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31 Days
Showing posts with label 31 Days. Show all posts

Five on Friday

October 27, 2017

This week couldn't draw to and end quick enough. After 3 days of work with zero internet, allergies for days, and a desire to do things that I can't do and know things I can't know... I need a dang break from life for a hot minute.

[ONE] 

Pumpkin Patch numero two is in the books this week, totally spur of the moment. We were trying to stay out of the house while the weather was pretty. Notice his outfit, his Daddy dressed him in true Daddy fashion... shorts on backwards, tank top that doesn't match the shorts... Daddy's aren't very picture minded.


[TWO] 

I read the new keto book by Mark Sisson this week, I'm all about anything him and Rob Wolf get behind.


I also started implementing Intermittent Fasting into who I eat, I'm surprised at how much I enjoy it. I really thought I wouldn't even make it a day and would assume die over fasting. Nope. Not the case. I'm following the 16/8 method of fasting, fast for 16 hours, eat in an 8 hour window. There's a lot of data out there on why you should try IF, I won't get into that here unless y'all want me to.

[THREE] 

The Te-Te saga continues. This kiddo and his sense of humor kill me, for some reason his Daddy doesn't get the same treatment. In the bath last night he would give me this devilish grin and then call me Te-Te, because he clearly thinks it's funny. Then when it was time to read bedtime stories he had to add in one more, Where's My Mommy? I started off reading the word "mommy" but with him hollering "Te-Te" every time I changed over to "Te-Te" and he was beside himself. As soon as I said "Where's my Te-Te" he grinned, nodded, and said "Yes."

He's such a mess.


Our current forced to read list at night includes: Where's My Mommy, Tumble Bumble, Llama Llama Red Pajama, and Harold and the Purple Crayon. 

Dear sweet baby Jesus please someone steal that stupid Harold book from my house, I can't bare to read about the "be-be" again! 

What books do y'all dislike reading? 

[FOUR] 

I subscribed/ordered/whatever you call it... Beachbody On Demand this month. Loving it people! We've bought some of their programs before, but with the Roku this is so easy to use. I'm not following a specific program at the moment, but I've been doing the Upper and Lower workouts from P90X3. 

The current workout schedule looks like this:
Monday - Upper Body 
Tuesday - Lower Body
Wednesday - Abs (need something quick before choir practice)
Thursday - Cardio (rollerblading)
Friday - Pilates or Barre
Saturday - Makeup day if I had to skip one or whatever I feel like
Sunday - Rest


I started out with 21 Day Fix at the end of July, still followed Keto though because their containers are too high carb for me. I toned up a good bit following the 21 Day Fix workouts, and yet I still did a hybrid, this girl HATES to jump, so I skip a few of her workouts.

I did about two weeks of Shift Shop, I like the workouts but the eating plan made me gain weight that first two weeks... again too high carb. By week 3 of SS I quit his workouts, went back to keto, and jumped more into the P90X3 workouts. Just mixing and matching depending on my mood. Which works out great with On Demand.

[FIVE]

I'm still on the Teddie Organics Rosehip oil train, and everyone is getting this for Christmas from me. My skin is so soft and it's definitely maintained what my RetinA did. I use this morning and night under my moisturizer and my skin has never been softer. Plus it's a great price.


So before y'all think I'm nutty, here's a few benefits of it:
Essential fatty acids help improve appearance of skin. 
Rich in Vitamin A (as close to RetinA as I can get right now)
Natural source of antioxidents - repair and protect skin from aging
UV Protection
Makes your skin glow! 

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31 - How I Enjoy Wasting Time

October 26, 2017

Y'all a writing topic couldn't be more written for me, this is my thing... "wasting time" or as I like to call it... living my best life.


Instead of being productive I love to...

Meal Plan

Think about how I'd make the house more hygge.

Play on my phone during my child's bath time.

Watch The Graham Norton Show on Youtube.

Watch The Wendy Williams Hot Topics segment on YouTube.

Watch random crap on YouTube.

Make lists.

Make lists of what lists should be completed first.

Eat.

Think about cooking.

Google.

Search for books on Overdrive.

Reccomend more than my limit on Overdrive.

Text my husband random crap he doesn't care about.

Text in general.

Cut individual split ends out of my hair.

Plan my next Ikea trip.

Think of camping.

Think of camping meals.

Google why my garden isn't working out.

Read random eBooks.

Make lists of things I want on Amazon.

Think of my ideal place to live.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I could come up with off the top of my head. What are some of the ways that y'all like to waste time?


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31 Days - 5 Things I'm Grateful For Now

October 24, 2017

I could easily list what I'm grateful for right now with the work internet being down... but less focus on the positive.



 [ONE] 

The temps this week are making us believe that we actually live somewhere with fall.

 [TWO] 

Allergy medicine, because I wouldn't survive Cane Burning without it.

 [THREE] 

Online 30 minute workouts, I don't have time to leave the house to workout much less do more than 30 minutes these days. #NotMotivated

[FOUR] 

A silly toddler, because it makes life more fun.

[FIVE]

Finally seeing the light in a tunnel, I'll share more as the time comes.
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31 Days - Dream Job

October 21, 2017

If I could honestly do anything in this world, I'd just stay at home.

Being a stay-at-home-mom would be absolutely the ideal.



Bad night at home? No problem, we could have a easy going day. Groceries, laundry, dishes, cleaning, absolutely everything could be done while Jeremy was at work and his off work time could be devoted to just hanging out as a family.

I could actually attend the child's doctor well-baby visits. That would be a dream. Up to this day I think I've been to 3. I've also only taken off work one time for sickness. Jeremy has more sick days so he is usually the parent in charge.

If I stayed home I'd more time to devote to blogging, I could actually take Louisiana Bride in the direction I was going before having Harrison.

Heck I might even mow the grass during nap time.

If I stayed home Harrison and I could participate in all the mother/child activities that occur only during work hours around town. He could go to story time, music, we could do arts and crafts.

Dinner could be prepped ahead of time, I wouldn't spend an hour cooking every night.

Heck I could even workout during the day when he's home, and not have to plop him in front of the TV or pawn him off to his Daddy right after work so I can squeeze in some 30 minute workout DVD.

My house would be clean.

My child would be more enriched.

Life would be less rushed.

How do I know this would be the reality? It's the life I get to live for 2 months out of the year every single summer.

For two months every year I get to pretend this is my life.

That's why I want to live that life 12 months of the year so badly.
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31 Days - 5 Positive Changes I Could Make Right Now

October 20, 2017

This might be the easiest topic to write on all month, I'm all about changes... especially positive ones. I'm that nut case that will make some major change on the spur of the moment.



[ONE] Diet - I'm trying to get better at having one off handed meal a week. I don't like the term cheat meal, you can't cheat on food. Last night I did have some fun at Chick-fil-a after our annual Pumpkin Patch outing, but I'll be breaking my one meal a week deal to have a fun fall something this weekend. I'm making the Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls, Cafe au Lait, and we are painting pumpkins Saturday morning... then it's back to the grind.

[TWO] Attitude - I can come off as a negative person, when in reality the majority of my thought process isn't negative at all. I just have a habit of venting more than I probably should.

[THREE] Get outside more - Nothing makes me a happier person than gardening in the cool fall air or rollerblading around the park for an hour. Happier Emily = better wife and mother. Granted fall/winter in South Louisiana is probably the worst time to be outside with all of the cane field burning. Talk about pollution central. The air is thick with what is essentially smog and I've had the beginnings of a sinus infection for over a week.

[FOUR] Be more committed to bible study - Oh shoot I am awful at keeping something up, especially something so easily brushed off. I was doing pretty well at studying the bible daily until this fall semester when I signed up for the Women in Missions course through NOBTS, then I kind of sorts just did that in what would have been bible study time.

[FIVE] Don't feel so guilty about doing things for myself - I'm not that mom that only does for others. I blame that on the fact that I get a tiny check from blogging every month. That check has been my fun money now for 6 years. I spend it on me and me alone. Whatever my heart desires. It's been great because with a tight budget there isn't extra money to spend on unnecessary items. For instance, I bought new chairs for our table last year. Even though what I'm doing isn't actually selfish, sometimes I still feel that way. At the onset of having Harrison I was so lost as to who I was. Marriage even sucks it out of you. So I've tried to focus on me to an extent, and I shouldn't feel so bad about it.
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31 Days - Making the World a Better Place

October 19, 2017

Realistically I'm not some big advocate for Green Peace and promoting saving the world at every turn, but I do try and do a few things to make the world better. Try as I might.

These are a few things that are just apart of my life, nothing crazy.



[ONE] Smiling and saying hello to people. 

Blame it on the Southern upbringing, and when I say Southern I don't mean where we are now... nope, the actual South. Not Cajun land. If you've lived farther into what is stereotypically Southern, then you are well aware of the fact that driving from work to home means your arms hurts from having to wave at everyone you know. Growing up in Vidalia was a great lesson on how to treat people. If you have an awful day and you arm was sawed off you still find it in you to be kind to others and make them feel noticed or acknowledged.

I've come to realize that people aren't like that other places we've been or lived. That first week of college in Monroe was puzzling, I said hello to everyone I passed and was constantly ignored. Even with that I still feel that you should acknowledge the people you are walking past by at the very least making eye contact and smiling.

[TWO]  Sharing the Gospel. 

It's hard to do, and I'll admit the opportunity to do it isn't all that common. However, if I (or we) fully believe that Jesus is the answer to a fallen world, then we must share it with others. So take the opportunity, weave it into conversations, and pray that opportunities arise. (and you realize that the opportunity is there)

[THREE] Do for others. 

Take someone a meal after they've had a baby or lost a loved one. If you live in the South that meal is typically Popeye's Chicken. Nothing says "sorry your granny died" like a bucket of chicken. (kidding, but really it's true.) Send you hubby at to mow someone's grass. Find a widow to love on. Send cards, everyone loves snail mail. Bake some bread and take it to a neighbor.

How do you try and make the world a better place?
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31 Days - 10 Things You Like About Yourself

October 18, 2017

Eek!

What's more narcissistic than a blog... a blog about what you like about yourself.

Here's goes though...

[ONE] I like that things my child does doesn't set me off into anger as easily as I would have thought. In fact I tend to laugh things off more than get irritated.

[TWO] I like my legs, I've always been able to tone my legs easily.

[THREE] I have a sense of humor, I don't take things very serious, and I don't advise taking what I say seriously either.

[FOUR] Good hair, while I'm no "Becky with the good hair" this mop is not in bad shape and I've got a naturally good color.

[FIVE] I've always loved that I have a Puerto Rican background. No plain white chick here! While it does afford me the nose I'm not too fond of, I love having an different background from most people I know.

[SIX] I actually like that I'm Type A, someone has to keep everything neurotically planned out in our family.

[SEVEN] (getting harder over here) But I like that I'm an open book about things, I'm basically a walking talk show, you see what you get. There are no secrets, and I'll talk to anyone about anything.

[EIGHT] Fairly independent, I like to do what I want to do on the time frame I want to do it. I don't like a lot of outside interference. I like that because... I don't need someone else to do anything.

[NINE]  I like that I enjoy cooking, it's a needed skill.

[TEN] (really pulling out of the bag here) I like that I can adventurous about where we live, what I'll eat, and traveling. I didn't realize for a long time that other people weren't as adventurous about life. I'm not skydiving though.


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31 Days - Fear

October 16, 2017

On today's episode of "Emily isn't actually blogging everyday for 31 days" the topic is a fear you'd overcome if given the opportunity...

Umm...

I wouldn't have the fear if that was the deal.

I don't harp on things like death, losing jobs, house fires, none of that mumbo jumbo. It just doesn't come to mind. I can't control them.

What I do fear though are lizards, snakes, frogs, any amphibian basically. I also don't like chicken feet or animals with hooves.

I can control those.

Birds freak me out.

Not to the extent of running screaming, but I'm not touching your weird footed chicken.

I'd rather die than touch a lizard. Won't be overcoming that fear anytime soon, ever. That's my running and screaming fear... see also: snakes.

I can tolerate looking at a frog, but I'm not touching the frog.

Pigs and cows have weird feet. I'll touch your head but not your feet.

I MIGHT overcome my chicken feet and split hoof issue in the effort to have chickens and a pig one day.

I will not ever on my life overcome the lizard/snake problem and allow my child to own one. He's more than welcome to remove them from my house or out of my sight... but they won't take up residence in my home.

Ever.

So, yeah, that fear over coming thing was a bust.


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31 Days - A Hard to Forgive Person

October 13, 2017

Oh gosh, today's topic is yet again something I don't talk about. Especially not on the blog.

In my life I have a hard to forgive person, we all do.

The how it's shaped you part is what has changed over the years.

I'm not even going to touch on who or what because I don't want anyone reading this and figuring out who they think it is.

I'll just say this...

I use to harbor a massive grudge about it.

I'd dread this person, panic attack like freak outs when I had to deal with the situation of any length of time.

For years it was a nightmare, and my own attitude about it was less than great.

I felt justified in my anger. No one should have to deal with that nonsense, right?

Looking back I think what caused me the most problems was my expectations. My expectations weren't met. They honestly weren't even high expectations, but they weren't met.

They haven't been met, and they will probably never be met.

So you could say the situation hasn't changed, just my outlook on it has. A lot of my attitude changing was based upon the fact that I finally felt supported.

Someone else say my misery and agreed that it was wrong. I finally had a partner in crime, so to speak, to get what upset me and understand my perficiment.

Best of all I was freed in the situation.

You see, for a long time I had to stay quiet. I had to just bottle the issue and move along, no matter how mad it made me. If you know me in real life then you'd know that's not how I roll. I have to say how I feel.

I'm from a family of saying how you feel about things.

When I could finally defend myself, it was okay to say something, I didn't have to feel bottled up... the need to actually act on the need to defend myself or call out injustice faded away.

So don't think my hard to forgive person has changed, or the situation has changed... it hasn't.

The only change was me, and something about the simple idea that I could defend myself resolved my anger and caused me to not even need to defend myself.


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31 Days - That Awkward Topic This Month

October 10, 2017

Today's topic is a past love who had a significant impact on who you are today. Um, weird to talk about such thing, right?

But it happened, and it's true.

Old boyfriends can shape who you are.

I happened to have my first old boyfriend in high school and it lasted about six years. Yes, I dated someone for a long dang time and never married them. We talked about it, but we were kids, and in the end it didn't work out. We wanted different things.

It taught me a lot though, what I wanted in relationships, what I didn't.

It made me value myself.

It gave me a best friend who had the same likes and dislikes.

We worked out at the local gym like obsessed gym rats. I learned how to cook and had someone around who loved to eat it, we grilled all the time. I had a movie watching buddy. Someone to go to youth group with. Someone to vent to when girls where mean to me in high school.

A boyfriend at that age, at least a long term one, it was basically a partner in crime to help you survive the awful high school years. When everyone else hated you, you had your boyfriend to agree that the world sucked too.

In the end, I don't think I had some big love where I learned so much about myself. Instead I had a partner in crime as a teenager that allowed me to not feel alone in a block of years that many kids feel awfully alone.






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31 Days - Friend Memory Small Town Antics

October 8, 2017

Yes, I know I skipped a few days. Luckily, the blog police aren't coming to get me and I can do that sort of thing.

Today's memory and pics don't go together, but they are the pics of my friends from that memory. Just not pics of that particular memory. Recently my friend Ryan sent a ton of photos and we spent hours reminiscing about old times.

Good stuff

Also, this is Monday's post and it's just going up early, again don't send the police after me.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You know for certain you are from a small town when a fun filled Friday night when everyone is home from college involves telling your parents you're headed to "The Walmart."

Meaning the only one in town.


But it wasn't even in our town. We had to cross the bridge and go to Mississippi to go to Walmart.

Gabby and I did this quite often.

One particularly fun Friday night we wandered The Walmart like weirdos, purchased the flavored Cool Whip and then rode on over the the... again "The Dirt Cheap" and got into more trouble.

The fact that we were never stopped by cops sometimes baffles me.

Then again two 18 year old white girls carrying Cool Whip containers isn't something to be alarmed over.



Point being, we took Gabby's ultra cool car (we thought anything with a slight sports car look was amazing) blaring our gangsta rap, Cool Whip in hand, and took our party to the parking lot at Dirt Cheap. From there we located a lost buggie and took turns pushing each other up and down the slopes on the sidewalk and in the lot.

We squealed and laughed like idiots while eating Cool Whip. Had it not been for the Cool Whip someone would have thought we were drunk or worse yet, on drugs. Who has that much fun being pushed in a buggie?

Where the rest of our nutty crew were is something to be wondered about. But Gabby & I got into enough non-trouble-trouble to amuse any actual drunk or pot head. Because those are the only other people who would think being shoved around in a death buggie down a hill is fun.


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31 Days - A Life Changing Event

October 5, 2017

I honestly don't know where to go with today's topic.

Having a baby was pretty life changing.

More so over the fact that I'm a hardcore needs-8-hours-to-function sleeper. That first year and a half was rough, super rough. So rough in fact that my dentist even commented on the coffee stains... and I use to not be a huge coffee drinker.


I was dying.

But I love the little thing.



He's made life around here much more fun, more loving, and shown both of us how hard headed our genes apparently are.

This 1n1/2 to 2 1/2 has been a blast, other than sleep being great, watching him learn new things is always exciting.



So biggest life change, more thank likely having that first baby of ours.

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31 Days - Earliest Memory

October 4, 2017

I love today's topic just because this is basically the first time I recall thinking my mother was insane.

I was sitting in a chair in the kitchen, right at the end of the dining table facing towards the living room.

She was pregnancy with my sister Laura, not hugely pregnant, but far enough along that you'd chat with your 5 year old about the baby.

I could have been four though, it was either the end of '90 or early '91.

I very clearly remember Mom standing in from of me and asking me, "What do you think the baby is Emily? Is is a boy? A girl? A puppy?"

This is where I can't remember my answer, but I very clearly remember thinking, "No Mom, it's not a puppy, who on earth is pregnant with puppies."

But imagine this more along the lines of an attitude that would say, "No woman!"

That's the feeling behind the thought I was having.

She didn't have a puppy by the way.

I did get a puppy that year though, and a massively overgrown "newborn" with what appeared to be a black toupee.

** I do a few earlier memories than this, but none were quite as well developed. Mostly pieces of events and people before the "Mama's having a puppy" question. 


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31 Days - Traditions

October 3, 2017

Family traditions, everyone has them. Or almost everyone has them. Some more than others, I'm sure we'd have more if we lived closer together. 

Today I'm sharing my favorite Cater family tradition. 


Christmas is really the pinacle of holidays for me, and it has nothing to do with presents. I could actually do away with presents and be just fine.

Christmas Eve is basically where the party is at for me. We spend that day making every appetizer you can think of, way more than we need for our small group.

Some years we also roll tamales and make salsa.

Then after stuffing our faces everyone piles into the car and we drive around looking at Christmas lights. There's usually a stop somewhere for hot chocolate. Although, I think we made our own last year.

But that's basically it! I'd like to add in some festive pajamas, but the guys aren't easily talked into those things. Christmas movies would be okay, except we aren't staying up that late.

 So share with me, what is you favorite family tradition? 
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31 Days - Kid Emily

October 2, 2017

Today's topic - what were you like as a child?

A stubborn nightmare. Is that blog enough?


From what I understand, the nonsense I deal with at home isn't something new. Much like my own child, I was stubborn and had my own opinion pretty quickly.

Around two my mother had to lower my closet rack so that I could just dress myself.

There were rules, no leopard print leggings on special occasions. It was the 80's and early 90's no less.

I liked to eat raw veggies and dip them in ranch dressing.

I played outside a lot.

I also recall building a fort in front of our TV using the cushions pretty regular.

There was a thing about how I wouldn't wear pants or socks, I was serious about it. Girls didn't wear pants, Emily just wasn't wearing socks. Who cares what the temp was, I was set in my ways.

I also recall getting in trouble with the kindergarten teacher for coloring my strawberry purple. She said they were red. I supposedly informed her that mine was purple. I went to Montessori school before if that explains anything.

Well, that's as far as I'm getting today. My stubborn mini me is requesting attention before he starves to death, 
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31 Days - England... and then nothing went right.

October 1, 2017

It's October, and that can only mean one thing... 31 Days as begun.

I came up with a wonderful topic for this year, storytelling, but alas I couldn't think of very many stories. I'm living with a touch of the brain fry.

So instead I'll be writing all this month on the topics 31 Days organizer Crystal emailed out a few days ago. Today's topic is...  my most memorable moment.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I went to England when I was 14. That might seem young, but at the time it felt like I had spent more than 14 years praying to God every night that somehow, someway, I'd be able to go to England.

Blame it on the Anglophile issue, my Beatles obsession, and it was the late 90's and the Spice Girls were all the rage. I might have even jacked my knee up wearing platform shoes around this time, but that's another story.

August 2000 came and we hoped on a plane headed for London, roughly the week before the Queen Mother's 100th Birthday. I bought a tea dish to commemorate the occasion. It's actually hanging on my kitchen wall as we speak.

I couldn't have been more jazzed up about this trip.

However, I should have known things would come crashing down when I ordered my actual size in our mandatory "wear on the way there" shirt. Me, currently being a size 14 slim and wearing shrits from the kids section, was somehow shorted and ended up with a size adult extra large t-shirt.

I remember my mother begging adults to change shirts with me, no one would. There weren't enough scrunchies in the Southern United States to keep this shirt above my knees. It wore like some sad hybrid of a cocoon dress and an off the shoulder get-up. It was wretched.

But that is neither hide nor hair to the story. Actually, it is. It plays a sad role later on.

Between that an a panicked desire that demanded my mother to get me Sea Bands, I should have seen this coming.

The flight went well. As well as a 14 year old who was given an adult extra large shirt, and then sat far from her group and next to a man drinking whisky out of tiny bottles could go.

It was awkward. Clearly adults on this trip had their priorities in order... abandon children on an international flight... she's never even been to Florida.

Did I mention I went on this without a chaperone I was related to. I was at the mercy of other peoples parents.

Eleven hours from hell finally ended in my extremely large shirt and we were off to quickly run across London at a speed no other tourist has ever seen the likes of. It was a "take a quick look kids, you've got 10 days of work to do" kind of run through.

I was in heaven, a quick paced heaven where I was taking photos of monuments in a blur because I couldn't even stand still long enough to get my disposable camera to focus.

Then it happened.

We made it into Trafalgar Square.

I don't know if you're aware, but there's a McDonald's there. Some people from our group wanted to eat, so we went in. I recall remembering that I had to ask for ice if I wanted it, and then suddenly being hit with the feeling no teenage girl ever wants to feel in a large group of people you aren't that close to.

I had to puke.

Air sickness had kicked in and I was about to die 1000 deaths before this trip ended.

Sadly the bathroom at this particular McDonald's isn't on the first floor. I had to run downstairs holding in every ounce of embarrassment my body was about to reject.

As I made my way down the never end set of stairs to hell I noticed that the line for the women's bathroom was so long that it wrapped around the room. The men's, as I later found out, had one person in it.

One person too many.

My loving friend Rachel who had followed me down pushed me ahead of the women's line into the bathroom only to tell the attendant I was about to lose it and get shoved into the men's room.

I don't know if you've ever thrown up in a public restroom, let alone a mens. It isn't something I would wish upon anyone, or ever want to recreate for that matter.

Now this is where that one man comes into play.

There was one stall. 3 urinals. Or Ur-rain-ials as the Brits seems to say. There was a man in the stall. I had no choice, and in a state of total freakout Rachel shoved me to the urinal.

I puked.

I puked some more.

As soon as I thought my insides were on the outside and I was going to die in England, I opened my eyes to get a clear shot of the urinal full of my most feared sickness to see... the nasty beast was covered in pubic hairs.

Suddenly the feeling of hair in my mouth (not that I had somehow gotten pubic hair into my mouth) sent me into another puking spell.

When it all finally ended, there I stood covered in back splashed urinal puke in my extra large yellow as could be shirt with no dignity left to my name.

As we exited the McDonald's, or shamefully crawled out of there, I don't recall seeing the group. Somehow we didn't catch up with anyone until we were by the statues. I could still point out the statue.

As we walked up with my disgusting urinal puking self I begged the leaders to let me take the shirt off.

You didn't think I was wearing this off the shoulder adult extra large on my 14 slim frame without alternate clothing underneath did you?

All I wanted was to toss the shirt into the trash or let it be carried away by the creepy amount of pigeons near that monument, but no. No one would let me take off the puke covered shirt. I spent the remaining bits of that 1000 hour day covered in a far too large puke shirt.

It wasn't how I envisioned things going, that's for sure.


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Kelly's Kids Haul & Shopping Tips

October 17, 2016

Today is all about our (my mother and I... exclude Jeremy) favorite kids clothing company. The most important things about this video though is this... don't buy this type of clothing at regular price or even the first sale price. Here's why - this type of clothing never goes out of style, so don't waist your money on buying what is in this season. Instead buy a season or several seasons in advance and shop the factory outlet sales. That's where the real sales are at.
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31 Day-Why I Make Detergent

October 28, 2015

Detergent.


It's expensive, but everyone has to use it. 

Or maybe you don't have to use it. I'm sure there is some brand of hippie out there that would go against the flow of laundry too. 

Needless to say, that hippie ain't me. 


Nope, nope, gotta wash the clothes. Honestly, I almost want to wash our bedsheets more frequently due to my terrible night sweats. Sometimes I wake up dripping in sweat and just want to go to the guest room. 

But I digress... 

I make my own detergent, and I have for probably 5 yeas now. 

This isn't some chemical aversion thing though, it's all money saving. 

You see, it started when Jeremy was in graduate school and we were the poster children for the broke as a joke club. I think we earned the spot on the front of their brochure whilst living almost entirely on our savings for two years. I wouldn't recommend it, but it can be done. 

However, major penny pinching has to take place to survive. 

Insert the year of 31 Day of Frugal Meals... it was more of an excuse to not go out to eat and be able to say no to people because "it was a blog experiment." 

Back to the detergent though, I initially suggested making my own when we were living in Monroe, and awfully comfortable at the time mind you. [Oh the years of no student loans and enough income to pay for my graduate school out right I long for you. I could totally do without the financial years of having to pay off debt from an air conditioner and student loans before having child numero two.] 

Jeremy wasn't buying the idea, not one single sliver of a bit. I couldn't convince him. 

Fast forward a few years later to when J was technically jobless while in graduate school and working as a youth minister as a volunteer when he wasn't knee deep in a paper or something... our bills literally equalled my pay + his tiny check he got for being a graduate assistant. Nothing extra. Our rent was actually exactly the same amount as his grad assistant check. That graduate assistant spot eventually ended (long long story) and we were short a nice chunk of money every month. This is when the eating out of savings really began... and it's when Jeremy started agreeing to every penny pinching way I could muster up. 

I figured up at the time that I could make enough laundry detergent to last us roughly a year + 2ish months for $20. 

Before that we were spending about $6 a month on detergent, give or take. So knocking it down to $20 was a life saver on the ole wallet. 

For years now I've just use the detergent on my clothing, and Jeremy added in a scent booster to his detergent. I've recently started using a fabric softener that has more of a smell, I think that baby laundry got me addicted to the smell of laundry. Oh and FYI - I do purchase baby detergent. We have a history of sensitive skin, and little dude seems to have it too so I don't want to risk my detergent being too strong. 

So there you have it, why this slightly crunchy wife/mama makes her own detergent... you save a ton of money every year doing it! Long live frugal ha! 
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31 Days-Don't Bother With The Birth Plan

October 27, 2015

Going into pregnancy I heard every manner of reasons as to why I should have had a birth 
plan. Heck, people even asked what my birth plan was. 




Had I had the extra cash I would have probably hired a Douala, although Jeremy did great at lower back massage with tennis balls. Counter pressure massage was a big 
life saver. So I guess you could say he and my mother served that role, however I was in so much pain at times I have no memory of Jeremy being around. 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. 

Birth plans. 

I started to buy into the idea that I needed one, I thought I could control birth. I attempt to control everything else, so why not labor and birth as well. So I started discussing the topic with my doctor when I was a my last month of pregnancy just to see what she said. 

She was against the idea. 

At the time I was giving her the crazy eye, but now, opposed to common hippie practice... I don't think I'd ever both with the idea again. 

If you are communicating with your doctor along the way they already know what you want. 
We discussed epidurals all day every day, or at least it seemed that way when I saw her. 
She kept trying to get me to just write in my chart that I wanted one and I was against the idea. I wanted so badly to just go into labor naturally and "see" how I felt. If it were too much I would simply get an epidural. She knew that was what I wanted, but I eventually let her mark in my charts that I would take one just to have it as an option. 

I'm terribly glad I did too. Going into labor naturally didn't happen. Instead my blood 
pressure was out of control and she wanted the baby out before it started causing damage
 to my organs. Honestly, the pain that pitocin caused was no match for breathing. There was no time to breathe between contractions. Instead I progressed as far as I could until I was 
positive my bones were literally separating from my body. By that point I didn't slow down, it actually allowed me to relax and allow labor to progress more. (I know it can slow you down 
though... that's why I wanted to skip it altogether)

Nothing ever goes as planned. 
I didn't plan on having high blood pressure. I didn't plan on being induced. I didn't even plan 
to get an IV but only got once because I had to have so many fluids in before an epi could 
ever start and there was no sitting around for 45 minutes waiting on it. 

The week I gave birth my charts got mixed up and I was marked to need magnesium. That would have caused me to have to stay in bed and not bounce around on my yoga ball to try and speed things up. Luckily that mix up got fixed, but more on it later. 

You just can't plan for what could happen. The only thing I could try to control was staying as calm as humanly possible every time the blood pressure cuff beeped to start checking me. Which basically means the yogi deep inside did everything she could to keep my pressure down so I didn't need a c-section. 

Ask questions. 
I questioned everything the nurses did, even though my husband was probably cringing in a corner somewhere. In fact it was good that I did, remember that chart mix up? Well, my 
doctor wasn't getting to the hospital until almost 2 hour after I had been induced. Had I not forced the nurses to call my OB and refuse to take the magnesium I would have been put on a drug I didn't need that could potentially have changed the course of how my labor went. 
Instead she told them I was right and I was able to go on my merry way bouncing on my ball as happily as I could. 

There was nothing that went into me that I wasn't asking questions about. 

Don't be afraid to ask permission to do things. 
This should also be backed up with having a doctor who supports your views. 

We agreed on most everything, except her view on how long my maternity leave should last. I'll give it to my OB though, anyone else in my blood pressure state would have been told to get on bed rest, she knew how much I needed to save my paid days off and let me go to 
work under the understanding that I basically taught from a chair with my legs lifted up and 
stayed in bed when I was home. 

At one of my birthing classes the nurse talked about birthing balls, turns out all the ones at 
the hospital ran away so I had to bring my own. Which my doctor approved me doing. I felt 
a little silly making Jeremy wander around with a giant ball, but I'm convinced it progressed my labor. 

Now this isn't just about the birthing ball. Had we not talked on the phone two days before, after we had discussed the state of my blood pressure and what HAD to happen because of it regardless of what I WANTED, I wouldn't have known I could still have my ball. Now, 
having asked if I could have it completely contradicted what the nurses were wanted to do to me and I knew I had to quiz the heck out of them. That ball saved me from having to have 
magnesium that I didn't want, and didn't need. Had I not asked permission just days before giving birth I wouldn't have known, but when I was told I wouldn't be able to get out of bed if they gave me the magnesium I knew it wasn't lined up to what we had discussed. 

Turns out, I think the nurses and doctors kind of dislike the whole birth plan thing. 
Mainly because you can only control what's happening to a certain extent. Meaning, "Yes, I'd love some ice" is about the only thing that will definitely go as planned. I went in trying not to boss people around who knew their job better than I knew it and I got on well with 
everyone because of it... minus that nurse who gave me an IV. 

The biggest reason to skip it, you'll likely be dissatisfied with your birth experience if you have a birth plan. 
My OB really stressed the fact that of all the babies she delivered, the most dissatisfied mothers were the ones with birth plans. She said they hardly every go according to the plan and those mothers felt almost cheated in a way and regretted aspects of their birth. 

I have to say I think she is right. I tossed the plan out the window and went with the flow. I 
had things I wanted to have happen and we all knew that Plan A was Plan A, but if Plan B 
had to happen that was okay too. 

I couldn't be dead set on the one hour of skin to skin, and then nursing before the baby was ever taken for a bath if there was something wrong with him. That was out of my control. 

I didn't want an episiotomy, and luckily my doctor agreed that tearing was better than cutting and that's the route we went. 

When push (pun not intended) came to shove I had to trust that this woman who had gone 
to school forever and had delivered more babies than I had ever held knew what she was 
doing. I told her my ideal birth and she did what she could to make that happen. 

Thanks to her suggestion to toss my hippified birth plan out the window  I ended up really 
enjoying the whole event, some parts in retrospective mind you, but I enjoyed it. 

I even broke the rules and was chomping down on some S'mores Gram-fulls while she was stitching me up since I was starving. Funny thing is that the nurses thought something was wrong since I suddenly wanted to guzzle water and eat everything granola bar in hobbling 
distance, but my lovely OB who had paid such close attention to me the last 9 months knew I was just hungry and thirsty... and that neither of those needs had been met with a giant
baby keeping me for eating or drinking much without getting sick. 

So ladies, ditch the birth plan and just find an OB you love.
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Paleo Chocolate Lactation Cookies

October 26, 2015

If there's anything I've learned nursing it's this, keep plenty of fenugreek & brewer's yeast on hand. 

Here's my go to recipe for lactation cookies for when I'm wanting some brewer's yeast in my system and want to mask it's oh so nasty flavor. 


If you've had brewer's yeast in a cookie you know how bad it can taste. 

These lovelies completely mask the flavor and a bonus is that they contain ingredients you don't have to feel bad about eating. 

Although I'm pretty sure after the amount of these I've consumed my breast milk probably tastes like chocolate milk.


Paleo Chocolate Coconut Lactation Cookies

Ingredients::
makes 13 cookies
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened coco powder
2 tbsp flax meal
2 - 3 tbsp brewer's yeast
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions::
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream coconut oil and coconut sugar. Add in eggs & vanilla and mix until they are a lighter color and seem like they've taken on some air and become a little fluffy (if that makes sense). Add in salt and baking powder, mix to combine. Add in coco powder and mix to combine. Add in flax meal and brewer's yeast and stir to combine. Next add in coconut flour and stir to combine. Scoop out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 

*If you haven't used brewer's yeast before start with 2 tbsp and then work your way up to 3. 3 is definitely edging on the bitter taste, but it will get the lactating job done. 
*Make sure you follow the order in the directions, I've made a dozen batches of these and this order and method work every time if you want cookies that will spread a little and not come out of the over in the same shape they were when you scooped them. 
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