7QT- Starring my 33-34 Wk Pregnancy Nesting

It has certainly been a fun and crazy week! As is the case with most families, we've had fighting and laughing and everything in between.  

But did your family have this this week?

1. Dress-up and tea parties

So posh.  

2. Book of the Week

This was such a sweet little find at the library this week.  ALL the girls loved the love and sweetness in this lovely picture book. 

3. Baby Names

In case you missed it from an earlier post, we did a baby name consultation with Kate at Sanctanomina.com for fun this time around.  Definitely check it out and tell us your thoughts!  So far, I believe the top suggestions from people center around Zoe, Zelie, and Tessa for girls and Blaise and Jude for boys, but there are seriously a TON of great suggestions both on her list and in the comments section too.  

4.  Family walks

We took one every night this week (and planning on a nice one tonight).  One evenings walk was to a concert at a nearby park.  2-4 miles every night and the kids slept great. 

 

And we all enjoy the beauty of God's creation all around us.  So beautiful. 

5. Craving?

I don't know if I'd call it a craving yet, though it probably will be as soon as this bag runs out...

These Boulder Canyon sea salt and cracked pepper chips are my new favorite thing.  I ate 3/4 of a bag of them yesterday...

6. Freezer meals

In this post last Sunday, I mentioned a few freezer meals I'd made.  Well, I had a whole list and had found some great deals at the store, so this week I made a bunch more....

Savory Chicken and Sausage & Peppers from this website (I just did one bag of each for now)

Beef Roast with Carrots from here and a slightly different version of Cilantro-Lime Chicken found here (minus the corn).  I actually made two recipes of that and threw one in the crock pot for dinner that day.  It was really good.  I made rice to put it over, but you could obviously make it into burritos/tacos too, and I had a bunch of salad greens, so I made my meal into a big salad (just add tomatoes and avocados and it gets even better). 

Sweet Balsamic Pork roast

2 bags of meatballs (I used a similar recipe, but I'm gluten-free, so used almond flour instead of bread crumbs and there was no ketchup in the version I used)

I made like 4 lbs worth of meatballs, and used some of them to make this Meatball Soup as well.  Additionally I froze 4 cups of homemade chicken stock to add to it when it's time to cook and eat. 

Teriyaki Chicken  (though Kayla isn't a huge fan of pineapple, so I omitted that and added a cup of water and a little ground ginger and a heaping tablespoon of honey)

&

this Cranberry Pork Roast

So far, I've got 16 meals all ready and I think I'll make a few more as well since we have the freezer space (a nice benefit to having a fridge of our own and renting a place that came with one). 

7. Smoothies

I'm also freezing up bags of fruit mixtures to make into smoothies for an easy and healthy breakfast/snack after baby comes.  Thanks to some awesome fresh and frozen fruit sales at Sprouts this week, I have well over a dozen baggies already and tons more fresh fruit cut up in the fridge for some healthy goodness now.  

Join the link-up for 7 quicktakes 

with This Ain't the Lyceum and share yours. 

The Best and Worst Moments of our Day at Disneyland

Our crazy, fun, intense day at Disneyland yesterday made me realize why I am so glad that we have annual passes and can visit the park frequently.   It also made me realize why some people aren't high on Disneyland.  Disneyland, especially with kids, is the kind of experience with highs and lows.  Generally you have some really tough moments and you also have plenty of really fun, memorable moments.  But it's a mix.  It's not all roses and smiling Disney characters and kids giggling.  Let me elaborate with the top 10 Best and Worst moments of our Day at Disneyland yesterday.  

on the bus ride to Disneyland!

To begin, you'll need some background (really, they are more of random facts)  The week before our visit, the girls all got sick with nasty colds.  A family friend of ours knows 'Elsa', and she was able to come with us to see Elsa as well as just help out and have fun.  She is the sweet girl with the long blond hair in the pictures. The girls were super excited about their Elsa apparel which they did extra chores to earn for our first trip back to Disneyland after the summer hiatus.  That meant everyone else (in our family) had Frozen shirts except me.  Target carried none in the women's or juniors' section, so I desperately moved to the little girls section and got the largest size of that pink Elsa shirt I'm wearing.  It worked, but I admit that the knowledge that it came from the little girls section of the store made me feel just a tad silly.  But honestly, I mostly felt awesome because it made my girls so excited that we ALL had Frozen outfits.  

I always save the best for last, so let's start with the bad...

Our 

5 Worst Moments 

at Disneyland 

yesterday

#1: Hot weather
As annual pass holders we almost never choose to go on days that are over 90 degrees and/or we usually visit in the evenings.  But the girls were so excited to get back after the summer black out...

#2: The baby threw up
Related to #1, Sophie got a little overheated (despite frequent stops for nursing etc) and threw up just after we ate dinner.  Fortunately she is still mostly nursing, so it wasn't nearly as disgusting as it could have been.  *Shout-out to the Disneyland workers who cleaned that mess up.  May God reward you for your kindness.

#3: The baby peed on me. 
It was mostly my own fault, because I meant to change her diaper and forgot to, and sure enough not 5 minutes after she was strapped to my front, I felt a nice warm sensation on my stomach.  At least she peed on the part of the shirt with pictures and color, so you couldn't really tell...

#4: Elsa mix-up
Emily knows "Elsa", so we got fast passes,waited in line, and whispered the secret password so that we were sent to the correct room...and we were told that our friend Elsa was not on the floor yet.  Wha??  So we had to let it go...and come back later.


Just a shameless plug for our friend Jonny (he used to work at Disneyland apparently) but we just met him recently and he is a RIDICULOUSLY talented piano player. This is just a little reminder to "let it go..." when things don't go quite as you planned...

#5: Lost scare and World of Color
The last ride of the day, I rode on Radiator Springs with Elise and Kayla.  While we rode, Chris took Sophie, Emily, and Ava to save seats for the World of Color show.  Unfortunately Ava had to go potty.  Emily offered to take her, but got a little turned around on the way back.  She did find Chris and Sophie again, but was traumatized by the experience, so we ditched our great seats and headed home for the evening.  We'll just have to catch the new World of Color another night...


But now we get to move on to

Our
5 Best Moments
at Disneyland 
yesterday


#1:  New Ride Experiences
After a summer break from Disneyland, the girls have grown, and Elise and Ava were tall enough to ride some new rides.  Elise is our scaredy cat, so even though she is now tall enough to ride LOTS of new things, she was not ready for most things.  She did, however; try Radiator Springs (loved it with Daddy, but wasn't a fan at night (<<key words) with Mommy who "screamed and almost broke her ears"...).  She and Ava also rode the Bumper Cars (Bugs Land) and the Jellyfish (by the Pier) for the first time plus Ava had her first ride on the Go-Coaster in ToonTown and loved it.  Perhaps next time, we'll get Elise on a few more new rides...

 







#2: Packed, FUN Day
We really made the most of our 12 hours at Disneyland.  With so many little kids, everyone can't ride the same rides, so it's hard to truly "count rides" but Kayla, Elise, and Ava each rode an average of 10 rides plus saw Mickey's Magic Map show and had 2 character Meet and Greets.  Chris' pedometer app clocked us walking about 10-11 miles.  Wow!

Not a new ride experience, but Kayla got to ride it with Emily AND her daddy which she really loved

Also not a new ride (but one of the girls' favorites- the Ladybugs in CA Adventure)


#3: Free Churro 
Our stroller was parked next to a Churro stand after our Ladybug ride, so as we were regrouping and getting everyone situated, the kind Churro Lady offered us some free pieces of churro.  I guess some of them had broken, and couldn't be sold, so she let the kids have them.  First Disneyland churro taste and it was heaven!  Also, in case you weren't aware, Disneyland will give you free ice water at their little restaurants.  We took advantage of this many time because it was hot and because it meant we didn't have to carry around so much extra water to last the whole day.  We just took water bottles and refilled and stayed hydrated.

#4: Stopping to Take in the Views
It's easy to rush around Disneyland and forget that if you pause and just take it in, they have created some really lovely spaces and views.  No, it's not the Grand Canyon or the Giant Sequoias, but there are some lovely sights to see if you stop and breathe and let it sink in a little. And yes, some of those lovely sights are also the smiles on your child's face and the giggles and peals of laughter and delight as they experience the magic of Disney.

#5: Elsa and Anna 
We did get back to visit our friend, Elsa (Anna too!), and the second time we didn't have to wait in any line.  The girls were excited, but a little shy to finally meet Emily's "friend" Elsa.  Elsa had been gracious enough to send the girls signed pictures before our visit, so we told her of our plans to decorate the girls' room with a Disney theme.  Elsa knew all the girls by name which impressed the Mommy and Daddy in the room, but when I made note of that to Kayla, she looked at me and shrugged as she said, "Well, yeah, we've met her before!"  (We met Elsa and Anna once before back in November of 2014...ha!) Elise was the most friendly and gave Elsa all kinds of love and plenty of warm hugs.

 

   

It was a fun filled day and we even got a mediocre family picture toward the very end of the day...

Yep, I see tired written all over these plastered-on smiles and distracted/disinterested faces. haha

Encounters with Nursemaid's Elbow- an arm injury

*Note-- I am not a doctor, so take this as what it is---a tip from a parent to a parent.  From there, it is your choice as to how YOU choose to proceed. *

Nursemaid's Elbow is essentially a partially dislocated elbow.  It's caused by a ligament near the elbow slipping out of place, and is quite common in kids especially 1-4 years of age.  Makes sense because their ligaments are still looser at this age and their bones have also not fully formed.  

We have never encountered this particular injury with our first two, but our third daughter has now experienced this issue about 4 times.  She is 2 1/2.  

If you aren't familiar with this sort of thing (I wasn't!), it's a bit scary.  So I'm passing along this bit of knowledge, because the cause of this injury is rather simple and could quite easily occur.  Pulling a child up by the hands, swinging them by their arms, and jerking a child's arm (i.e. to pull them out of the way of oncoming traffic...) can all result in a case of Nursemaid's Elbow.  

In our first encounter, our 3 year old was simply playing with her little sister and jerked her sister's arm roughly when she wanted her to come over to where she was.  I didn't even notice a real problem for awhile.  Ava was cranky, but she wasn't inconsolable and I didn't notice that she wasn't using her arm at all.  Eventually, I did notice and she became increasingly upset and seemed to be in pain.  

So we headed for the Urgent Care.  The cost wasn't exorbitant, but when you consider that the doctor merely did this very simple procedure (see video) and that this is a fairly common childhood injury, the cost (and possible future visits) suddenly seemed outrageous.  I believe it was $40 (plus whatever the insurance company covered) for a 2-second procedure and an hour wait with a crying child (plus her two sisters, ages 3 and 4 1/2).  The doctor was kind enough to tell me the name of the injury and suggest that if it were to happen again, I might try pulling up a Youtube video to try the procedure myself and not have to come all the way down.  So I did. 

And it happened again.  The next time, I was pulling on a pair of those puddle jumper floaties.  This time it was the other arm. Knowing what to do, I was able to quickly pop the ligament back into place with a minimal amount of tears.  I wasn't pulling excessively, mind you, so don't feel badly if this happens to your kiddo.  Some kids are just more prone than others apparently.  Though, now I know that I have to be VERY careful putting on her floaties and I had to warn my parents as well since she often swims at their house in the summer.  

The most recent incident happened just last night (hence why it is once again on my mind!).  In the midst of a clash which came up suddenly, Ava grabbed a fistful of her big sister's hair.  My husband, holding the baby, rushed over to break it up, and jerked Ava's arm in an effort to get her to let go of her sister's curly tresses.  I have done this sort of thing many times to break up a scuffle, but this time resulted in another somewhat traumatizing encounter with our not-so-dear-friend--Nursemaid's Elbow.  I was upstairs working my part-time job correcting high school essays so I didn't know what had happened and my hubby thought she was only crying because she was upset about being put in timeout for pulling her sister's hair.  A couple minutes later, when her crying reached the point of hysteria, he brought her up to me, and it suddenly dawned on me what the issue was.  The hubby hadn't ever been around to witness and had only heard my accounts of the past encounters, and though it hasn't happened in about 7-8 months, I knew it had to be this.  

The good news is that if you know what to look for and how to do the simple procedure, a traumatic situation can suddenly become a non-situation in a matter of minutes.  

Signs that your child has Nursemaid's Elbow: 

• They may be crying or upset
• They won't use their arm
• There is NOT swelling or deformity

For more information, I recommend you watch this video.  It has saved us a lot of trauma, money, and pain.  I don't feel helpless and scared anymore when this does occur, and I also know to pay attention and avoid actions that would trigger this kind of injury with the small ones.  

I have always been able to feel/hear the pop, but it's a good idea to hold their uninjured arm, and then ask them to grab a nearby object (with the injured arm) afterwards to be sure that the problem is resolved.  It may take your child a few minutes to calm back down and make the connection that their arm no longer hurts and that they can now move it.  You can also make it a game and ask them to touch the ceiling or do a ballet pose or give you a high five to check to see if their arm is back to it's normal abilities.  

                         

Help a Pregnant Mama Out!

You may recall my Pro-life encouragement rant---err, post from from yesterday.  In it I suggested (or maybe I just went ahead and proclaimed) that there is not enough encouragement for pregnant mamas out there, most especially the ones who already have other kids besides the one they are carrying in their womb.

Are you ready for the practical tips?  Aren't you dying to know how you can help out the pregnant ladies that you know?

Let me begin by saying that most of these suggestions can be done THROUGHOUT the pregnancy as well as AFTER baby is born.

Most of the "helping" we think to offer is done after mom and baby come home from the hospital, but let me remind you that a pregnancy is 9 long months filled with awful things like nausea, back ache, nerve pain, joint pain (ok, pretty much A LOT of aches and pains) and less mobility to do certain things (like bend over, for example).

So why not start finding ways to help out sooner.  Keep in mind that every mama is a bit different though.  Some mamas won't want you in their space, but will take you up on other offers like bringing meals etc.

So ASK!  Throw out some suggestions (see the list below) and then ask what would be most helpful to them.

And then put it on the calendar.  And do it.  If possible, do more!

And now for your list of "ways you can help a pregnant mama out" (hey dads, you can offer to do some of these too) :

1. Make a cold meal (one that doesn't smell) for nauseous, preggo mom and her family OR make a hot meal for later in the pregnancy when (hopefully) nausea has passed and/or after baby arrives.  
2. Offer to do some house cleaning (bathrooms and floors or perhaps a big pile of dishes) 

   

   yeah, this is no fun.  

3. Offer to watch the kids (the ones outside the womb) for an hour or two so she can nap or just have some peace and quiet. 
4. Surprise her with a little care package (lotions, a sweet treat, a good book...there are lots of possibilities and ways to make this personal and heartfelt)
5. Watch the kids (again!) so she and the hubby can go out for a romantic date
6. Put together some healthy snacks that she can keep handy.  Things like cut-up fruits and veggies, dried fruit, and trail mix varieties work great.  This is great for pregnancy and REALLY great for after baby arrives and you don't have hands free as much to prepare yourself a little snack.  Check out my Healthy Snacks Pinterest board if you want to be an overachiever   

   

   found on pincookie.com

7. Write a note of encouragement/affirmation.  
8. Be sure to remind her she's beautiful often (it's tough dealing with a rapidly growing and changing body that doesn't look or feel the same as it did even last week...) 

   

   Because when you are this huge and your face has swelled as well as your ankles, you don't feel all that pretty. ;)

9. Take her out for some girl time (a pedicure, lunch, a chick-flick)
10. Be her exercise buddy several times a week.  Either arrange for the hubby to watch the kids or load up the kids in strollers and go walking as a large posse.  

    

    from Dreamstime.com
    Like the picture, only probably at least one of those is a double stroller...haha

11. Bring a take-out meal to the hospital.  Let's be real- the hospital food is generally tasteless and there's none for the hubby, so this is VERY appreciated.  
12. Host a Celebration of Life party! Comparable in some ways to a baby shower....stay tuned for tomorrow's post with more details about this!  

What would you add to my list?  

Belts over cardigans and shirts

I have pinned several pictures of the fairly recent trend of wearing a belt OVER a cardigan.  See the picture below if you aren't sure what I'm talking about.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/177962622748645384/

The problem I have is that it doesn't always look this cute when you try it with your own wardrobe on your own body.  The woman in this picture has a lot going for her that we all don't.  She is tall, slender, and has on a patterned dress that makes it easier to hide any imperfections (and I use that term loosely because most imperfections we see are in our heads) in the tummy/waist area.  

I put together an outfit the other day that looked great laid out on the bed, but once I put it on I suddenly felt like I was going to be fielding questions about when I was due and whether I was hoping this one would be a boy.  Yeah, it made me look a little preggo.  At the very least it made me feel that way.  The horizontal stripes combined with a belt worn high, plus the fact that I have a wide rib cage gave that effect.   

 I was bummed.  Could I not pull off the belt worn over a cardigan look well unless I was one of those people who has a tiny bone structure, no fat on their body, and a long slim torso?  See the picture below for the perfect example of that.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/177962622749438423/

But I found something that worked for me.  I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but it worked for me.  Ready for it?  I buttoned a few of the buttons right under the area where the I was wearing the belt.  

Check out the difference.  

                          

 
The lesson I learned? Don't be afraid to get ideas and inspiration from others (I love Pinterest and I have few mom style blogs that I follow too); you can find me on Pinterest here, BUT don't be afraid to take the styles others have tried and change them up a little to work for you and your body type.  And don't be afraid to say, "Hey, I don't like this style on me, and that doesn't make me any less beautiful".  Style is fun, but not if you compare yourself to others.  There's no room for that in motherhood.  We all know how terrible it is to compare your abilities as a mom to others, so why are we comparing our bodies and our fashion sense to others?  Get inspiration, not pressure.  Be you and find styles that make you feel as beautiful as you are.  Because YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

What style adjustments have you tried that made an outfit work for you?  

Tips for a (really) Cheap and Fun Anniversary Get-Away to the Beach

1.  Go somewhere within driving distance.  It's cheaper. For some people, this means finding a place that is 2-3 hours away.  For us, this means anywhere in the state of California (so within 8-9 hours away).  We like time spent in the car together.  We can talk, listen to music we both enjoy, and laugh about things we see along the road.

Like this.  What's up, Big Bird?

2.  Take your trip during the week instead of on the weekend.   Prices are cheaper during the week.  Most people use the weekends because they have the time off anyway, but if you have PTO at work, use it, and take a trip during the week. If you have the ability, combine some time off during the week with a weekend and take a longer trip...see #3

DURING the week!!!  ;)

3.  Stay longer!  If you rent a place for 3+ nights (especially during the week) there is often a price break, so if you find fun, FREE things to do during your stay, you can get a few extra days to relax for the price of a day or two.

Enjoy this free relaxation for an extra day or two??
Heck yes, I will. 

4.  Consider renting out a small cottage instead of staying at a hotel.  You end up spending the same amount (or less!!) if you do your research.   Ours was a studio cottage with a small kitchen/dinette area, a bed, and a small bathroom.  And it was a block from the beach.  We loved the extra privacy.  And you have the benefit of a small kitchen without having to pay for a suite like you would at a hotel.  Moving on to #5...

5. Plan ahead and bring some of your own meals.  This saves money especially if you bring simple, light DINNER (and breakfast) food, because eating lunch out is less expensive.

Here are a few examples of some easy, light meals 

Bacon, avocado, and
chicken salad sandwich
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/177962622748480742/

Greek chicken pitas with Tzatziki sauce
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/177962622748731291/

    

Pesto, chicken sandwiches.  We added avocado because we LOVE it.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/177962622748626775/

We were able to enjoy some delicious meals with smaller portions and smaller prices for LUNCH, so that we could still go out on the town, but not break the budget.

6. Consider getting all dressed up to go out for a drink or dessert instead of dinner. This one is related to #5.  If you still want to get all dressed up and fancy, but don't want to pay the full expense of a nice dinner out, then have a light meal at your rental and go out for drinks or dessert.  

7. Enjoy the FREE sights.  We went to the San Diego area.  There is a ton to see, but we picked a few lovely places that were free and really got to know them and experience them.  We spent time at the beach just sitting and enjoying the sound of the waves, a lovely sunset, and the animal life of the area.  If you actually take the time to enjoy the sights and be part of them instead of snapping a quick picture and then moving on to the next exciting event, you'll find that taking in the wonders of nature is free AND extremely fulfilling.  *side note* And if it's not, then you need to seriously consider that your life and your marriage may need some work.  If you can't be content with just getting away together regardless of what it is you are doing, that's something to pray and discuss and seek help if necessary from trusted friends, family, mentors, or church clergy etc.  But I digress...simply enjoying the beauty of God's nature is absolutely free and it just never gets old.  

just taking in the beauty of the ocean

a beautiful sunset on the water

a beach hut built in the Polynesian-style by surfers in the 1940's

Sam I Am
We visited an art gallery featuring works of art inspired by Dr. Seuss

bird and seal (not pictured) watching

Other free ideas around the beach include swimming, relaxing in the sun, playing frisbee,  joining a beach volleyball game, window shopping, people watching, snorkeling (bring your own gear and it's nearly free), whale watching (in season), board games or card games (if it's not too windy a day), watch the surfers (it's really very intriguing to watch especially if the surfers differ in their skill level).

8. Walk.  We calculated that we probably walked (and this is a very conservative guess according to the hubby) 6-8 miles a day (not counting ours many trips to and from the nearest beach a block away).  There is a lot to take in (and it's FREE, too!) if you get out and walk around.  We walked around some really lovely neighborhoods with enormous houses, interesting architecture styles, and amazing ocean views. We stopped at many viewpoints on the ocean, window-shopped, and scoped out possible restaurant choices for other days or even other trips.  And we walked to a beach several miles away where the waves were a bit calmer and there were more fish and other sea life to see in the shallow waters.  We got exercise, plus all the sun and activity actually made our appetites smaller, and we had time to talk to each other about our hopes, dreams, what we saw as we walked, our children, whatever!  

You miss seeing the fun little things if you drive to destinations all the time.

9. Bring your own...fill in the blank with anything you possibly can bring yourself.  This includes, but is not limited to:

• WATER.   We bought a few gallons because we weren't sure about the water quality and put it in the fridge.  We brought a few reusable water bottles and filled them with the water and some ice and took them on walks and to the beach to stay hydrated. 
• SNACKS.   We brought them for the car trip and for munching on during our stay.  Fruit, homemade granola bars, trail mix, and crackers and pesto...
• RANDOM KITCHEN ITEMS.  We brought a few of our favorite spices, a stick of butter, a  jar of olive oil, a few things for some side salads...basically just a few little things to make our meals more complete and it didn't take up much extra space in the car, but ensured that we wouldn't need to buy things there.  We did have to purchase some dish soap, as the bottle they provided was pretty much empty.  
• ALCOHOL.  If you want to enjoy a few drinks together in the evening (or even during the day), it's so much cheaper to buy a few things and make your own.  Drinks are expensive.  We brought some stuff to make simple margaritas.  They were delicious and we didn't have to break the bank. 
  

What would you add to my list?