Bluebonnets 2013

The bluebonnets are in full force this year!  We went for a little drive just to get the pictures.  It's kind of a Texas tradition, ya'll.  It took some coaxing, but the girls finally sat down on the dirt and got over their fear of bugs.  The boy was more fixated on the flower I gave him to hold and only smiled when I made weird noises behind daddy's back.  I was that lady by the side of the road.   I think they turned out pretty good, at least the ones I'm posting.  A few of them are of my butt (thanks hubby!) and some have at least one of the children making some weird face in some form or fashion, so just the good ones for the blog... you know, so we at least "look" like a normal family.  

A Migraine Sufferer's Dilemna

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20306955_2,00.html

That right there my friends is what I should not be eating.  Ever.  I suffer from migraines.  I have had them since childhood.  I can remember coming home in 4th grade with a horrible migraine.  I was wearing these awesome forest green jeans and a cardigan that I think reached my knees and just laying on the bed, a pillow over my face, wishing the pain to stop.

My headaches have always been that bad when I have them.  I have to lay in a dark room, with something over my head, no noise, and lots of ibuprofen to help it go away.  It wasn't until I was much older in life (hah, going through nursing school) that I realized they were migraines.  I just figured this is how other people experience headaches as well.

Today I woke up with a headache.  I popped 2 ibuprofen and drank a cup of coffee.  My noon I had to take 3 more ibuprofen.  I laid down for a nap and hoped it would go away.  I got up at 3:30 pm and still felt it nagging, so I took 2 more.  Still now at this time it's pounding.  I took 2 Excedrin migraine and a Benadryl.  So now I find myself looking at preventative measures.  Soon my kids will be home (in about 30 minutes) and it will start pounding again, I can assure you.

A while back I cut out so much from my diet for the migraines.  Cheese and chocolate were a big one.  Those were also the hardest to cut out.  Oh, and coffee.... I love having my daily cup of joe.  I guess I'm going to have to revert back to teas and Daiya "cheese" again.  <sigh> I love most of the foods on that list!

The added stress of buying a house and family drama (more on that later this week, yippee!) doesn't help.  We had the housing inspection today, which went surprisingly well!  It's a "clean" house as the inspector said.  Thank freaking Gawd!  I could use something in my favor every now and then.  I turned in the loan application today, and have to get updated check stubs/bank accounts to them.  I'm going to worry about that tomorrow at work though.  That headache is still there after all.

Forever A Patient

The boy had minor surgery today.  Tubes in his ears.  Been there, done that with the 8 y.o.  It was a weird experience today though.  Yes, I'm a nurse.  Yes, I know it's minor surgery.  But I'm a nurse and a mother.  My mind started running last night.  I only thought of the worst that could happen.  What if he reacts bad to the anesthesia?  Do they have a pedi crash cart?  Will they do everything they can?

I couldn't sleep.

Of course, I got there at 0615.  They said to be there at 0600, but sadly I knew the MD wouldn't be there until 0700 at the earliest (he actually got there at 0715) so I had a bit of an arrogant attitude.  The boy flirted with the nurses, and wanted to be put down.  I refused so he writhed in my arms until surgery time.  Then the anesthesiologist came in, did her deal, and before I knew it he was taken out of my arms.  The nurses commented how he didn't cry, but how could he?  She took him before either one
of us could say good bye.

I went to the waiting room, fixed some coffee from their Keureg, sat down and waited.  I waited long enough to drink 1/4 of my coffee only to see the MD coming out to say "All done!"

Seriously?  I lost sleep for nothing!  In all seriousness, I think what it all comes down to though is that I may be a nurse and know the ins and outs, but ultimately I'm a mother.  Being a nurse and a mother?  It's a curse.  You have too much knowledge about what could go wrong, and that's your baby someone else is watching over.

He did fine though, he's running all over the place as we speak.  My bag of mismatched socks is always tons of fun for him.  Here's hoping this cuts down on the ear infections.

A very pinterest dinner

I'm a pretty frugal person.  My husband says "miser", but I say frugal.  With us preparing to buy a house, I'm trying to get us out of the habit of buying food out.  We don't do it often, but enough where it makes a difference financially if we just cut it out all together.  So last week I came up with a menu for the week.  It consisted of:

Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit)

Spaghetti with meatballs (this is a staple in our house, we use frozen meatballs because we're rushed for time)

Root beer pulled pork sandwiches

Shredded chicken tacos

Corned beef hash casserole

Stir fry tofu and veggies with ginger brown rice (also another staple)

Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers

Quick "paninis" with salads

I think that's everything?  We tend to cook just enough food for our family of 5, and I eat off the leftovers for lunches.  The husbands work provides lunch everyday, kids in the daycare have all food provided, so it's pretty much all for me to finish.  Usually nothing goes to waste since, like I said, we cook enough for our family for dinner.  This week we have as follows:

Spicy beans with turkey sausage 

Bubble up pizza 

Slow cooker chicken caesar sandwiches

Chicken cordon bleu cassserole - kids LOVE this one for some reason!

Enchiladas

Baked potato soup - uses cauliflower to reduce the calories/carbs

Chicken spaghetti - another old recipe that the kids ate up

Obviously, I've been on pinterest.  Clearly you can tell that from the recipes.  If it's got cheese and cream of _____ soup, it's probably on pinterest.  Not the healthiest of things for dinner, but the kids eat a lot and I can only handle so many different versions of steamed veggies/ sauteed veggies with baked chicken.  I do try and rotate something (or two) in the crock pot for dinners.  We usually have pizza and/or spaghetti once during the week.  Also we tend to have one soup or stew during the week.  We are a dual working parent so our meals tend to be quick, or crock pot, without a lot of variety.  Hoping by posting this I'll have a little more variety.  I am going to take a cue from one of the links above, and cook a ton of chicken in the crock pot to shred and freeze.  That would probably help make some more quick dinners (the enchiladas for example).  

So there you go, enjoy.  I know I will... my stomach is rumbling thinking about dinner now.

Return from an extended vacation...

Perhaps I should try this again. Make something of this blog? I got into blogging from a friend of mine who is so good at posting on her blog at least once a week. Tuesday Ten? Freaking clever! When I started my first blog, I did it thinking... well, maybe people will look at it and I can make money off it. nope.

That's hilarity at it's finest! BWHAhahahahahaha.

 Then I was immature, got pissed at some people in my life and was all "F--k it! I'm starting a new blog bitches!" So I started a second blog. I think my goal with that one (this one actually), was to openly post my weight in hopes that I would be motivated to lose some of it. I mean, I think I posted other stuff, but I've forgotten since then. Shit, it's been a whole f--king year since I posted on here.

Life is different. I've changed. A lot in fact. So maybe I should try this again. Use it. Like, for real. Maybe an outlet to share my sadness and happiness? Document my kids growing up? So much time has passed and I've made so many memories so far, but nothing is written down. I want the kids to look back on it and think "Oh, life didn't suck as much as I thought." Cause yeah, I'm pretty sure my 8 y.o. thinks her life is suck, but it's not... I swear.

 So where am I at now in life. 31 years old. I tend to forget how old I am. Yes, seriously. Yesterday in the car I asked the hubby if I was 31 or 32. I guess I've lost track? Those grey hairs I colored for the 30th birthday? Eh, I could careless about them. They are coming in FULL FORCE people, so I'm just coming to grips with reality. I'm going grey, there's nothing I can do about it!

    
AHHH!  Can you see the greys??  Probably not.

Anywho, almost 2 years as a nurse. I did my stint in Labor and Delivery. Went to work every morning anxiety stricken of what to come that day. So I transferred. Just a hop, skip and a jump to the Level I nursery. I like it, I'm good at it. So much so I'm training new nurses in their new careers. Kinda cool to see how far I've come. Come July, I'll have been an RN for 2 years, and I'll apply for the RNC certification. Kind of like saying, "Yes, I'm a nurse, but here I have validated that I'm a GOOD f--king nurse."

 I think I cuss more, but I'll try and keep it out the blog for your viewing pleasure. Eh, fuck it. I don't really give a shit, do I? NOPE. Being nurse has jaded me. I do care about people, but now I'm so quick to just say "fuck it" now a days. More so than before. I've come to a point in my life where I just don't give a crap about what other people think about me. And I'm ok with that.

 I've been married now 8 years, together for a decade. He's not tired of my crap yet! He's a good man. Unbelievably good. Puts up with my shit. Takes care of the kids when I'm working every other weekend. Such a good, genuine, man. I love him. A lot. So much so I decided to buy a house with him. Huge step for us.

 We started from nothing, with nothing, and have worked our way up to a house. FINALLY. Now I find myself stalking pinterest for ideas on Frugal Kitchen Re-Do (slim pickin's, hah).

Let's mull over that one more time.... We're buying a house. A HOUSE... wow.

 I've changed so much. I'm a mom of 3. I'm impatient. I'm strict. I expect things from them that other parents probably don't demand. They are good kids though. And I love all of them. They are so different. I can't wait for them to all have their own bedrooms. A fucking house.  I can't belive it.

Rambling now. Maybe I'll make something of this blog now. Since I'm at the point where I don't really give a shit what people think, thoughts should hopefully come easily now.

Happy February!

It's officially February which means quite a few things around here.

1. I turn 30 on the 9th. In honor of this special occasion I dyed my grey hairs today. Can't look old even though I'm getting older. w00t!

2. Ground hog's day is tomorrow. I'm pretty sure he will not only say no more winter, but that spring began last November here in Texas.

3. The wee 1 will be 3 on the 17th.

and..................

drum roll please.........................

4. Another child will be joining our family this month!

AHHH! The last one frightens and excites me at the same time. I'm not ready to be a mom to 3 kiddos. I'm not ready for the sleepless nights. I'm definitely not ready to deal with diapers all over again. However, I'm excited about getting to see him/her and find out what they finally look like. I'm excited to fall in love all over again with another child. I'm excited to go through all the "firsts" all over again... first smile, first laugh, first "mama".

On a completely unrelated note, I need to add something to my resolutions. That would be to renew my memberships for AWHONN and CAPPA and to complete my lactation educator certification. I hoped to finish that LAST Aug. Thankfully my director has said nothing. Whoops.

3.5 weeks will my due date! 195 pounds total, good Lord that is a lot of baby.

Geez-us... did I just post that on the interwebs for the world to see? I think so. Oh well.

Almost a year... hello 2012!

I always enjoy reading my friends' blogs. Can I just say they are so good about updating them... regularly!? Unlike me. I noticed the last time I blogged was LAST February. It's been almost a year. And that's sad. But here is a sum up of 2011 from where I left off.

March-May- nursing school. Duh. Need I say anything else on this? It consumed my life, but guess what? I graduated, I got my BSN, and I was inducted as a member of STTI, which is our nursing honor society.

May- Me and the hubby made our way on our first vaca together in a long time! We went on a short cruise, only 4 days, to Cozumel. It may have been short, but it was definitely sweet and we can't wait to go on another trip soon!

June- Went to San Antonio with one of my BFs that dates back all the way from high school. Had a blast. I also accepted my first nursing job after many interviews and even more applications. Mid month we visited my in-laws, that was a nice little trip. It was also at the end of this month I found out I have a bun in the oven. Whoops. IUD fail. I found out June 30 with a positive home pregnancy test and was at the dr. office the next day.

July- Started my job! Orientation began July 5th. There was high risk with the pregnancy since the IUD was in place still. The girls enjoyed their summer at a new day care and adjusted to both mama and daddy working. Big adjustment, but they seemed to handle it well.

July-now- work. Working a lot. And getting bigger thanks to a healthy baby the drs. didn't think I would be able to carry safely since they never could get the pesky IUD out. I love my job in labor in delivery, but it is exhausting. I will be happy to NOT be pregnant and working. The is my first time doing that. Never again. Hopefully. The girls are growing like weeds, they have grown out their bangs and want long hair a la Rapunzel.

October they dressed up for Halloween as ballerinas. The girls trick or treated, I met up with them late since I worked that day.

November- Thanksgiving was spent at my sister's house, although I was not there since as an RN you end up working some holidays. I heard it was good though, and got a doggy plate sent home to me, which was delish.

December was beyond busy with work on both the hubby and I. But all that work paid off as we bought our first new/used car together! Christmas was good, the family agreed to do a secret santa gift exchange which saved a ton of money. I got some bath and body works lotion/soap, the hubby got some think geek shirts. The girls loaded up with a wii, baby malibu doll house, an art easel, and a pop up tent from Santa left at various homes. The girls got mermaid barbie's from daddy, and I sewed them some scarves from me. A new tradition we will try to repeat is homemade gifts for each other. The big girl pretty happy to have made something to give to us, and I loved my picture she made me. Oh, the hubby did good this year, got me a bathrobe I had asked for along with some yummy perfume I am in LOVE with. Pink Sugar. Get yourself some.

So the rest of my time in the past year has been spent (besides working believe it or not) growing a healthy baby. My current weight is 192.4. I started the pregnancy at 171. The hardest thing about this pregnancy is the weight gain. It's inevitable, but so difficult when you worked so hard to lose it in the first place. I can't wait for the pregnancy to be done, I'm sick of people saying I look so big, and that this will "be a big baby!" I have 7 weeks and 3 days left. I'll be 33 weeks on Saturday. Blah.

Besides growing a baby, I have found a new addiction in Pinterest. Which lead me to my next topic.... the dreaded New Year's resolutions.

Let's call them goals instead. Sounds so much better.

1. Make 3 craft things on Pinterest. I should be able to accomplish this in a year, right?
2. Read more.... I'm looking into a e-ink reader like a kindle or nook. Leaning towards the kindle at the moment.
3. Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of the year. I just want to wear my jeans again. If more comes off along the way, awesome.
4. Breastfeed. I had a difficult time with the first two, but I am armed with a wealth of knowledge and tools to help me out this time. Everything from an SNS feeder that I have, knowledge that feeding every 2-3 hours is a minimum i.e. that baby will be on me all the time, and some assistance from some new meds I am trying this time.
5. Sew two outfits for the girls each. This is outside my pinterest craft goal. 4 things. We shall see.
6. See growth in my career, getting more CEU's, and working on my portfolio.
7. Blog more often. Not making promises on how often. Once a week sound good? It sounds good to me, lol.

So there is 2011 in a nutshell, and what my goals are for 2012.