I have moved

Come on over and follow me here, and sit tight while I get settled in.

http://lifeand3boys.wordpress.com

Yes I had the baby and I've been lazy.

I know, I know.  Life has gotten the best of me.  I have come to a lost of words when trying to make posts for this blog.  I'd much rather read about everyone else's life than write(type?) about mine. 

September 14 at 4:48AM I gave birth to my 3rd child, Bryce Jackson, or BJ for short.He was my smallest, coming in at 7lbs 4oz and 19 inches long.

Bryce & I.

hello world!

After almost 9 weeks, I'm still adjusting.  I'm back to work already, but only in the office 3 days a week.  Still, getting 3 kids out of the house in the morning is pure hell and blows my anxiety through the roof.  I'm not sure if it gets any easier.

As far as my weight goals, I gained 35 lbs while pregnant, lost 20 in the first 2 weeks, and now determined to lose the last 15.  I've hired a personal trainer for 20 sessions, which is roughly 2.5 months.  I have been provided a meal plan which is very helpful since I am nursing.  I missed my tequila while I was pregnant but now I need to put it away again.

Besides my personal selfish issues going on, life is great.  God has blessed me with 3 beautiful princes, a great paying job, a loving husband, a roof over our head, clothes on our back, and food in our fridge.  We weren't effected by Hurricane Sandy and I'm very thankful.

Bryce at 8 weeks

I will be back to this blog soon.  I promise.

The 5 stages of waiting for labor

I stole this from Babycenter, but it is so true.  I am almost 37 weeks, hoping this baby will make his/her debut soon.


Stage 1: Denial
It all started with shock. I can’t believe I haven’t had this baby yet. I predicted I would be having him early- yesterday to be specific- but that did not happen. How is it possible that I’m still pregnant? I thought my belly dropped, but maybe it didn’t? Maybe I’m not as pregnant as I thought I was.

Stage 2: Anger
I’m angry at my uterus. How dare it punish me with scary contractions from 26 weeks on with nothing to show for it?
I’m angry at my mobility. As I roll over in bed (correction: attempt to roll over) I silently curse.
I’m angry that my baby is not yet ready to join the world. I am ready for him.

Stage 3: Bargaining
Pleaaaaaaaaaase let me go into labor today.
…today passes into tomorrow..
Pleaaaaaaaaaase let me go into labor today. If I walk until my feet want to fall off, will you let me going into labor? Please?
…today passes into tomorrow.. Rinse and repeat.

Stage 4: Depression
I don’t want to get out of bed. I do anyway. I walk to the market and stare longingly at the bundle of someone else’s joy in his cute little stroller, the mom walking sans waddle. I temporarily retreat back to stage 2 (read: anger) and want to slap her for having her baby already. Instead, my eyes well up and I cry right there in front of everyone.

Stage 5: Acceptance
We’ve finally arrived.
This baby will come when he is ready. I’ve accepted that he is already an independent man and will join the world on his own terms. That might be today but it also might be 2+ weeks from now. Either way, the end, and the beginning, is in sight.

New car & how to keep it clean

So as the time is getting closer to my due date, I knew I had to buy a new car.  I have been driving a 2004 Honda Civic since .. 2004, when I graduated highschool.  It was my graduation present (thanks Mom!) and the first car I had in my name.

Fast forward 8 years, I am now pregnant with #3 and obviously can't fit 3 carseats in the back - well, maybe I could, but I didnt even want to try.  I knew we needed a new car and it was time to let my Civic go after 130k miles.  After months of research I decided to go with a (used) GMC Acadia.  It was in my price range, has great reviews, and is actually made in the US! (hard to say these days).  

Here is my new baby:

Isn't she a beauty?  One thing I have promised myself is to keep her clean.  Well after 3 days, the inside looks like this in the back:

Oh, hey Buzz.  Yes my kids like to have toys in the car to keep them occupied.  I really dont mind.  But, when my 4 year old tells me that my truck is messy, well, thats a little embarrassing.   So I had to figure out some type of storage solution to keep it clean.  Hello Boxed-out tote!

I put this tote together in less than 20 minutes.  I had leftover fabric from when I sewed the living room pillows, and since it is a heavy cotton I'm glad I had extra.  I used the tutorial from Made, which you can find here.  I made mine a little wider, but pretty much followed everything else to the tee (minus the neon stripes.)  The fabric is Waverly, but I cannot find the name anywhere.  I bought it from my local Joanns.

Lets see how long the tote holds up - I'm hoping the boys can keep their side of the car clean!

Protein 'ice cream'

I have been really sick for the past week ; I caught strep from my youngest son and it wasn't pretty.  It now has traveled to my nose, and I have unfortunately lost my sense of smell.  I haven't been able to smell anything today!  Which is so unlike me, especially being 7 months pregnant.

Since I cant smell, its somehow affected my appetite.  Tonight is no-cooking-for-mama-Friday, and Daddy let the boys eat cereal (big surprise).  I didnt want to eat anything, but knew I should for the baby.  I didnt want junk, or Lucky Charms (I really did, but had to tell myself no).  I then thought of making the banana ice cream I have seen all over the internet.  I threw my own ingredients in to give it some nutrition.

Here is my Cookies n Cream Protein Ice Cream :

Ingredients:

- 1 frozen banana
- scoop of your favorite Protein Powder (I used BSN Syntha-6 Cookies n Cream)
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
- 3 ice cubes
- Hersheys syrup
- Sprinkles (optional)

Throw everything into your blender or food processor, and let it mix for a couple seconds, flip the switch as soon as you see it getting smooth.  Pour into a bowl, drizzle with some extra syrup, and top with sprinkles.

Here is the money shot:

Nutrition Info:

Calories : 435
Carbs : 73
Fat : 7
Protein : 25
Sugar : 45
Sodium :  266

Baked Oatmeal Casserole

I got to work Monday and realized I forgot to take a pack of meat out for dinner.  Dont you hate when that happens?  I hate flash-defrosting it in the microwave, because it always ends up cooking parts of the meat.  So I searched my Pinterest pins (because that is what I do all day) and saw a recipe I pinned awhile back that I wanted to try.  It is gluten-free, but since our family has no issues with gluten, I just used what was in my house.

I kept the recipe pretty much the same, but halved the walnut pieces, and added 1/4c of coconut.  I also did not have any raspberries, so I used both blueberries and strawberries.

Baked Oatmeal Casserole

Adapted from Urban Nester

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1 cup strawberries/blueberries
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).
In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.

 

Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar.

 

Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6

 

It was so easy to put together, and came out delicious!  I like the fact that now I  have breakfast for work for the next 3 days.  My pictures really dont do any justice (go on over to her site to check out better and more mouth-watering pictures). 

I put the recipe into My Fitness Pal, and here is the nutritional info (without the coconut):

Calories  378
Carbs  49
Fat  19
Protein  8
Sugar  24
Sodium  109

I'm pregnant and ..

I drink coffee every morning.
I drink a protein shake every afternoon.
I drink wine 2 times/week.
I exercise every day. (hello Jillian Michaels)
I lift weights.
I track what I eat and count my calories.
I weigh myself weekly.

Im 28 weeks with my 3rd child.  I'm tired of getting the stink eye from everyone about what I am doing to my body and the baby.  I have gotten the okay from my midwife and I just wish everyone would shut up and mind their own business. 

[/Wednesday rant].