Friday, March 30, 2012

5 Question Friday! 3/30/12

Happy weekend, friends!  Enjoy the sun, the warmth, your families and be grateful for it all!  As always, you can answer these 5 questions and link up here!

1. What giveaway would you like to do on your blog?
I'd love to do a car seat giveaway for a GOOD extended rear-facing car seat.  I'm a huge advocate of extended rear-facing and an accommodating car seat only makes it easier to do that!  Any companies wanna hit me up?  :-)

2. If you had to choose between natural artistic ability and natural athletic ability, which would it be?
 
Hmmm, I feel like I have some of both.  I can play sports just fine and I can paint or create just fine as well.  But, I think in the end, the artistic ability wins out.  You can just do more and bless more people with it.  

3. Do you ditch the coat the minute it becomes "spring" or are you a holdout for more cool temps?

I get rid of whatever clothing, whenever I can.  But I am a baby about cold, so I will keep a coat near at all times.

4. What would you do if you won the mega millions lotto of 1/2 billion dollars?

This is a very interesting question.  Well, we strive to give 15-20% of our income away and save at least 10%, so this would be no exception.  After that, a nice house, fully paid off would be at the top of the list, followed by a couple of newer cars (no, I WOULD not buy brand new).  I'd want to make sure my husband had a nicer motorcycle.  After that, the rest would be invested.   Once our kids were older, I'd take them on an around the world tour, because that is some of the best education they could ever experience.  There's no reason we'd have to live in luxury and I'm sure we would be better off blessing others than buying tons for ourselves.  Oh, but I would plan a LONG trip to Afghanistan! 

5. You are at a hotel by yourself...what do you do?
 
Blog.  That's what I do whenever I get alone time.  And then, I'd do my favorite thing: fall asleep with the TV on!  


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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Two accidents in one week? Yep.

In the last week, we've been in two car accidents.   I was rear-ended last week and four days later, my husband was driving my car and was t-boned.  Car totaled.  Husband was OK, miraculously!  It's quite weird, I've only been in one other accident my entire life, my car was backed into at a stop sign (yes, the guy was backing up at a stop sign), so to be dealing with two accidents, one of them severe, in one week has been quite tiring. 

The funny thing is, we sold my husband's car last week, in anticipation of buying me a van this week.  Ya know, I kind of need a Mom-mobile.  When I got rear-ended, with India in the car and pregnant with our second baby, we were very grateful I had nothing more than a sore neck and headache.  We were also proud that our little Honda Fit got scuffed up a little bit, when the truck that hit me got his front bumper pushed in.  Thankfully, our car was fine and drivable, so our plan of having one car over the weekend until we could buy a van was unscathed. 

Unfortunately, that little car just wasn't meant to live.  Dallas was t-boned on Monday.  In some crazy act, he CALLED me while being told not to move.  The first thing I hear on the phone is people yelling and talking and then my husband saying something about "some blood from his head, maybe it's just his ear".  He then tells me he wasn't going to make it home in time to watch India while I taught piano lessons because he was in an accident.  I was quite unnerved, but I figured it couldn't have been that bad because he called me.  An officer called a bit later and clarified some things.  He told me a Suburban hit our little Honda Fit.  Ouch.  My husband was taken by ambulance to the hospital and the officer told me where the car was towed to.

The whole thought of "oh crap, that was our only vehicle" hadn't even crossed my mind until Dallas called me after a while and needed to get home from the hospital.  (Remember, we sold Dallas' car, getting ready to buy me a van?)

Oh.  Now what?  I was carless and couldn't go pick him up.  My poor husband, who was brought to the emergency room in an ambulance, walked home in the freezing, windy weather from the hospital.  I felt horrible, but I was helpless.

The thought of how severe the accident was didn't cross my mind until my husband came home and I saw the look on his face and heard the details of it all - or what he could remember.  We thanked God he had minimal injuries and that India and/or I weren't with, because the outcome would not have been good. 

RIP little Honda Fit!  You were a great car! 

Life is good, we're thankful that we're alive and healthy - all four of us!

Now begins the search for a new van AND a new car!

Have you ever been in an accident? 
 

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Dress-Up & Sneaking Outside - Happens Everyday!


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Monday, March 19, 2012

My Stomach, The Liar

I was pretty sick my entire pregnancy with India, so now that I'm at the halfway point with this pregnancy and only getting sick at night, I'm thankful.

But today, I'm going to talk about something I don't talk about with hardly anyone because I don't want to be seen as a whining, hormonal, prego: my stomach is a liar. 

Let me explain. 

Some people experience morning sickness, or what should be termed Anytime of Day Sickness, or perhaps, All Day Sickness, and lose their appetite.  Some have an appetite, but can't decide what to eat.  Some can't eat very much without losing their lunch.  My stomach does something different: it lies! 

Not joking, my nausea manifests as extreme hunger with nausea.  Yes, when I'm preggo sick, my stomach tells me I'm hungry and I need to eat.  So, like I normally do when my body asks for something (like chocolate), I eat.  And I eat well.  A full meal.  My stomach is mostly happy and I'm ready to relax.  But no, what's this?!?  Soon after I eat, my stomach starts growling and grumbling and asking for food??  No big deal, right?  I'm probably just hungry. 

Lies. 

My stomach is actually plump full, but my body is telling my mind something very different.  Maybe it's just used to eating two suppers (yes, when I'm not pregnant, I eat more than my husband).  Either way, it lies as much as Paula Abdul did as an American Idol judge. 

Pregnant, sick, nauseated and "starving" in my usual position on the couch.  2010.

Have you ever tried to deny yourself something your body was asking for every minute, for hours, for days, for weeks, for months?  Like sleep or food?  Yep, not fun.  Sometimes I give in, sometimes I just go to sleep because the desire is so strong, and sometimes I barrel through it, getting sicker by the minute, all while crying to my husband and writhing on the couch about how "I'm so freaking hungry". 

He knows all about my lying stomach, but encourages me to do whatever I want.

Is there such a thing as pregnancy Prader-Willi syndrome?  Because I think I have it.

What happens if I give in and eat?  I gain weight.  Massively.  Because, of course, my body doesn't need the food at that point.  I gained 17 pounds in the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy with India, because of this "lying stomach syndrome".  I finally figured out around week 10 or 11 of my pregnancy that my stomach was lying and I needed to fight it.  You can maybe imagine my disgust when I discovered that.

It was and still is quite a difficult feat to ignore my screaming, nauseous body.

Maybe you think I should just give in and listen to my body.  That's nice advice, but according to the above of gaining 17 pounds every 8 weeks, well, I would easily gain over 85 pounds and that's not taking into account all the water weight I gained at the end of my pregnancy with India.  I could easily go over 100 pounds if I "listened" to my body.  And remember, I'm not really hungry or needing the food an hour after my last meal.  And it doesn't work to eat something healthy, like a piece of fruit...that just makes me sicker.

Maybe because of my lying stomach condition I already gain a lot.  Thankfully, I lose it all right away too, but it is slightly stressful and frustrating in the mean time because I feel completely powerless to gain and eat in a healthy manner.

In the end, no, I can't eat like I normally do and I can't listen to my body to know when I'm full.  I know that.  But I do have to make some sort of amends with this pathological liar called my stomach.

And for the most part, I think I'm doing an alright job.

Has anyone else been blessed with a lying stomach?  Or had to eat insane amounts of food in order to avoid vomiting?


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Friday, March 16, 2012

Weekend Reading: 3/16/12

The weather is warming in our neck of the woods and I anticipate a lot of time playing outside, but here's some reading for your down time!  Have a great weekend!


If there is ONE thing you read this week, PLEASE, if you are a woman with feelings or one who doesn't always love her body or mostly loves her body but feels insecure about one little thing, or are a just a woman, read this post by the most gorgeous, Tina!!!! 


Guggie shares about how when we, as parents, respond to our children's emotions, can either help children repress, dismiss or detach, or we can validate their emotions and help them work through their reasonings - The Consequences of Punishing for Feeling

A sad, but not surprising conclusion to the honey bee die off: corn insecticides.


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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: 1st Maternity Shirt (photo comparison)

1st maternity shirt worn for BOTH of my pregnancies!  Coincidentally, I happened to wear it working out at the YMCA this morning AND remembered to grab a photo of it.  Baby #1 on the left, 22 weeks, March 2010 and about two years later, Baby #2 on the right, 20 weeks, March 2012!  With Baby #2, I'm about 10 pounds lighter, but you really can't tell!

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy Built Me A Snow Tunnel!


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Friday, March 2, 2012

Weekend Reading: 3/2/12

Happy weekend, everyone!  I hope this week has treated you with kindness and you have an opportunity to relax this weekend.  Here's a few things I've read this week that are great for thought.  Enjoy!

Breastfeeding isn't just a personal choice - it's also about public health.

George Gallagher shares why organic goods cost more.

An easy way to grow a consistent crop of cilantro (read: no bolting)! 

Are you looking for a healthy alternative to store-bought cooking spray?  What about coconut oil and unbleached liquid lecithin?

Dionna shares 101 things you can do instead of yelling or spanking.




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5 Question Friday! 3/2/12

Here's this week 5 Question Friday.  Be sure to answer these questions yourself and link up at My Little Life
1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?
My favorite vacation spot has been the Cayman Islands, Little Cayman in particular.  When we went there, we flew in on a little airplane, landing on a grass landing strip.  Only 60 some people lived on the island year round at that time, so it was pristine!  We also took a little fishing boat and spent some time on a private island right off the coast.  Thailand is another great vacation spot and the food is amazing!  Hawaii was one of my least favorites - too commercialized and the ocean just wasn't as pure as some of the places in the Caribbean I've been.  However, if I'm going to spend lots of money on a trip, I'd want to save up for a trip back to Afghanistan.  Not vacation by ANY means, but it's a life goal to get back there and bring my kids to the land that I love.  You can read a little about my time in Afghanistan here in Part 1 and Part 2    

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Pinterest is kind of sneaking up there, right next to reading blogs and articles and studies.  Food wise?  Well, I'm knocked up, so everything fatty and greasy and spicy sounds wonderful to me.  Oh, and ripple chips and dip.  Gag.  Can't believe I just confessed that.

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Or, in the past?

I really miss the rat's tail.  Nothing more attractive than a long piece of rat's tail, cascading off the back of a man's head. Haha!  Fashion?  Well, I put fashion on the back burner when I moved back to the small town we live in now!  If you followed fashion trends here, you'd be waaaaaay ahead of the time and looked at as a weirdo.  Mostly just looked at as a weirdo.     

4. What are your spring break plans?

Nada.  Pssh, I've always equated spring break with college binge drinking, stranger sex and beaches.  Hah, thank you MTV: Spring Break.  We don't really have spring break and besides, I already told you, I want to get back to Afghanistan!

5. What baby names do you hate?

Hate is a strong word.  Do I answer this question?  Or will I royally make some people mad?  OK, since I was asked...anything really common and trendy.  And I wouldn't say hate, more like, a little creativity angel dies when I hear another common name given to a baby that will most definitely have to go by its middle or last name in school because there are 12 other _____ in their class.   Another one that gets me just a little, is when people have to spell names in a weird fashion.  They get props for being creative, but really, Chrysthin?  Couldn't you just settle for Kristin?   

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