So, Austine has been out of a job for such a long time now. He graduated from college 2 years ago with his B.A. (which has done nothing for us) in Graphic Design. He's been working with his dad since he was 16, so he's pretty handy with a hammer and some nails, and that's what gets us through our various expenses. Unfortunately, that kind of work can be really unpredictable. One month you will make buttloads, and the next month you'll have nothing. Right now we are in a nothing month so I am in super saver mode, especially when it comes to groceries.
Tip #1: Whole Chicken
Yup, that's right. The whole bird. There is so many things you can do with this (that is super super easy), and it's so cheap. A largeish chicken will cost 5-6 dollars, which is as much as a pound and a half of chicken breasts. The good thing about a whole chicken is that it's really useful for up to three meals. That's a lot when you're dirt poor. Normally, I will roast it up, eat one side as a meal, then use the other side shredded in tacos, pot pie, or something else. Then I will save the bones and leftover meat and make chicken and dumpling soup. All in all I think each meal costs about 2-3 dollars each this way.
Tip#2: Wholesale Stores
Ok, so this may not be the most unique and secret technique to save money, but it works. The key at stores like Costco and Sams Club is to buy shelf stable items, toiletries, and other things you tend to use on a daily basis. If you buy veggies, meat, or other unstable food items you're going to end up wasting money. I don't know anyone who can eat 10 lbs of grapes in a week. We typically buy toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, condiments, canned, and freezer items there. Our toilet paper managed to last us a whole year (I know, how did that happen with Austine's butt? Only God knows).
Tip#3: Make everything from scratch
Yeah, it's a pain in the butt. But in the long run it saves you money and tastes better. I know our grocery bill always ends up higher when we buy a lot of stuff from the freezer aisle (our own laziness). I can always whip something up from a bit of flour and butter, and it's definitely gotten us out of a few messes (also known as, we have no food, what are we eating?).
Tip#4: Treasure Box
My mom clued me in on this community site that serves California and Arizona. Treasure Box is a website that has a monthly menu that you buy from; you buy a whole box at a time. In this box is a weeks worth of food: for 30-35 dollars. It's a huge savings and makes a big difference on our grocery bill. Obviously we are needy enough to get this, but if we were making more money I don't think I'd feel comfortable using it anymore, there are enough people who really need them.
1.05.2011
My feet are having a love affair
For Christmas, my wonderful husband showered me with gifts of all kinds, but my absolute favorite gift was a pair of Target Uggs knockoffs. I wore them straight for a week and three days (yes those extra days matter!), and suddenly they began to fall apart at the seams. I went through several days of withdrawals (mainly cold feet) until we finally got to Target to return them. This is where I discovered Muk-Luks.
Muk-Luks are like a fusion of a very warm scarf, durable shoes, and a fluffy warm animal. I have to say I'm in love with these much much more than I was in love with my Fuggs, and I was head over heels for those things. They are incredibly warm and comfortable, I don't think I could have done better if I had gotten real Uggs anyways. Besides, the 19.99 price tag was amazing.
P.S. You can buy my exact pair here or find them everywhere online.
Muk-Luks are like a fusion of a very warm scarf, durable shoes, and a fluffy warm animal. I have to say I'm in love with these much much more than I was in love with my Fuggs, and I was head over heels for those things. They are incredibly warm and comfortable, I don't think I could have done better if I had gotten real Uggs anyways. Besides, the 19.99 price tag was amazing.
P.S. You can buy my exact pair here or find them everywhere online.
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| Look, my feet are smiling! |
1.04.2011
Hush Little Baby....
Ethan has been sleeping so well this past week (knock on wood). I've actually been getting around 7-8 hours of straight sleep each night! Originally he wouldn't even sleep by himself, but we figured out that swaddling him, and rocking him with his pacifier in his mouth would lead to complete dead to the world sleep (at least at bedtime, nap-time is a whole 'nother animal). Normally the rocking will take a while, anywhere from 10-40 minutes (yes, 40 minutes of non-stop rocking). During this time he is half asleep, but if you put him down too soon all hell will break loose.
During this time I entertain myself by thinking of things I could be doing, should be doing, I want to do or get. Most of all, I end up singing Hush Little Baby to him. It normally goes like this:
Hush little baby don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird,
And if that mocking bird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring,
And if that diamond ring don't shine, (here's where its evident I don't know the words)
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond mine,
And if that mine don't produce, (ok that doesn't fit)
Mama's gonna buy you a golden goose,
And if that golden goose don't lay,
Mama's gonna buy you a bale of hay, (what every 3 month old is dreaming about for christmas this year)
And if that bale of hay makes you sneeze, (if you know my husband it probably will)
Mama's gonna buy you some bee's knees.....
And it goes on and on and on and on.
Here's a link to the real lyrics (and more importantly, the history) if you're curious. Feel free to finish my lyrics in the comment section ;)
During this time I entertain myself by thinking of things I could be doing, should be doing, I want to do or get. Most of all, I end up singing Hush Little Baby to him. It normally goes like this:
Hush little baby don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird,
And if that mocking bird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring,
And if that diamond ring don't shine, (here's where its evident I don't know the words)
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond mine,
And if that mine don't produce, (ok that doesn't fit)
Mama's gonna buy you a golden goose,
And if that golden goose don't lay,
Mama's gonna buy you a bale of hay, (what every 3 month old is dreaming about for christmas this year)
And if that bale of hay makes you sneeze, (if you know my husband it probably will)
Mama's gonna buy you some bee's knees.....
And it goes on and on and on and on.
Here's a link to the real lyrics (and more importantly, the history) if you're curious. Feel free to finish my lyrics in the comment section ;)
1.02.2011
Happy New Year!
Well, I haven't blogged in a few months. Life is fast and crazy with a 3 month old! It really is insane how fast children grow. One night he was wearing his 0-3 pajamas, the next morning they didn't fit! He is now 12 lbs and 23 and 3/4 inches (as of the last checkup). His is getting so chubby and cute!
Here are a few photos:
Since it is the New Year, I'd like to put the few goals I have out there for all to see.
Lose Weight
So yes, this is a pretty typical New Years resolution. I gained about 40 pounds (I will be honest, I was 222 when I delivered Ethan). I am now 196.5. This is (obviously) not my ideal weight, or even the weight I was at when I got pregnant. I've always been on the "soft" side, I don't think I've ever not had fat on me. As a child, I was super skinny. When I hit puberty I ballooned up (thank you hormones). I would love to feel healthy. To me, this is really around 155-160. That's 35-40 lbs that I want to lose. While I have to be honest and say that I probably will not lose it all by next year, I would at least like to weight less than I do now next New Years.
I have a few ways I'm planning on losing the weight. Weight Watchers helped me before I got married, and now I'm turning to them again to lose the weight. I also am planning on joining 24 Hour Fitness when Ethan is 6 months old. This is the age that they accept for the daycare there. Hopefully you all can witness me become a new person. As long as I don't give up, it'll happen eventually, right?
Write here at least once a week
I love writing and even though I may not be that great at it, it's always made me feel a lot better to write down my thoughts and emotions as they run through me. I have a great journal I wrote in my HS years, and I love to look back at it and see how much I've changed. This blog will ideally become a log of how my family and I have changed over the years.
Get A a job
I think we've always had this goal, but now more than ever it is important. Right now A and I are in a funk, he has no work with his dad, and of course I am not working anymore. We really need something that brings in at least 15/hr. Recently he got a job offer for 11/hr, but it wouldn't have provided for us...he makes more with his dad. It felt really selfish to turn down a job after we've been hunting for so long, but we had to stay realistic. I'm really hoping we see some upturn in the economy this year.
Pray and attend church
I'll be the first to admit we haven't been as great as we should be at this. For me, it's easy to forget my prayers when I get sucked up into this material world of ours. Church has always been hard for me to go to because I really am not a morning person at all. I feel extremely guilty about this. This year, I want to try and get into a routine, remember to say my prayers everyday, and only miss church if I am sick.
So there we go: Health, Money, Heart and Soul. A goal for each facet of my life. I'm really looking forward to this year, I bet it is going to be 100x better than 2010!
Here are a few photos:
Since it is the New Year, I'd like to put the few goals I have out there for all to see.
Lose Weight
So yes, this is a pretty typical New Years resolution. I gained about 40 pounds (I will be honest, I was 222 when I delivered Ethan). I am now 196.5. This is (obviously) not my ideal weight, or even the weight I was at when I got pregnant. I've always been on the "soft" side, I don't think I've ever not had fat on me. As a child, I was super skinny. When I hit puberty I ballooned up (thank you hormones). I would love to feel healthy. To me, this is really around 155-160. That's 35-40 lbs that I want to lose. While I have to be honest and say that I probably will not lose it all by next year, I would at least like to weight less than I do now next New Years.
I have a few ways I'm planning on losing the weight. Weight Watchers helped me before I got married, and now I'm turning to them again to lose the weight. I also am planning on joining 24 Hour Fitness when Ethan is 6 months old. This is the age that they accept for the daycare there. Hopefully you all can witness me become a new person. As long as I don't give up, it'll happen eventually, right?
Write here at least once a week
I love writing and even though I may not be that great at it, it's always made me feel a lot better to write down my thoughts and emotions as they run through me. I have a great journal I wrote in my HS years, and I love to look back at it and see how much I've changed. This blog will ideally become a log of how my family and I have changed over the years.
Get A a job
I think we've always had this goal, but now more than ever it is important. Right now A and I are in a funk, he has no work with his dad, and of course I am not working anymore. We really need something that brings in at least 15/hr. Recently he got a job offer for 11/hr, but it wouldn't have provided for us...he makes more with his dad. It felt really selfish to turn down a job after we've been hunting for so long, but we had to stay realistic. I'm really hoping we see some upturn in the economy this year.
Pray and attend church
I'll be the first to admit we haven't been as great as we should be at this. For me, it's easy to forget my prayers when I get sucked up into this material world of ours. Church has always been hard for me to go to because I really am not a morning person at all. I feel extremely guilty about this. This year, I want to try and get into a routine, remember to say my prayers everyday, and only miss church if I am sick.
So there we go: Health, Money, Heart and Soul. A goal for each facet of my life. I'm really looking forward to this year, I bet it is going to be 100x better than 2010!
11.04.2010
Unsung Heroes
I don't think I ever truly appreciated my mother until I became one myself. Mothers sacrifice everything for the sake of their child! Looking back, I was probably more than a "little" shit. My mother probably had to deal with so much stress on my behalf...I was trouble in school, at home, I just couldn't focus and be the good school kid everyone wanted me to be. My mother was patient in a situation not many people would be patient in.
Now that I'm a mom, I completely understand this idea of sacrifice. There is no "me" time anymore, just "his" time. It doesn't matter that I had the kitchen halfway mopped when he starts crying, everything must be dropped. What I find funny is that I do it gladly and willingly. I was really scared while I was pregnant, that I wouldn't love my child because of the inconvenience it would cause. Now that he is here, it's obvious that my fears were based on nothing. I love this kid to death, and even when I am sitting there crying with him out of frustration, I would sacrifice anything to make him happy.
I don't think anyone can really understand the meaning of that until they have a kid themselves. You can read all the first year books you want, nothing truly prepares you for the real thing. It's not bad at all, so don't believe all those people who paint motherhood in such a negative light. So far it's been really rewarding: sleepless, but rewarding.
My hat goes off to my mother, and mothers everywhere....now I understand.
Now that I'm a mom, I completely understand this idea of sacrifice. There is no "me" time anymore, just "his" time. It doesn't matter that I had the kitchen halfway mopped when he starts crying, everything must be dropped. What I find funny is that I do it gladly and willingly. I was really scared while I was pregnant, that I wouldn't love my child because of the inconvenience it would cause. Now that he is here, it's obvious that my fears were based on nothing. I love this kid to death, and even when I am sitting there crying with him out of frustration, I would sacrifice anything to make him happy.
I don't think anyone can really understand the meaning of that until they have a kid themselves. You can read all the first year books you want, nothing truly prepares you for the real thing. It's not bad at all, so don't believe all those people who paint motherhood in such a negative light. So far it's been really rewarding: sleepless, but rewarding.
My hat goes off to my mother, and mothers everywhere....now I understand.
10.14.2010
Ethan is here!
Austine and I went to the hospital Sunday morning (10/10/10) at 6AM to start an induction. We both got up at around 4:30, we really couldn't sleep anymore. Austine was really excited, and I was really really nervous. I just felt like an induction would 100% lead to a C-section, which is something I've been very fearful of the whole pregnancy. But, Ethan was a week overdue and needed to meet us already!
It took almost an hour to fill out paperwork, get into a gown, and get hooked up on the pitocin. They checked me and I was still at 2cm, what I was a week ago at the appointment. Dr. Sutton came in and broke my water, what a strange feeling that was! I really hoped that would get things moving, but alas it didn't. They turned on the pit, and the waiting began...at first the contractions were bearable. I would time them on Austine's iPod to give me something to do. I wanted to go as far as I could without any pain meds...knowing it would make my chance for a C-section smaller. Every contraction I would just repeat..."it's only pain". This continued on for a LONG time. I managed to bear out the contractions until about 2:30. They began to get really heavy around 1:30, but I decided to take a systemic narcotic to try and wait out the pain. While they were really nice and would let me sleep for about 30 minutes, it really didn't last long. It was at this point that I decided to get the epidural. I had previously wanted to wait until I was 5cm, but I had a feeling if I had the epidural I might make progress..being that I wouldn't be fighting each hugely painful contraction.
The epidural was nothing compared to the contractions, it wasn't bliss but it wasn't non-functional either. I am glad I made the choice to get it. With the epidural I could feel each contraction, but it was only the pressure I was feeling. Unfortunately I got some of the horrible side effects...nausea, shaking, and itchiness. The itchiness was the worst! I was itching hours after they stopped the epidural.
At 4PM, I was checked again. I was still 2cm! However, I went from 50% effacement to 80%, so the doctor agreed to let me labor until 9, if I hadn't made any progress by then, we would be doing a section. It was really after this that things started to get hectic and scary. At around 6, the heart rate started to drop with each contraction. Hearing this was super scary. They put me on oxygen and turned me from side to side to keep it up. It was becoming apparent that his cord was wrapped around him somewhere! Then, I got the news that I was running a fever, most likely from the sac being broken so long. So they added amoxicillin to the long list of IV meds I was on. At around 7 they did an amniotic tranfusion, they pumped saline solution into my uterus to give Ethan more room to "breathe". This didn't seem to help as much as laying on my right did.
At 9, he checked me and I had gone from 2 to 6. He said he felt like I could do a vaginal delivery, but I would have to be prepped for a C-section and sign the consent form before I even started pushing. After nine, I started to feel a lot of pressure and pain in my bottom...the epidural wasn't working there. They really couldn't do much about it, so I started counting through the contractions. I labored for another four hours! Eventually they sat me up and Ethan's heartbeat started to return to normal. I officially started pushing at 1:00 AM. They turned off my epidural because they wanted me to be an efficient pusher, his heart rate was dropping with each push and the quicker he was out the better.
It felt so much better to push. I would definitely rather be pushing than not pushing during the contraction. At about 1:40, the doc came in and we started pushing. After many pushes, the doctor cut me, and Ethan was born. The doctor suctioned him and he started screaming. I was really relieved to hear him, but I didn't get to see him immediately, because there had been meconium in the fluid around him. A lot of people said that as soon as their baby was born, all the pain was gone. That wasn't so for me. Even after he was out, I was still in a great deal of pain as I birthed the placenta, and Dr. Sutton stitched me up. It only really went away when they turned the epi back on. I was really out of it as they watched Ethan for signs that he was in respiratory distress. Fortunately, he was fine. It turned out in the end that his cord was in a perfect knot, which was what affected his heart rate. The little fish made a knot when he was a tiny guy in there!
Now we are home, and I am recovering from the episiotomy. Being a mother is a joy, the sleeplessness is worth it! Sorry for the length, but I had to type it out so I will remember it, and I figured I would share.
It took almost an hour to fill out paperwork, get into a gown, and get hooked up on the pitocin. They checked me and I was still at 2cm, what I was a week ago at the appointment. Dr. Sutton came in and broke my water, what a strange feeling that was! I really hoped that would get things moving, but alas it didn't. They turned on the pit, and the waiting began...at first the contractions were bearable. I would time them on Austine's iPod to give me something to do. I wanted to go as far as I could without any pain meds...knowing it would make my chance for a C-section smaller. Every contraction I would just repeat..."it's only pain". This continued on for a LONG time. I managed to bear out the contractions until about 2:30. They began to get really heavy around 1:30, but I decided to take a systemic narcotic to try and wait out the pain. While they were really nice and would let me sleep for about 30 minutes, it really didn't last long. It was at this point that I decided to get the epidural. I had previously wanted to wait until I was 5cm, but I had a feeling if I had the epidural I might make progress..being that I wouldn't be fighting each hugely painful contraction.
Timing my contractions
The epidural was nothing compared to the contractions, it wasn't bliss but it wasn't non-functional either. I am glad I made the choice to get it. With the epidural I could feel each contraction, but it was only the pressure I was feeling. Unfortunately I got some of the horrible side effects...nausea, shaking, and itchiness. The itchiness was the worst! I was itching hours after they stopped the epidural.
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| Huge amount of medications! |
At 4PM, I was checked again. I was still 2cm! However, I went from 50% effacement to 80%, so the doctor agreed to let me labor until 9, if I hadn't made any progress by then, we would be doing a section. It was really after this that things started to get hectic and scary. At around 6, the heart rate started to drop with each contraction. Hearing this was super scary. They put me on oxygen and turned me from side to side to keep it up. It was becoming apparent that his cord was wrapped around him somewhere! Then, I got the news that I was running a fever, most likely from the sac being broken so long. So they added amoxicillin to the long list of IV meds I was on. At around 7 they did an amniotic tranfusion, they pumped saline solution into my uterus to give Ethan more room to "breathe". This didn't seem to help as much as laying on my right did.
 |
| On oxygen |
At 9, he checked me and I had gone from 2 to 6. He said he felt like I could do a vaginal delivery, but I would have to be prepped for a C-section and sign the consent form before I even started pushing. After nine, I started to feel a lot of pressure and pain in my bottom...the epidural wasn't working there. They really couldn't do much about it, so I started counting through the contractions. I labored for another four hours! Eventually they sat me up and Ethan's heartbeat started to return to normal. I officially started pushing at 1:00 AM. They turned off my epidural because they wanted me to be an efficient pusher, his heart rate was dropping with each push and the quicker he was out the better.
It felt so much better to push. I would definitely rather be pushing than not pushing during the contraction. At about 1:40, the doc came in and we started pushing. After many pushes, the doctor cut me, and Ethan was born. The doctor suctioned him and he started screaming. I was really relieved to hear him, but I didn't get to see him immediately, because there had been meconium in the fluid around him. A lot of people said that as soon as their baby was born, all the pain was gone. That wasn't so for me. Even after he was out, I was still in a great deal of pain as I birthed the placenta, and Dr. Sutton stitched me up. It only really went away when they turned the epi back on. I was really out of it as they watched Ethan for signs that he was in respiratory distress. Fortunately, he was fine. It turned out in the end that his cord was in a perfect knot, which was what affected his heart rate. The little fish made a knot when he was a tiny guy in there!
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| I finally get to see him! |
Now we are home, and I am recovering from the episiotomy. Being a mother is a joy, the sleeplessness is worth it! Sorry for the length, but I had to type it out so I will remember it, and I figured I would share.
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| He has so much blonde hair! |
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| Sleeping on mommy |
10.05.2010
2 days late!
Well, we all know babies come when they want to...but I am now overdue by two days. I remember reading about mom's who would try all the old wives tales in order to get labor started and thinking, "Wow, I'll never be that crazy!".
Well hello kettle!
I want this kid out, and I want him out now! I've tried pumping, a membrane sweep, and primrose oil.
The pumping wasn't so bad, I have a Medela Swing pump, and it's really not uncomfortable to me at all. I actually managed to get around 4 oz out between both breasts, which I guess is a lot! It did trigger some strong contractions....but didn't necessarily "start" labor. I'm not sure I'll keep trying, as it seems like it's not really helping. It is nice to know I have a decent milk supply already (even if it is only colostrum).
The membrane sweep was done by the doc, and was pretty painful. I am only 1.5 cm dilated, and when I requested the sweep he was hesitant because he said it would hurt. Well, no pain no gain! He actually felt really bad about it, which is ironic because I requested it. If birth is worse than having my membranes swept, then God help me.
I bought 1000mg of Evening Primrose Oil, and you have to insert it vaginally. It is supposed to soften the cervix and ready it for dilation. I have NO IDEA if this is working, but I'm still inserting it every night in hope that it's helping. I'm also taking it orally twice a day.
Long walks have been suggested (being doing that), along with castor oil. I don't think I'm desperate enough for castor oil yet! Not sure what other crazy things I am willing to try, railroad tracks have been mentioned...which was weird enough. Hopefully something will work. I may just be pregnant forever!
Well hello kettle!
I want this kid out, and I want him out now! I've tried pumping, a membrane sweep, and primrose oil.
The pumping wasn't so bad, I have a Medela Swing pump, and it's really not uncomfortable to me at all. I actually managed to get around 4 oz out between both breasts, which I guess is a lot! It did trigger some strong contractions....but didn't necessarily "start" labor. I'm not sure I'll keep trying, as it seems like it's not really helping. It is nice to know I have a decent milk supply already (even if it is only colostrum).
The membrane sweep was done by the doc, and was pretty painful. I am only 1.5 cm dilated, and when I requested the sweep he was hesitant because he said it would hurt. Well, no pain no gain! He actually felt really bad about it, which is ironic because I requested it. If birth is worse than having my membranes swept, then God help me.
I bought 1000mg of Evening Primrose Oil, and you have to insert it vaginally. It is supposed to soften the cervix and ready it for dilation. I have NO IDEA if this is working, but I'm still inserting it every night in hope that it's helping. I'm also taking it orally twice a day.
Long walks have been suggested (being doing that), along with castor oil. I don't think I'm desperate enough for castor oil yet! Not sure what other crazy things I am willing to try, railroad tracks have been mentioned...which was weird enough. Hopefully something will work. I may just be pregnant forever!
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