills yet!) and salt and pepper. All veggies were purchased at Justy's for under 5 dollars and made enough salsa to serve 4 hungry peopleGo make it. NOW. The tomatillo is a key ingredient!
Okay enough on food. I am overdue for a Maddy Update, which will be coming soon.
Monday, August 23, 2010
A New Look...
For my house, and hopefully my blog.
It was time to clean house. Time to go into "those" rooms". You know, the rooms that don't get a lot of traffic and attention, so you just put "stuff" in there. Just ask my friend Kara, who patiently kept me company as I cleared out my master bathroom and discovered a beauty bag full of nail glue and other worthless crap I haven't touched since 2003. Today, I am working on the utility/laundry room adjacent to my kitchen and cleaning out the guest bathroom upstairs.
Found while cleaning my guest bathroom (which should beg the question: why do I have a guest bathroom and no guest bedroom? I don't freakin know; ask my husband, his 3 (or 4?) guitars, and piles of wires and computer crap. They all share a room, and I prefer not to talk about it. THAT room will be up next for makeover, even if I have to become pregnant again just to force him out so the kid has a place to sleep :). Anyway, here's what I found:
1. My CNA pin and RN pin.
2. 15 belly button rings from 2002 when I was obsessed with having different belly bling for each day of the week. In my defense; my abs used to be flat and hard as a rock, so they were worth showing off the 2-3 times a year I went to the beach/lake. I let the hole close up circa 2008 when I was contemplating adding a Madelyn to our family.
3. Razor cartriges; which are pretty much a joke now, given how little I use them. I know, poor Ross, right?
4) Vitamins and ibuprophen that expired in 2006.
Its all GONE now! Now I'm painting the utility room and placing things in cute boxes, which is so satisfying. Here's the before pictures:
First, the crap I dragged out of the ulitity room before I began (in all fairness, this is mostly recycling and cleaning supplies; which DO belong in there, but I just need to organize them:
Oh! and then here are my most recent framing/hanging projects:
Vintage wine labels with a red background to go with my red and wine theme in the kitchen. Or maybe even red wine perhaps? Mmmmmm....
Ross's first Father's day present against our new Army green colored stair well/landing. The pictures are of Ross playing his guitar and Maddy "helping" him.
And as for the blog? I really want to hire someone to "make" me a better blog/layout. I tried it myself, but it took me hours and I'm still not even happy with it. It takes me forever to make up my mind and I'm kind of stupid with the codes and stuff. I am looking into Jumping Jax Designs, but I am not 100% sure if she's my style, and mostly I can't really afford the $45 for what I want. I'm willing to pay, just not that much. If you know anybody or any websites, let me know!
*EDIT* Thanks to Alena @ http://charminglychandler.com for her referral and Becca at http://jumpingjaxdesigns.com for the sweet deal, my blog's new look is on its way! Can't wait!
It was time to clean house. Time to go into "those" rooms". You know, the rooms that don't get a lot of traffic and attention, so you just put "stuff" in there. Just ask my friend Kara, who patiently kept me company as I cleared out my master bathroom and discovered a beauty bag full of nail glue and other worthless crap I haven't touched since 2003. Today, I am working on the utility/laundry room adjacent to my kitchen and cleaning out the guest bathroom upstairs.
Found while cleaning my guest bathroom (which should beg the question: why do I have a guest bathroom and no guest bedroom? I don't freakin know; ask my husband, his 3 (or 4?) guitars, and piles of wires and computer crap. They all share a room, and I prefer not to talk about it. THAT room will be up next for makeover, even if I have to become pregnant again just to force him out so the kid has a place to sleep :). Anyway, here's what I found:
1. My CNA pin and RN pin.
2. 15 belly button rings from 2002 when I was obsessed with having different belly bling for each day of the week. In my defense; my abs used to be flat and hard as a rock, so they were worth showing off the 2-3 times a year I went to the beach/lake. I let the hole close up circa 2008 when I was contemplating adding a Madelyn to our family.
3. Razor cartriges; which are pretty much a joke now, given how little I use them. I know, poor Ross, right?
4) Vitamins and ibuprophen that expired in 2006.
Its all GONE now! Now I'm painting the utility room and placing things in cute boxes, which is so satisfying. Here's the before pictures:
First, the crap I dragged out of the ulitity room before I began (in all fairness, this is mostly recycling and cleaning supplies; which DO belong in there, but I just need to organize them:
Oh! and then here are my most recent framing/hanging projects:
Vintage wine labels with a red background to go with my red and wine theme in the kitchen. Or maybe even red wine perhaps? Mmmmmm....
Ross's first Father's day present against our new Army green colored stair well/landing. The pictures are of Ross playing his guitar and Maddy "helping" him.
And as for the blog? I really want to hire someone to "make" me a better blog/layout. I tried it myself, but it took me hours and I'm still not even happy with it. It takes me forever to make up my mind and I'm kind of stupid with the codes and stuff. I am looking into Jumping Jax Designs, but I am not 100% sure if she's my style, and mostly I can't really afford the $45 for what I want. I'm willing to pay, just not that much. If you know anybody or any websites, let me know!
*EDIT* Thanks to Alena @ http://charminglychandler.com for her referral and Becca at http://jumpingjaxdesigns.com for the sweet deal, my blog's new look is on its way! Can't wait!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wanna Go Out?
Okay, so I'm thinking of getting a little more serious about the blogger thing. It is way more gratifying and interesting than looking at pictures of people I hardly know on Facebook. So if you read this blog, would you be so kind as to "Follow" me, and/or send me an email so I can "Follow" you?
amymlumsden@gmail.com
If you do, I'll try real hard to post more cute pictures....like this one:
amymlumsden@gmail.com
If you do, I'll try real hard to post more cute pictures....like this one:
Behind Closed Doors
Have you ever judged someone else's marriage? Have you had yours judged?
No, I didn't have some big drama situation in real life in which my marriage was judged (that I know of). But I just got to thinking that it wouldn't surprise me if people did think from time to time, "Man, they gotz issues!" (I've been all about the innappropriate "z" lately. It adds klass). I remember talking about this with a friend years ago, and the comment came up, "You can't judge someone elses' marriage. You don't know what goes on behind closed doors" (Deirdre, I think that was you who said that!).
Ross and I are very....expressive people. Yesterday I came home from work (Friday) and he had had a pretty rough day with our 11-month old daughter who refused to nap more than 45 minutes. He was being kinda a pill as a result, and I was being less than understanding. So we stood there and fought for about 30 minutes. What did we fight about? The fact that he didn't even begin to think about dinner (I don't expect a home cooked meal when I get home, but in our house, the person who stayed home that day is responsible for dinner in some shape or form- even if its fast food). I was hungry, so my blood sugar was low, and I was extra cranky. Hmm...what else did we fight about...Maddy not napping and his lack of getting anything done because of it; how he doesn't multi-task (which I NEED to get over, because appearantly men just don't do that). Here's how the "fight" ended:
"Okay, so we have frozen egg rolls and this polenta stir fry thing. Want me to heat it up?"
"Sure babe, that sounds great! Want a beer?"
"Yeah, thanks!" *gives a kiss* "So how was work today?"
And then we move on. It may sound dysfunctional to you, but thats how we operate. We almost just needed to get out our agressions from the week/day and then we could move on. We refrained from yelling, and during the "fight" I was making sure to keep my facial features "nice" and play with Maddy at the same time so that she wouldn't be upset or think anything is wrong.
I think when you're both splitting the task of working and caring for a baby, it is natural to want to snap at each other over little things. Luckily, I can take it just as well as I can chuck it (um, maybe a little TOO well ;) But the thing that saves us from being completely dysfunctional, is that we always keep it in check and recognize when we are being disrespectful or unfair. Apologies happen a lot. We're human, and we're passionate.
It has taken me an long time to learn that reasonable fighting is okay. I'm not talking about throwing stuff at each other (although in our first year of marriage I DID punch a hole in the cardboard thin door of our rental apartment...). But fighting, resolving the issue (eventually) and maybe, just maybe, becoming a stronger couple because of it...that has made our marriage better.
I don't remember seeing my parents argue much or fight. I remember them going into their bedroom and locking the door for a period of time. Now that I'm older, I understand they were either arguing or getting it on (which actually can go hand in hand). Anyways, as a result of never seeing them fight, I grew up thinking fighting was BAD. In my first serious relationship, we NEVER faught. Not once. I always thought that was great. But it wasn't. As the youngest/only child (all my sisters were grown and out of the house by the time I was 11) I definitely have always had a "I get what I want, one way or another" mentality, and I think my boyfriends knew that they were wise not to argue with me. Then Mr. Ross came along, and within two weeks of our first date, he showed me he wasn't going to have that. I remember us driving down Washbourne Ave in Klamath Falls, just leaving Schlotzky's Deli. He said something that dissatisfied me, and I started pulling the silent treatment/I'm mad at you routine; waiting for him to say "I'm sorry, anything you want Princess". That didn't happen. We had our first argument, and I said, "Fine then. So this is it? We're over?". He smiled, laughed, and said, "No! its just an argument, babe. Of course we're not breaking up".
Oh...Ar-GU-ment...what a novel idea! You mean, I don't just manipulate you with my mood to always get what I want? And...we can actually disagree about something and still be okay? WOW. I had never been with a person which such a passionate personality (believe me, sometimes it TOO much ;) and wouldn't put up with my crap. Even though our relationship isn't always smooth sailing, its honest and all out there in the open. I know dark secrets about him that no one else knows, and vica versa. Despite our imperfections and disagreement, we have learned to love each other deeply and know that even difficult times and terrible flaws can't break us up.
So friends- I apologize if you have ever felt awkward in a situation where you may have witnessed us bickering. If you do, just know that if we're bickering, that's our healthy way of working it out and we will probably be love and hugs 15-20 minutes later. Just wait it out. You'll know things are bad if we're NOT talking to each other :)
No, I didn't have some big drama situation in real life in which my marriage was judged (that I know of). But I just got to thinking that it wouldn't surprise me if people did think from time to time, "Man, they gotz issues!" (I've been all about the innappropriate "z" lately. It adds klass). I remember talking about this with a friend years ago, and the comment came up, "You can't judge someone elses' marriage. You don't know what goes on behind closed doors" (Deirdre, I think that was you who said that!).
Ross and I are very....expressive people. Yesterday I came home from work (Friday) and he had had a pretty rough day with our 11-month old daughter who refused to nap more than 45 minutes. He was being kinda a pill as a result, and I was being less than understanding. So we stood there and fought for about 30 minutes. What did we fight about? The fact that he didn't even begin to think about dinner (I don't expect a home cooked meal when I get home, but in our house, the person who stayed home that day is responsible for dinner in some shape or form- even if its fast food). I was hungry, so my blood sugar was low, and I was extra cranky. Hmm...what else did we fight about...Maddy not napping and his lack of getting anything done because of it; how he doesn't multi-task (which I NEED to get over, because appearantly men just don't do that). Here's how the "fight" ended:
"Okay, so we have frozen egg rolls and this polenta stir fry thing. Want me to heat it up?"
"Sure babe, that sounds great! Want a beer?"
"Yeah, thanks!" *gives a kiss* "So how was work today?"
And then we move on. It may sound dysfunctional to you, but thats how we operate. We almost just needed to get out our agressions from the week/day and then we could move on. We refrained from yelling, and during the "fight" I was making sure to keep my facial features "nice" and play with Maddy at the same time so that she wouldn't be upset or think anything is wrong.
I think when you're both splitting the task of working and caring for a baby, it is natural to want to snap at each other over little things. Luckily, I can take it just as well as I can chuck it (um, maybe a little TOO well ;) But the thing that saves us from being completely dysfunctional, is that we always keep it in check and recognize when we are being disrespectful or unfair. Apologies happen a lot. We're human, and we're passionate.
It has taken me an long time to learn that reasonable fighting is okay. I'm not talking about throwing stuff at each other (although in our first year of marriage I DID punch a hole in the cardboard thin door of our rental apartment...). But fighting, resolving the issue (eventually) and maybe, just maybe, becoming a stronger couple because of it...that has made our marriage better.
I don't remember seeing my parents argue much or fight. I remember them going into their bedroom and locking the door for a period of time. Now that I'm older, I understand they were either arguing or getting it on (which actually can go hand in hand). Anyways, as a result of never seeing them fight, I grew up thinking fighting was BAD. In my first serious relationship, we NEVER faught. Not once. I always thought that was great. But it wasn't. As the youngest/only child (all my sisters were grown and out of the house by the time I was 11) I definitely have always had a "I get what I want, one way or another" mentality, and I think my boyfriends knew that they were wise not to argue with me. Then Mr. Ross came along, and within two weeks of our first date, he showed me he wasn't going to have that. I remember us driving down Washbourne Ave in Klamath Falls, just leaving Schlotzky's Deli. He said something that dissatisfied me, and I started pulling the silent treatment/I'm mad at you routine; waiting for him to say "I'm sorry, anything you want Princess". That didn't happen. We had our first argument, and I said, "Fine then. So this is it? We're over?". He smiled, laughed, and said, "No! its just an argument, babe. Of course we're not breaking up".
Oh...Ar-GU-ment...what a novel idea! You mean, I don't just manipulate you with my mood to always get what I want? And...we can actually disagree about something and still be okay? WOW. I had never been with a person which such a passionate personality (believe me, sometimes it TOO much ;) and wouldn't put up with my crap. Even though our relationship isn't always smooth sailing, its honest and all out there in the open. I know dark secrets about him that no one else knows, and vica versa. Despite our imperfections and disagreement, we have learned to love each other deeply and know that even difficult times and terrible flaws can't break us up.
So friends- I apologize if you have ever felt awkward in a situation where you may have witnessed us bickering. If you do, just know that if we're bickering, that's our healthy way of working it out and we will probably be love and hugs 15-20 minutes later. Just wait it out. You'll know things are bad if we're NOT talking to each other :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thrifty Thursdays
As a reformed shopaholic, I often am actively thinking about the things I do to save money, or at least be more efficient with it. I still have to de-privatize my blog post that talks about my history with this, but I will just say that years ago I was very irresponsible with money. I am still a shopaholic and will never stop loving makeup and clothes. But over the years I have found a much wiser and thriftier way to do it. A girl can still shop and be girly and have nice things; you just have to be smart about it. I will try to blog about it every Thursday; for myself and for anyone else who might find help from my ideas.
Todays Topic: Beauty Products, household items... in other words; TARGET
I have talked to many women who say they could easily walk into Target and spend $50-100. My sister once told me about a Facebook group called, "I went into Target to buy shampoo and spent $100". This hits home for me. When I was a new nurse making 5 times what I made at any previous job I had, my spending got a little out of control. Since we had just bought a house I was actually going to Target and spending $50-100 about once a week. That adds up! Given, I was buying essentials like curtains, but I could have been thiftier. I could have gotten something way nicer and cheaper at GoodWill or Craigslist. Better yet, I could have MADE them myself and they could have been 50 times cheaper and prettier.
What else did I waste money on? Clothes, beauty products, and household supplies. I recently cleaned out my closet and cupboard and got rid of all the useless crap and failed beauty products. I mouned for a moment as I calculated in my head the hundreds of dollars I watsed on eyeshadow (which I have an addiction to, but rarely wear anything other than Stila Kitten or something taupe-y), sunscreen that I already had, and conditioner that claimed to make my frizzy hair unfrizzy. If I knew I would never use it, it went in the trash, goodwill, or for other donation. If I knew I could still use it, I put it in to rotate with my favorite shampoo/conditioner/bodywash just to use it up so I could recycle the bottle and be done with another plastic container polluting my life. This process has been very therepeutic and helped me learn a very valuable principle:
Minimal is better.
Some of the nicest homes I have been to haven't necessarily been full of fancy decor and expensive items; they have been tidy, well kept, and minimal. I am on a quest to obtain this in my home. My goal is not to spend money on items to make my home and life nicer; but to actually use what I already have (along with some elbow grease) and get rid of the unecessary.
Oh an as for clothes? I consigned a bunch of stuff I don't wear anymore and made over $100! I noticed that the things I DO keep for years I hold on to are from Nordstrom. The reason for this is because they are quality and classic items that tend to stick around season after season. Do they cost more? Yes. But a few Nordstrom shirts are better than 20 shirts from Target that I end up tossing or just wear out after a few months (which requires buying NEW ones). Does it sound like I am trying to make a case for shopping at Nordstrom? Yes :) BUT, its true. But if you think about all the money spent on crap, consider this:
$100 at Target can get you:
a few makeup items you may or may not use but look worth trying out: $18.50
2 bottles of shampoo/2 bottles of conditioner that smell nice: $17.96
antifrizz serum? Thats a steal compared to salon prices!$5.99
3 "super cute" shirts on clearance:$19.97
a skirt you HAVE TO have: $12
Coffee at the Starbucks inside Target: $3
US weekly Magazine: $3.50
Sparkly baby sandals! AWW perfect for summer...$9.98
Maddy needs more onsies, right? $12.99
Picture frame: $13.99
Okay, what am I at? Oops; $116.88 already? See how fast those "bargains" add up? Especially considering those shirts really aren't that great, I don't NEED new makeup or hair product, I can brew coffee at home, I can get onesies for Maddy at a garage sale for $0.25 apiece, and I should concentrate on hanging picture frames I already have.
So for anyone who can admit to making the same kind of shopping mistake I did, consider the above paragraph, and consider this:
$100 (without going over) can buy you:
-An almost new pair of ultra flattering and comfy Citizens of Humanity jeans (that retail at $149) at a trendy consignment store (here's an example of these jeans, mine are a slightly lighter wash. I paid $45 for them):
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3029147/0~2376780~6009391~6009808~6009811~6012045?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6012045&P=1
-This jacket in "storm grey" (I actually only paid $32 for it, because I got early entrance to the Half-yearly sale, though it retails for $52): http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3111307/0~2378467~2378483~2383026?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2383026&P=1
so here you have a nice jacket and jeans you can enjoy for years (I have jeans I've had for 5 years that still look nice) and you still have $3 to get a mocha if you please :) The other benefit is you don't have extra crap lingering around your house! As for the baby, she will be fine without that pair of sandals. I ended up getting her some unused ones at a garage sale for about $0.50
edit to add;*dude- i just re-read this and why didn't anyone inform me I cannot do simple math?! $45 plus $32 is actually 77$, not $97. So even bettah- now I actually had $25 leftover to get a couple nice shirts from Nordie's at their anniversary sale!*
-OR-
even better yet: you can put that money into your savings account every month. It may come in handy in case your husband loses his job right before you have a baby and go on maternirt leave ;)
This may seem irrelevant if you are good with your money, but from talking to friends and others, I think a lot more of us suffer from this "buy more" mentality that plagues our culture. I obviously am still guilty of being a consumer, and I won't give that up. But since I have been shopping garage sales and consignment and cutting out unecessary household and beauty items, my bank account, my house, and my husband have been MUCH happier.
Next topic:
Costco: Thrifty Friend or Foe?
Todays Topic: Beauty Products, household items... in other words; TARGET
I have talked to many women who say they could easily walk into Target and spend $50-100. My sister once told me about a Facebook group called, "I went into Target to buy shampoo and spent $100". This hits home for me. When I was a new nurse making 5 times what I made at any previous job I had, my spending got a little out of control. Since we had just bought a house I was actually going to Target and spending $50-100 about once a week. That adds up! Given, I was buying essentials like curtains, but I could have been thiftier. I could have gotten something way nicer and cheaper at GoodWill or Craigslist. Better yet, I could have MADE them myself and they could have been 50 times cheaper and prettier.
What else did I waste money on? Clothes, beauty products, and household supplies. I recently cleaned out my closet and cupboard and got rid of all the useless crap and failed beauty products. I mouned for a moment as I calculated in my head the hundreds of dollars I watsed on eyeshadow (which I have an addiction to, but rarely wear anything other than Stila Kitten or something taupe-y), sunscreen that I already had, and conditioner that claimed to make my frizzy hair unfrizzy. If I knew I would never use it, it went in the trash, goodwill, or for other donation. If I knew I could still use it, I put it in to rotate with my favorite shampoo/conditioner/bodywash just to use it up so I could recycle the bottle and be done with another plastic container polluting my life. This process has been very therepeutic and helped me learn a very valuable principle:
Minimal is better.
Some of the nicest homes I have been to haven't necessarily been full of fancy decor and expensive items; they have been tidy, well kept, and minimal. I am on a quest to obtain this in my home. My goal is not to spend money on items to make my home and life nicer; but to actually use what I already have (along with some elbow grease) and get rid of the unecessary.
Oh an as for clothes? I consigned a bunch of stuff I don't wear anymore and made over $100! I noticed that the things I DO keep for years I hold on to are from Nordstrom. The reason for this is because they are quality and classic items that tend to stick around season after season. Do they cost more? Yes. But a few Nordstrom shirts are better than 20 shirts from Target that I end up tossing or just wear out after a few months (which requires buying NEW ones). Does it sound like I am trying to make a case for shopping at Nordstrom? Yes :) BUT, its true. But if you think about all the money spent on crap, consider this:
$100 at Target can get you:
a few makeup items you may or may not use but look worth trying out: $18.50
2 bottles of shampoo/2 bottles of conditioner that smell nice: $17.96
antifrizz serum? Thats a steal compared to salon prices!$5.99
3 "super cute" shirts on clearance:$19.97
a skirt you HAVE TO have: $12
Coffee at the Starbucks inside Target: $3
US weekly Magazine: $3.50
Sparkly baby sandals! AWW perfect for summer...$9.98
Maddy needs more onsies, right? $12.99
Picture frame: $13.99
Okay, what am I at? Oops; $116.88 already? See how fast those "bargains" add up? Especially considering those shirts really aren't that great, I don't NEED new makeup or hair product, I can brew coffee at home, I can get onesies for Maddy at a garage sale for $0.25 apiece, and I should concentrate on hanging picture frames I already have.
So for anyone who can admit to making the same kind of shopping mistake I did, consider the above paragraph, and consider this:
$100 (without going over) can buy you:
-An almost new pair of ultra flattering and comfy Citizens of Humanity jeans (that retail at $149) at a trendy consignment store (here's an example of these jeans, mine are a slightly lighter wash. I paid $45 for them):
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3029147/0~2376780~6009391~6009808~6009811~6012045?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6012045&P=1
-This jacket in "storm grey" (I actually only paid $32 for it, because I got early entrance to the Half-yearly sale, though it retails for $52): http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3111307/0~2378467~2378483~2383026?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2383026&P=1
so here you have a nice jacket and jeans you can enjoy for years (I have jeans I've had for 5 years that still look nice) and you still have $3 to get a mocha if you please :) The other benefit is you don't have extra crap lingering around your house! As for the baby, she will be fine without that pair of sandals. I ended up getting her some unused ones at a garage sale for about $0.50
edit to add;*dude- i just re-read this and why didn't anyone inform me I cannot do simple math?! $45 plus $32 is actually 77$, not $97. So even bettah- now I actually had $25 leftover to get a couple nice shirts from Nordie's at their anniversary sale!*
-OR-
even better yet: you can put that money into your savings account every month. It may come in handy in case your husband loses his job right before you have a baby and go on maternirt leave ;)
This may seem irrelevant if you are good with your money, but from talking to friends and others, I think a lot more of us suffer from this "buy more" mentality that plagues our culture. I obviously am still guilty of being a consumer, and I won't give that up. But since I have been shopping garage sales and consignment and cutting out unecessary household and beauty items, my bank account, my house, and my husband have been MUCH happier.
Next topic:
Costco: Thrifty Friend or Foe?
Sunday, August 15, 2010
this weekend
This weekend has been a pretty good do-over of last weekend. Madelyn is healthy and strong again, except for she has reached another milestine today:
She cut tooth #6! #7 is right behind. She is finally getting her "eye teeth" (central incisors) which means bye bye to a gummy toothless smile. This is both exciting and sad. What can I expect; she is 11 months old in a few days!
I spent a lot of time outside this weekend- in the shade, mind you. Not only am I paranoid about my baby getting sunburnt and dehydrated, but my crappy irish skin doesn't do well in the sun, either. 2010 does not need to be the summer I get 2 heat rashes! Ross played guitar for our church worship group this morning which was so nice. We sat toward the front and Madelyn loved watching her daddy play on stage. I stood her up on the [vacant] chair in front of us and held onto her sides so she could dance. And oh how she danced! No one could help but smile and giggle at my little cutie. I love being the mom of such a sweet girl!
I spent a lot of time with my sisters and old friends this weekend, which was so great! I love how months and years can go by and we still have as much fun together as we did in high school. I rarely meet people who make me laugh as much as they (and my sisters) do. We watched The Runaways with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. It was....actually pretty good!
At the urging of many people, I bought a small container of coconut water and just tried it. Maybe its the gross bacteria lingering in my throat from the nasty illness I just got over, but that stuff is nasty. I will finish it ONLY because I paid nearly $2 for 8 oz, and because I was outside a lot today and need to drink water right now. But eww.
I will leave you with one of the great sources of laugher this weekend. Goodnight!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaRXbnKvwSo
She cut tooth #6! #7 is right behind. She is finally getting her "eye teeth" (central incisors) which means bye bye to a gummy toothless smile. This is both exciting and sad. What can I expect; she is 11 months old in a few days!
I spent a lot of time outside this weekend- in the shade, mind you. Not only am I paranoid about my baby getting sunburnt and dehydrated, but my crappy irish skin doesn't do well in the sun, either. 2010 does not need to be the summer I get 2 heat rashes! Ross played guitar for our church worship group this morning which was so nice. We sat toward the front and Madelyn loved watching her daddy play on stage. I stood her up on the [vacant] chair in front of us and held onto her sides so she could dance. And oh how she danced! No one could help but smile and giggle at my little cutie. I love being the mom of such a sweet girl!
I spent a lot of time with my sisters and old friends this weekend, which was so great! I love how months and years can go by and we still have as much fun together as we did in high school. I rarely meet people who make me laugh as much as they (and my sisters) do. We watched The Runaways with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. It was....actually pretty good!
At the urging of many people, I bought a small container of coconut water and just tried it. Maybe its the gross bacteria lingering in my throat from the nasty illness I just got over, but that stuff is nasty. I will finish it ONLY because I paid nearly $2 for 8 oz, and because I was outside a lot today and need to drink water right now. But eww.
I will leave you with one of the great sources of laugher this weekend. Goodnight!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaRXbnKvwSo
Friday, August 13, 2010
And in the End...the Love you Take is Equal to the Milk You Make...
Just writing this "out loud" is causing the reality to sink in and a tear to form. Even though this has been long coming...
Breastfeeding Madelyn is officially over.
Like a high school sweetheart that you stay with for months after it is really "done" just because its SO hard to let go even though both of your hearts aren't in it anymore...we are going to stop fooling ourselves. Did I just compare my nursing career to my first serious boyfriend? Oh yes, I did. Hey, it worked, didn't it?
Madelyn stopped showing real interest in the boob at 9 months and so we dropped down to 2 feedings a day and supplemented with bottles. A couple weeks ago it went down to morning feedings only. Recently, it seemed as though the morning feedings were becoming a charade. Madelyn happily obliged her mama, even though she would wiggle and giggle while nursing; stopping after a couple minutes, crawl onto my stomach and say, "da da, da da...doot doot doot".
Translation: "Mom, there's not really anything coming out, but I can play the part of a nursing baby who's bonding with you. But only because I love you".
I had the hardest time knowing I would be shutting down the factory to Madelyn, only to be up and running again for the NEXT Lumsden baby. It was the end of an era I didn't know if I was ready for. I completely realized I was in denial, but I figured that no one else had to know about our sacred morning feedings. Ross would smile and go downstairs and quietly make her a bottle, because we ALL KNEW that should would need to eat afterward. I ultimately convinced myself it was a good idea to keep nursing, even if it were just a tiny bit, because she would still get my antibodies and nutrients that only breast milk can provide.
Last night was the 3rd night in a row that I couldn't fall asleep because of my sore throat and cough. At 11pm I came downstairs to have a big ol cough fest without waking my dear husband and baby. I eyed the medicine cabinet, and a novel idea popped into a lightbulb above my head:
"Coouuuggggh Syrup"
Alcohol filled, cherry flavored, cough surpressing, milk supply dwindling COUGH SYRUP. (Tangent!- Does anyone remember the Simpson's episode with "Flaming Moes" when Homer reveals the secret ingredient of cough syrup? Well thats the voice I'm using when I say COUGH SYRUP" Okay,Tangent over. ) The expiration date was from a year ago since I haven't been able to take most OTC meds in FOREVER due to pregnancy and breastfeeding. I held the bottle and had one of those defining moments. My heart was pounding. Not really, but I love making this sound so dramatic. But in that moment, I said to myself,
"Well, you made it just about 11 months. And that ain't bad."
And then I chugged down 30cc's, got on Facebook while I waited for it to take its effects, then slept like the dead for 10 hours. I have no guilt today. The over-anxious mama who already obsessed about how horrible it was that I didn't make my goal of nursing her until at least her first birthday has been clubbed and dragged into the trunk of an imaginary car to be driven of of an imaginary cliff as I dust my hands of her (I need viusuals; sorry). What does a number matter? My girl is healthy and happy, and I did what was best for her AND me. This morning when Maddy woke up, I we skipped the charade that the morning nursing sesh had become, and just enjoyed some morning cuddle time (sans boob) while Ross made her bottle, which she happily chugged. How funny is it that I am the one who needed weaning.
I am pretty sure I am not going to have to deal with engorgement or leaking like most weaning mama's have to. All the supporting actors to this saga were ready: Madelyn and The Girls (lefty and righty, respectively). It was all on me, and I'm finally emotionally there (oh, I forgot to mention Nasty Upper Respiratory Infection for his integral part in this decision. Thank you). Its time to put away the nursing bras (which really, I have only been wearing when I was behind on my laundry and had nothing else clean). Time to get out the lacey Victoria's Secret push up bras and try to enjoy my boobs again. They are not what they used to be, but I'm sure with a little firming cream and clever bras, we can make it happen.
Ladies and Gentlemen; I am weaned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkH-1JiA-E&p=A7B4975C944F8062&playnext=1&index=44
Breastfeeding Madelyn is officially over.
Like a high school sweetheart that you stay with for months after it is really "done" just because its SO hard to let go even though both of your hearts aren't in it anymore...we are going to stop fooling ourselves. Did I just compare my nursing career to my first serious boyfriend? Oh yes, I did. Hey, it worked, didn't it?
Madelyn stopped showing real interest in the boob at 9 months and so we dropped down to 2 feedings a day and supplemented with bottles. A couple weeks ago it went down to morning feedings only. Recently, it seemed as though the morning feedings were becoming a charade. Madelyn happily obliged her mama, even though she would wiggle and giggle while nursing; stopping after a couple minutes, crawl onto my stomach and say, "da da, da da...doot doot doot".
Translation: "Mom, there's not really anything coming out, but I can play the part of a nursing baby who's bonding with you. But only because I love you".
I had the hardest time knowing I would be shutting down the factory to Madelyn, only to be up and running again for the NEXT Lumsden baby. It was the end of an era I didn't know if I was ready for. I completely realized I was in denial, but I figured that no one else had to know about our sacred morning feedings. Ross would smile and go downstairs and quietly make her a bottle, because we ALL KNEW that should would need to eat afterward. I ultimately convinced myself it was a good idea to keep nursing, even if it were just a tiny bit, because she would still get my antibodies and nutrients that only breast milk can provide.
Last night was the 3rd night in a row that I couldn't fall asleep because of my sore throat and cough. At 11pm I came downstairs to have a big ol cough fest without waking my dear husband and baby. I eyed the medicine cabinet, and a novel idea popped into a lightbulb above my head:
"Coouuuggggh Syrup"
Alcohol filled, cherry flavored, cough surpressing, milk supply dwindling COUGH SYRUP. (Tangent!- Does anyone remember the Simpson's episode with "Flaming Moes" when Homer reveals the secret ingredient of cough syrup? Well thats the voice I'm using when I say COUGH SYRUP" Okay,Tangent over. ) The expiration date was from a year ago since I haven't been able to take most OTC meds in FOREVER due to pregnancy and breastfeeding. I held the bottle and had one of those defining moments. My heart was pounding. Not really, but I love making this sound so dramatic. But in that moment, I said to myself,
"Well, you made it just about 11 months. And that ain't bad."
And then I chugged down 30cc's, got on Facebook while I waited for it to take its effects, then slept like the dead for 10 hours. I have no guilt today. The over-anxious mama who already obsessed about how horrible it was that I didn't make my goal of nursing her until at least her first birthday has been clubbed and dragged into the trunk of an imaginary car to be driven of of an imaginary cliff as I dust my hands of her (I need viusuals; sorry). What does a number matter? My girl is healthy and happy, and I did what was best for her AND me. This morning when Maddy woke up, I we skipped the charade that the morning nursing sesh had become, and just enjoyed some morning cuddle time (sans boob) while Ross made her bottle, which she happily chugged. How funny is it that I am the one who needed weaning.
I am pretty sure I am not going to have to deal with engorgement or leaking like most weaning mama's have to. All the supporting actors to this saga were ready: Madelyn and The Girls (lefty and righty, respectively). It was all on me, and I'm finally emotionally there (oh, I forgot to mention Nasty Upper Respiratory Infection for his integral part in this decision. Thank you). Its time to put away the nursing bras (which really, I have only been wearing when I was behind on my laundry and had nothing else clean). Time to get out the lacey Victoria's Secret push up bras and try to enjoy my boobs again. They are not what they used to be, but I'm sure with a little firming cream and clever bras, we can make it happen.
Ladies and Gentlemen; I am weaned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkH-1JiA-E&p=A7B4975C944F8062&playnext=1&index=44
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Progression of a Woman from No Kids to Mother
Topic: Restaurants
2008: My feelings were best described in a quote from Miranda on "Sex and the City", when she is eating dinner at a restaurant with Steve, and they spy a loud messy baby at the next table:
"Since when did it become acceptable to bring babies to a restaurant? Please, God invented babysitters for a reason."
2009: "Well, we just won't eat at restaurants. I wouldn't want to burden the other people trying to have a good time.:
2010:
-"I want to clean up the mess Maddy made. I always hated it when I was a waitress and people brought in their kids and left a huge mess on the table and floor
-"Ross, be honest. Would it be inappropriate to nurse her right here?"
-"What, you don't allow minors in the bar? She's only 10 months old! How are we supposed to get Happy Hour prices?"
-"You know, its kinda a relief to eat at a restaurant, because at least I don't have to deal with the huge mess Madelyn leaves on the high chair and floor..."
I'm a tad ashamed of that last one, but its so true. I tipped the girl really well to make up for it. Sometimes something like not having to sweep the floor for the third time that day just makes a mama's evening!
2008: My feelings were best described in a quote from Miranda on "Sex and the City", when she is eating dinner at a restaurant with Steve, and they spy a loud messy baby at the next table:
"Since when did it become acceptable to bring babies to a restaurant? Please, God invented babysitters for a reason."
2009: "Well, we just won't eat at restaurants. I wouldn't want to burden the other people trying to have a good time.:
2010:
-"I want to clean up the mess Maddy made. I always hated it when I was a waitress and people brought in their kids and left a huge mess on the table and floor
-"Ross, be honest. Would it be inappropriate to nurse her right here?"
-"What, you don't allow minors in the bar? She's only 10 months old! How are we supposed to get Happy Hour prices?"
-"You know, its kinda a relief to eat at a restaurant, because at least I don't have to deal with the huge mess Madelyn leaves on the high chair and floor..."
I'm a tad ashamed of that last one, but its so true. I tipped the girl really well to make up for it. Sometimes something like not having to sweep the floor for the third time that day just makes a mama's evening!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Taking a sick day to recover from my "vacation"
Life: I called my manager and told her I would not be making it in to work tomorrow. Usually, I would have to be bed-ridden to call in sick (using the ridiculous rationale that if I can walk, I can work) but I called my co-worker to find out what patients were coming in tomorrow. She read off a list that included very frail people, including those I knew would be immunocompromised. My throat feels like I swallowed nails; or rather in such a way that I wish I could swallow nails to scratch the constant burning and itchiness; but instead I keep clearing my throat (like my mom- "eeeggghh-mm!" except about 30 times more than she does. I'm surpised Ross hasn't killed me yet). And I can't stand up for more than 5 minutes without having to sit or lean against something because I get too dizzy. I was hoping it was a day full of simple lab draws and iron infusions, and I could wear a mask and call it good. But there's no way in hell I'm subjecting my sick and frail patients to the nasty bug that has plagued my hosue. So I kicked that over achieving/anxious about looking like a slacker /crazy mentality to the curb and called in sick. I deserve a pat on the back for that one. Every day I am conciously making decisions to relax and cut myself a little slack.
Madelyn is getting better. This morning was rough; she wouldn't eat very much or take a bottle from Ross (who let me sleep in until 11am), and then just as he put her down for a morning nap, she got into a coughing fit and BARFED IT ALL UP. We got her cleaned up and she drank an 8 oz bottle from me. Its so cute how she has become such a mama's girl since she's been sick. After cuddling and feeding her, I set her in her crib for a nap. About that time, her pediatrician called us to check in. This was SUPER nice. Either he's a really great doctor who really cares, or his nurses begged him to call me since I have been bugging the crap out of them for the past 6 days. Hmm, nice move, peds nurses. I use that one myself. Its quite effective, yes? Dr. Stoeber confirmed that Mad's chest X-ray was normal, and seemed a little concerned that she was still coughing. He wants to test her for Whooping Cough on Wednesday if she doesn't improve. Whoop, whoop! Hopefully she's all better by then so we don't have to have any unnecessary and possibly traumatic tests.
I have been too sick to care about my messy house, and in a way that has been liberating. I am learning that life can go on if there are a few dirty dishes in the sink before I go to bed. We may have survived Madelyn's first real illness, and I have come out on the other side with the wisdom that she will be okay. I don't have to worry 24/7 if she will be alright, because we take good care of her and she will be alright. Every day, since I realized I am too anxious, things have gotten a little better.
Now on to milestones:
MK- 9 days away from her 11 month birthday (what the crap??!?!?!?!)
-Still cruises while holding on to furniture (or people- she LOVES grabbing on to my or Ross's legs and putting her head in between our knees). She is a very cautious little girl. She does not like me to encourage her to stand on her own. She can tell I am about to let go of her hands and she gets this really freaked out look, like "whoa whoa whoa! Mom, what are you doing??! I don't stand alone yet!", and gently bends her knees and intentionally and carefully lowers herself to the floor and sits or crawls. She will walk like crazy if I give her her Alligator push toy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MVcA_sTzio
Its not like I want her to grow up and walk yet, but I know she CAN, and want her to have the confidence to go ahead and try it without being afraid to fall. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but I can see her being super cautious and it reminds me of ME. Cautious is good, but overly cautious means you sometimes don't even have the confidence to put yourself out there and really shine, when you have such great abilities to. I think parents always want their kids to have things better than they did. Even though I think I turned out alright, I just don't want my downfalls to be passed on to my little girl. I have a pretty good singing voice, but I will never sing in front of people unless I've had at least 2 drinks and am doing karaoke. I don't ever want her to be afraid to see what she can really accomplish.
Now to be a little more light hearted on a Monday night....
Beauty: I got my nails "shellacked" on Saturday and they are looking fab. "Shellack" is something I'm not quite sure I am spelling right and am too lazy to Google it. Essentially, it is a nail polish/top coat where you have to put your hands under a UV light to harden it; and then it doesn't chip for at least 2-4 weeks. It dries/hardens instantly, which is perfect for the accident-prone such as myself. Also nice for nurses and mommies who dirty their hands quite often. At $15 for a color change (assuming I would only have to do that once a month?) it seemed like a worthy splurge to make me feel purty. I have never been able to do regular mani's and pedi's because they just didn't feel cost effective to me. We'll see how this goes.
Efficient Living: On those nice sunny days we had last week, I dried ALL my laundry on the line outside. Not just diapers anymore; but towels, sheets, jeans, underwear, etc. It was really nice, and it forced this busy working mom to get outside and enjoy the sun while being productive. PLUS, not running the drier all day (I did 4 loads) kept my house cooler, so I didn't have to run the AC. I can't think of a better way to save power and get Vitamin D. And my sheets have never smelled better! Madelyn was napping, but if she were awake, I would just put her in the Pack n Play with some toys while I hung laundry. It made one of my stay-at-home-mom days a little nicer, since I tend to use my stay at home days in the house cleaning (tsk tsk tsk).
Madelyn is getting better. This morning was rough; she wouldn't eat very much or take a bottle from Ross (who let me sleep in until 11am), and then just as he put her down for a morning nap, she got into a coughing fit and BARFED IT ALL UP. We got her cleaned up and she drank an 8 oz bottle from me. Its so cute how she has become such a mama's girl since she's been sick. After cuddling and feeding her, I set her in her crib for a nap. About that time, her pediatrician called us to check in. This was SUPER nice. Either he's a really great doctor who really cares, or his nurses begged him to call me since I have been bugging the crap out of them for the past 6 days. Hmm, nice move, peds nurses. I use that one myself. Its quite effective, yes? Dr. Stoeber confirmed that Mad's chest X-ray was normal, and seemed a little concerned that she was still coughing. He wants to test her for Whooping Cough on Wednesday if she doesn't improve. Whoop, whoop! Hopefully she's all better by then so we don't have to have any unnecessary and possibly traumatic tests.
I have been too sick to care about my messy house, and in a way that has been liberating. I am learning that life can go on if there are a few dirty dishes in the sink before I go to bed. We may have survived Madelyn's first real illness, and I have come out on the other side with the wisdom that she will be okay. I don't have to worry 24/7 if she will be alright, because we take good care of her and she will be alright. Every day, since I realized I am too anxious, things have gotten a little better.
Now on to milestones:
MK- 9 days away from her 11 month birthday (what the crap??!?!?!?!)
-Still cruises while holding on to furniture (or people- she LOVES grabbing on to my or Ross's legs and putting her head in between our knees). She is a very cautious little girl. She does not like me to encourage her to stand on her own. She can tell I am about to let go of her hands and she gets this really freaked out look, like "whoa whoa whoa! Mom, what are you doing??! I don't stand alone yet!", and gently bends her knees and intentionally and carefully lowers herself to the floor and sits or crawls. She will walk like crazy if I give her her Alligator push toy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MVcA_sTzio
Its not like I want her to grow up and walk yet, but I know she CAN, and want her to have the confidence to go ahead and try it without being afraid to fall. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but I can see her being super cautious and it reminds me of ME. Cautious is good, but overly cautious means you sometimes don't even have the confidence to put yourself out there and really shine, when you have such great abilities to. I think parents always want their kids to have things better than they did. Even though I think I turned out alright, I just don't want my downfalls to be passed on to my little girl. I have a pretty good singing voice, but I will never sing in front of people unless I've had at least 2 drinks and am doing karaoke. I don't ever want her to be afraid to see what she can really accomplish.
Now to be a little more light hearted on a Monday night....
Beauty: I got my nails "shellacked" on Saturday and they are looking fab. "Shellack" is something I'm not quite sure I am spelling right and am too lazy to Google it. Essentially, it is a nail polish/top coat where you have to put your hands under a UV light to harden it; and then it doesn't chip for at least 2-4 weeks. It dries/hardens instantly, which is perfect for the accident-prone such as myself. Also nice for nurses and mommies who dirty their hands quite often. At $15 for a color change (assuming I would only have to do that once a month?) it seemed like a worthy splurge to make me feel purty. I have never been able to do regular mani's and pedi's because they just didn't feel cost effective to me. We'll see how this goes.
Efficient Living: On those nice sunny days we had last week, I dried ALL my laundry on the line outside. Not just diapers anymore; but towels, sheets, jeans, underwear, etc. It was really nice, and it forced this busy working mom to get outside and enjoy the sun while being productive. PLUS, not running the drier all day (I did 4 loads) kept my house cooler, so I didn't have to run the AC. I can't think of a better way to save power and get Vitamin D. And my sheets have never smelled better! Madelyn was napping, but if she were awake, I would just put her in the Pack n Play with some toys while I hung laundry. It made one of my stay-at-home-mom days a little nicer, since I tend to use my stay at home days in the house cleaning (tsk tsk tsk).
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Baby's First Upper Respiratory Infection
Its's as fun as it sounds, I swear.
It all started on tuesday when I got home from work and noticed that Maddy felt hot. Sure enough her temp was 101 degrees. Ross told me that he felt a new tooth, and sure enough, I felt a molar or pre-molar poking through. The next morning she woke up really fussy and hot still. Her temp was 102, but still no other symptoms. I gave her some baby Tylenol and went to work. While I was at work, my mother in law called and let me know that Maddy's temp was 103.2, and she was acting "sick". No symptoms, just really tired and quiet. So I called the pediatrician and they asked to see us that day. He saw her and found absolutely nothing wrong with her. He wanted me to call if the fever didn't resolve.
Thursday: My 5 day weekend arrived! Maddy's symptoms arrived at 5am on Friday morning with a runny nose and cough, fever of 101-102 continued. Called the pediatrician and he ordered a chest X-ray. I was surprised he suspected pneumonia, but pleased that he was being thorough. I didn't think a CXR would be a big deal, but holy crap it was. I guess I forgot that you have to stay very still for a chest X-ray...which you can't exactly tell a baby to do. They had to strap her upright into this little apparatus that was like a baby bicycle seat with a plastic cyliner on top that the baby goes into; complete with leather straps to really, strap the baby in tight. It was seriously like a baby torture device. Ross had to put on a lead apron and hold her arms above her head. Maddy was PISSED. She probably thought she actually was in a baby torture device. I hid behind the sheild with the imaging tech while she took the pictures. The nice thing was that I got to peak at the images myself as the tech checked them for their quality. While I'm no expert at reading chest X-rays, I have seen my fair share (including my own when I had pneumonia) and hers looked perfectly clear. (We still haven't gotten a call about the results, so I can imagine there's nothing to worry about).
Last night, Maddy kept waking up coughing and crying. Each time she inhaled to cry, she made this aweful wheezing, gasping sound. I panicked. Yep, I did. I've never had a sick baby before. I felt like I was back to the day that I brought her home from the hospital and I had no idea what to do with my 7 lb bundle of crying mess. This was unknown territory. Forget being a registered nurse; I work on adults. The only thing I recalled from nursing school about babies and kids, was that they have a much different range for their vital signs, and I conveniently remembered that when things start to go wrong with babies, they can get bad very, very quickly. Great. In fact, I think that as a nurse, I know just enough to be a very bad thing. "The burden of knowledge", as Ross calls it (but he can't take credit; we heard that on Scrubs when Perry's son has a cough and he's freaking out).
After an 11pm phone call to the advice nurse with Oregon Pediatrics, I found myself doing very obvious, simple things that I should have been doing instead of panicking and calling the on-call help: running a hot shower and creating a sauna to open up her airway, putting a pillow under her mattress to elevate the head of her bed, and putting the humidifier in her room. The things I could have read in "What to Expect in the First Year". Seriously. I willingly surrender my medical expertise when it comes to my child. I turn into a shaking, trembling mess when something is wrong with my baby. The only good it has done me so far is being able to listen to her lungs with my stethoscope and look at her X-ray and pretty much know she doesn't have pneumonia. That's something, right guys? .....GUUUUYS?!?!?!?!
Anyway...here we are on day 5 of this mess. No fever today. Terrible cough and super fussy and needy. She wants to be held and hugged ALL.THE. TIME. I will admit; i have enjoyed that last part. She is such a girl on the go that I can't remember the last time I got to cuddle and hold my baby so much. Today for about 2 hours straight she was just unhappy. She would cough, which would cause her to cry, which would cause her to cough more and make it hard for her to breathe. We made about 20 trips up the stairs to the upstairs bathroom where I had the shower running with hot water to create a steam room for her. After a while, it got to me, and I started crying for a moment. As I closed my eyes and started to cry a little, I heard her cries turn to laughter. I looked down, and through her tears, she was laughing! When I stopped crying, she stopped laughing and started crying again. Then I started crying more, just to release all my frustration, and she officially stopped crying and was just laughing her little head off. I hope that our relationship remains that way forever; cheering each other up when we both feel at our lowest.
It all started on tuesday when I got home from work and noticed that Maddy felt hot. Sure enough her temp was 101 degrees. Ross told me that he felt a new tooth, and sure enough, I felt a molar or pre-molar poking through. The next morning she woke up really fussy and hot still. Her temp was 102, but still no other symptoms. I gave her some baby Tylenol and went to work. While I was at work, my mother in law called and let me know that Maddy's temp was 103.2, and she was acting "sick". No symptoms, just really tired and quiet. So I called the pediatrician and they asked to see us that day. He saw her and found absolutely nothing wrong with her. He wanted me to call if the fever didn't resolve.
Thursday: My 5 day weekend arrived! Maddy's symptoms arrived at 5am on Friday morning with a runny nose and cough, fever of 101-102 continued. Called the pediatrician and he ordered a chest X-ray. I was surprised he suspected pneumonia, but pleased that he was being thorough. I didn't think a CXR would be a big deal, but holy crap it was. I guess I forgot that you have to stay very still for a chest X-ray...which you can't exactly tell a baby to do. They had to strap her upright into this little apparatus that was like a baby bicycle seat with a plastic cyliner on top that the baby goes into; complete with leather straps to really, strap the baby in tight. It was seriously like a baby torture device. Ross had to put on a lead apron and hold her arms above her head. Maddy was PISSED. She probably thought she actually was in a baby torture device. I hid behind the sheild with the imaging tech while she took the pictures. The nice thing was that I got to peak at the images myself as the tech checked them for their quality. While I'm no expert at reading chest X-rays, I have seen my fair share (including my own when I had pneumonia) and hers looked perfectly clear. (We still haven't gotten a call about the results, so I can imagine there's nothing to worry about).
Last night, Maddy kept waking up coughing and crying. Each time she inhaled to cry, she made this aweful wheezing, gasping sound. I panicked. Yep, I did. I've never had a sick baby before. I felt like I was back to the day that I brought her home from the hospital and I had no idea what to do with my 7 lb bundle of crying mess. This was unknown territory. Forget being a registered nurse; I work on adults. The only thing I recalled from nursing school about babies and kids, was that they have a much different range for their vital signs, and I conveniently remembered that when things start to go wrong with babies, they can get bad very, very quickly. Great. In fact, I think that as a nurse, I know just enough to be a very bad thing. "The burden of knowledge", as Ross calls it (but he can't take credit; we heard that on Scrubs when Perry's son has a cough and he's freaking out).
After an 11pm phone call to the advice nurse with Oregon Pediatrics, I found myself doing very obvious, simple things that I should have been doing instead of panicking and calling the on-call help: running a hot shower and creating a sauna to open up her airway, putting a pillow under her mattress to elevate the head of her bed, and putting the humidifier in her room. The things I could have read in "What to Expect in the First Year". Seriously. I willingly surrender my medical expertise when it comes to my child. I turn into a shaking, trembling mess when something is wrong with my baby. The only good it has done me so far is being able to listen to her lungs with my stethoscope and look at her X-ray and pretty much know she doesn't have pneumonia. That's something, right guys? .....GUUUUYS?!?!?!?!
Anyway...here we are on day 5 of this mess. No fever today. Terrible cough and super fussy and needy. She wants to be held and hugged ALL.THE. TIME. I will admit; i have enjoyed that last part. She is such a girl on the go that I can't remember the last time I got to cuddle and hold my baby so much. Today for about 2 hours straight she was just unhappy. She would cough, which would cause her to cry, which would cause her to cough more and make it hard for her to breathe. We made about 20 trips up the stairs to the upstairs bathroom where I had the shower running with hot water to create a steam room for her. After a while, it got to me, and I started crying for a moment. As I closed my eyes and started to cry a little, I heard her cries turn to laughter. I looked down, and through her tears, she was laughing! When I stopped crying, she stopped laughing and started crying again. Then I started crying more, just to release all my frustration, and she officially stopped crying and was just laughing her little head off. I hope that our relationship remains that way forever; cheering each other up when we both feel at our lowest.
Monday, August 2, 2010
What's in a Blog?
I've been struggling with this blog, lately. I have written in it a lot more than you can see, but I just have them saved privately, because I'm not prepared for who I might be sharing it with. let me back up a little...
Years ago (I mean like 5-6 years) I had a LifeJournal account. It was semi-private; I didn't publicly post the web link anywhere. I had 4 friends, all of whom were old friends/acquaintences from OIT. They were people who weren't involved in my inner most, intimate circle of friends, which was nice, because it allowed me to let down all barriers when writing. They all offered really great, supportive comments. Two of my best friends also followed my blog, which I was happy with, too.
In one post, I ranted about a group of people who were frustrating me at the moment. It had everything to do with disagreements about politics and ultimately the way we see the world. I belonged to a web forum with them and was always the odd man out, as the only person with a conservative view. One night I got tired of seeing my values and views critisized on an almost hourly basis, so I vented on my blog. I didn't name names. To my LiveJournal buddies, these people would be annonymous figures and no one would get hurt, right?
Wrong.
An old friend had been reading my blog without me knowing about it, and told one of the people I had ranted about. This led to an angry email, and I'm sure a lot of hurt feelings I had never intended. Boo :(
As a result I stopped being honest and saying what was on my mind. Obviously, I didnt want to hurt people or cause drama. So years later I opened this account and blogged about butt cracks with paint on them, embarassing trips to the car wash, and the happiness of a new pregnancy.
This is not me, people. Well...it is a big part of me. Goofy and Happy. But I don't just emulate the 7 dwarves; nonono. I have a darker, much more serious side, too. And I like to talk about it. I'm sorry, I just do!
I love honesty, and people who are honest. Its nice to talk about the good things, but how can we all relate and feel like regular people if we can't talk about the bad and what upsets us? I know its perfectly normal and healthy to share your dark side with only those intimately involved in your life, and maybe I overshare by blogging about mine. But I even want those who aren't close to me to know I am a real person dealing with these things; so that if they are experiencing them, they won't feel so alone. When Ross and I first got married, two of my best girl friends (who were marriage "veterans" and had both married 2 years before us) were not afraid to be candid about how sometimes, marriage SUCKS. How even though its a blessing and they love their husbands, it is one of the hardest thing they have ever done in their lives. Most people would be too prideful to say that. I, on the other hand, felt so blessed to get a small touch of reality and to know that marriage isn't all fun, happiness, and sexy times. It made me respect them both even more as wives, and was a big comfort to know that I would have someone to talk to if Ross was being an a-hole, and tell me that he's not an a-hole. Honestly and reality is so rare in this world and I appreciate it more and more every day.
...I totally rambled....
Maybe a blog isn't the best place to air out one's dirty laundry? I have a nice little ranty blog about work drama and the things that grind my gears sometimes about working in an office with a staff comprised of 15 women. It was a goodey! But then I thought- "ehhhh, what if someone from work happens to read this and is offended?" and it went in the "private" box. There are other juicies, but most recently there was a post where I opened up a little more about my discovery of my struggle with anxiety, possibly post-partum related. I put my heart and feelings into words and then when it came time to hit that "publish" button, I thought....."wait...seriously, just WHO IS READING THIS???" I put a link to my blog in my Facebook, and have been delighted at the old friends and accquaintences who have emailed me and told me that they enjoy my blog, or that my blog has helped them in some way. Seriously, I really appreciate that :) But what about those who just glance at it occasionally, or read it more often that I don't know about? What if someone would think poorly of me, or even judge me for what I write? Or even worse; what if I write something that hurts somebody's feelings. Like if I rant about someone who secretly reads this blog (annonymously, of course, but they would know I was talking about them by reading it?).
Food for thought, I say. Food for thought.
My next step is to go through my private, unpublished posts and edit some of them to make them more presentable. The main one I plan on, was a post in which I felt I needed to defend my hard work at becoming a more frugal spender when my financial integrity was called into question. The result was a very long blog about how I save money, and I have even considered producing a blog spin-off of it. Saving money and being more efficient (and dare I say it, "Green" or "Eco-friendly"? Eeew, no lets keep it as "Efficient and Economical")has actually almost become a hobby of mine, and I love to share it :)
Okay, now....time for some editing. To my 6 or 7 readers (that I know about ;) be on the lookout for new/old blogs...
Years ago (I mean like 5-6 years) I had a LifeJournal account. It was semi-private; I didn't publicly post the web link anywhere. I had 4 friends, all of whom were old friends/acquaintences from OIT. They were people who weren't involved in my inner most, intimate circle of friends, which was nice, because it allowed me to let down all barriers when writing. They all offered really great, supportive comments. Two of my best friends also followed my blog, which I was happy with, too.
In one post, I ranted about a group of people who were frustrating me at the moment. It had everything to do with disagreements about politics and ultimately the way we see the world. I belonged to a web forum with them and was always the odd man out, as the only person with a conservative view. One night I got tired of seeing my values and views critisized on an almost hourly basis, so I vented on my blog. I didn't name names. To my LiveJournal buddies, these people would be annonymous figures and no one would get hurt, right?
Wrong.
An old friend had been reading my blog without me knowing about it, and told one of the people I had ranted about. This led to an angry email, and I'm sure a lot of hurt feelings I had never intended. Boo :(
As a result I stopped being honest and saying what was on my mind. Obviously, I didnt want to hurt people or cause drama. So years later I opened this account and blogged about butt cracks with paint on them, embarassing trips to the car wash, and the happiness of a new pregnancy.
This is not me, people. Well...it is a big part of me. Goofy and Happy. But I don't just emulate the 7 dwarves; nonono. I have a darker, much more serious side, too. And I like to talk about it. I'm sorry, I just do!
I love honesty, and people who are honest. Its nice to talk about the good things, but how can we all relate and feel like regular people if we can't talk about the bad and what upsets us? I know its perfectly normal and healthy to share your dark side with only those intimately involved in your life, and maybe I overshare by blogging about mine. But I even want those who aren't close to me to know I am a real person dealing with these things; so that if they are experiencing them, they won't feel so alone. When Ross and I first got married, two of my best girl friends (who were marriage "veterans" and had both married 2 years before us) were not afraid to be candid about how sometimes, marriage SUCKS. How even though its a blessing and they love their husbands, it is one of the hardest thing they have ever done in their lives. Most people would be too prideful to say that. I, on the other hand, felt so blessed to get a small touch of reality and to know that marriage isn't all fun, happiness, and sexy times. It made me respect them both even more as wives, and was a big comfort to know that I would have someone to talk to if Ross was being an a-hole, and tell me that he's not an a-hole. Honestly and reality is so rare in this world and I appreciate it more and more every day.
...I totally rambled....
Maybe a blog isn't the best place to air out one's dirty laundry? I have a nice little ranty blog about work drama and the things that grind my gears sometimes about working in an office with a staff comprised of 15 women. It was a goodey! But then I thought- "ehhhh, what if someone from work happens to read this and is offended?" and it went in the "private" box. There are other juicies, but most recently there was a post where I opened up a little more about my discovery of my struggle with anxiety, possibly post-partum related. I put my heart and feelings into words and then when it came time to hit that "publish" button, I thought....."wait...seriously, just WHO IS READING THIS???" I put a link to my blog in my Facebook, and have been delighted at the old friends and accquaintences who have emailed me and told me that they enjoy my blog, or that my blog has helped them in some way. Seriously, I really appreciate that :) But what about those who just glance at it occasionally, or read it more often that I don't know about? What if someone would think poorly of me, or even judge me for what I write? Or even worse; what if I write something that hurts somebody's feelings. Like if I rant about someone who secretly reads this blog (annonymously, of course, but they would know I was talking about them by reading it?).
Food for thought, I say. Food for thought.
My next step is to go through my private, unpublished posts and edit some of them to make them more presentable. The main one I plan on, was a post in which I felt I needed to defend my hard work at becoming a more frugal spender when my financial integrity was called into question. The result was a very long blog about how I save money, and I have even considered producing a blog spin-off of it. Saving money and being more efficient (and dare I say it, "Green" or "Eco-friendly"? Eeew, no lets keep it as "Efficient and Economical")has actually almost become a hobby of mine, and I love to share it :)
Okay, now....time for some editing. To my 6 or 7 readers (that I know about ;) be on the lookout for new/old blogs...
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