See...it's made that way for a reason...

Found this interesting today.

What is it about being pregnant that makes me want to wear a paper bag, with another one to cover my head, until it's over? I determined this time I wasn't going to get like that, but a broken-out face, a poochy tummy, and the fact that none of my clothes fit but I'm too small for maternity stuff has weakened my resolve. Arg. Get over it, Sara....

What's your baby eating?

Here's an article I found interesting. Among other interesting tidbits, was one brand of "biscuits" for children that were found to contain 29 percent sugar! Others contained trans fat. The article also talks about the effects of soy formula on children - the more I learn about soy, the more I understand why my body hates it so much! Even organic jars of baby food are either way too expensive, or contain high levels of sodium (the brand I mostly fed Audrey has high sodium levels, apparently).

Hannah got all freshly prepared homemade baby food, but I got lax with Audrey's since they were just 16 1/2 months apart. Oh, that and the fact that Audrey pretty much refused solids until she was about 14 months. I had given up by then! :)

I think you always have to take things like this with a grain of salt (no pun intended!). We all have to do the best we can as mothers. But if you understand the choices you're making, you're likely to make BETTER choices than you would if you didn't know any better. No guilt, just doing the best we can with what we know, and the situation we have, right?

(Oh, and the liver & egg recipe at the end of the article? GROSS!!!) :)

Stream of Consciousness

-I think I dreamed about moving boxes last night. We don't have that much stuff, but all my thoughts are occupied with getting ready to move.
-We're getting cable again when we move, because with the local company, it's like $8 more than for just internet. I have mixed feelings about this.
-Oh man, I got the worst cold/flu I've had in a long time over the weekend. I'm feeling much better today. We were joking that it was swine flu. We've all had it now, so I half hope that's what it was. No fever, just incredibly congested and achy. Oscillo works great on it though (it's homeopathic medicine made from a duck egg, which all makes sense, if you understand homeopathics). I was doing silver and vit c and getting sicker and sicker...
-I love Twitter. I find the coolest things on there.
-Why do important errands for Maeve come up only on the days when neither Holly or I can do anything about them? Stressful!
-Went out to the new house again last night. Gotta get stuff to cover several windows. The windows in the house are HUGE, which is great for light, but expensive to cover, even with roller blinds. We'll have to do one room at a time and use blankets for a while, I think. Maybe I can find good deals on actual curtains? Or make them out of clearance sheets maybe?
-There is a hot tub in the backyard at the new house that currently doesn't work. We figured the landlord would pull it out rather than pay to fix it. But when we asked him about it, he said he's planning to fix it within the next couple months. (Not that I can use it anyway since I'm pregnant, but you all can! :) So...party at our house!
-I made sweet potato fries as part of our dinner last night. I haven't perfected the recipe, probably having something to do with the fact that I get impatient and leave pieces too big rather than cutting them down thin and all the same size. However, I could eat them till I'm sick anyway. SO good.
-Oh man, it's currently 77 degrees at my house. Every window that opens is open, and the pine trees smell incredible!
-OK, here's a story: I am very much due for a visit to the dentist. In the mail a couple of weeks ago, I got a postcard from a new dentist that is offering free whitening products for life if you go to them. The dentist I usually go to is excellent, albeit very expensive. Do I try this? Will I be sorry? Sure would be nice to have whiter teeth...
-Feeling a little lonesome this week, between being sick and trying to pack (thus the ridiculously long, random post). Moving boxes do not carry on conversations so well (not that I've tried!). Talk to me. :)

hi there

This has been a WEEK, let me tell ya.

But, since I collapsed on the couch when we got home at 5, and Nick is now sound asleep in the recliner, I'm giving a little update.

-Went to a college friend's seminary graduation today. His dad took the entire crowd to dinner at Ted's afterward. Everyone ordered steak, drinks and even some dessert. The tab was HUNDREDS of dollars. Our kids absolutely blew me away today. Not only did they sit through the two hour ceremony, but lunch at a nice restaurant too. Since when can they do that?

-I've been packing the house a little each day. Many of our shelves are empty, and we're down to the things we use every day. It's a weird feeling. I'm antsy to actually sign the lease and get the keys. It's been two years of this tiny living space - hard to believe it's almost over.

-We all finally got the cold that's been going around, along with achiness and plugged ears and cough. The girls are pretty much done with it, but I crashed yesterday and today. Hopefully the worst of it is over. I'm not even that congested, but my ears are plugged. Between that, morning sickness, first trimester tiredness, and packing, I've been occupied. 3 1/2 weeks till 1st trimester is over! I scheduled my first prenatal appt. Yay! And the other night I woke up on my back and my right leg was asleep. A little early for that, don't we think? Seriously, it's like my body remembers how to do this a little too well...

-My grandparents arrive from CA tomorrow night. My youngest sister Amy graduates from high school on Thursday. This means we have church and family stuff tomorrow, family in town Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, graduation ceremony stuff Thursday, her grad party Friday, and then moving Saturday. I think I probably need to put the stuff we use every day in suitcases, and then knock out the rest of the packing ASAP.

-Oh, while we were at the restaurant today, Nick took Hannah to the bathroom. A guy was walking in, and Hannah, with a huge arm gesture to show the way, said to him, "Help yourself!" Where do they get these things?

I suppose I should gather my snoring husband and go to bed. Hope your week was great!

Grocery Store Conversations

When I grocery shop, particularly if I'm blessed enough to be able to go on my own, I like to chat with the person at the register. It's always the same handful of people, and we all recognize each other. I shop at a regional family-owned health food store.

Anyway, last night, the bagger was sneezing all over the place and excusing himself, so I said to him, "It's that swine flu, ya know." He and the lady at the register cracked up laughing, and then he proceeded to tell me about how the media is all about benefiting the drug companies through their scare tactic reporting, and how we have all these weird strains of flu happening because of our overuse of antibiotics and chemical sanitizers, and how he was testing chicken eggs in the 70's and finding tetracycline in them because farmers were using antibiotics to increase yields, and how "that didn't really work for us, did it?"

Couldn't agree more, buddy...

Weekly Update

1. Wow. What a weekend. Our Maeve open house went well - we met lots of great people. I was a little concerned about being on my feet working for that long, but I survived, morning sickness and all. :) Then I was done, and pretty much stayed in bed the rest of the weekend. I wish I was kidding. My incredible husband worked his tail off this weekend.

2. The house we wanted is gone. I was disappointed for a little while, because I can't see how anything would be as good as that one. But I was reminded this weekend of what Moses told God when they were in the desert - if You don't go with us, do not take us up from here. If God's presence goes with us, and as long as my family is together, it doesn't really matter that much where we live. I'm choosing to trust.

3. Between Maeve, (which has kept me really really busy), looking for/at houses, keeping up with the kids, and morning sickness, I really don't have much else to say. My life is both VERY full and VERY simple right now, out of necessity.

Surely somebody else has something more interesting to say. Please share. :)