It's Good To Want Things

Okay, so we disconnected our cable and our home phone. And apparently, BrightHouse decided they should also disconnect our internet. Ya know, the one we are STILL PAYING FOR. Grrr.

The person who came out to pull the line at the pole apparently pulled it and was supposed to put the filter on and then plug it back in. But they just yanked the cord and called it a day.

On the flip side, yesterday was incredibly productive. Seriously- I was so productive that I sat around waiting for my Cooking Club folks to show up....I had coffee and tea brewed, had gotten Jackson up and changed and had placed toys, snacks and milk upstairs for when Kirk got home. Plus, I had lit a candle and I had printed out the Black Friday specials for all the girls. It was incredible. And once the club was done, I finished up a few things and then we went to bed and I fell asleep AT MIDNIGHT! Not 2am- MIDNIGHT people!

It's a freakin' record!

I woke up at 7:30am of my own accord, took a shower, got dressed, came downstairs and updated some info for Pampered Chef. Then I played solitaire while waiting for Jackson to get up.

While I don't like being disconnected, I was a bit disturbed to realize how much the internet impacts my day and how little can get done.

It's just one of those days today. Like, I can't believe it's already 3pm and there is still so much to do and we have been running around all day. Now, Jackson is napping (yay!) and I finally get to check my email and all I want to do is veg.

But I can't. Darn it.

We officially don't have a DVR anymore. I know, right? What the heck are we going to do without it? Hmmm...maybe we'll decide on a baby name. I mean, we are going to have some extra free time, I suppose. I have about 5 baby name books requested from the library so I am waiting for those to arrive.

Well, yes, nothing has really changed, but Kirk has been proactive about loading AND unloading the dishwasher. And you know what? That really does go a long way. It's always the small stuff that makes the biggest difference in your day to day happiness.

In news of the ETP plan (Empty the Pantry), I have taken to occasionally calling our food stash "the larder" because it sounds cooler...and like we've suddenly been thrust back in time, like on those PBS specials, like Frontier House.

We will be taking a break on Thursday from the plan because it's cooking club night. I have to figure out what we're making though??? Erin- do you eat ground turkey? (I'm guessing no, but have to check. I love the Quick Turkey Chili and that's my main dish idea right now, but it could change.)

Today we had Pizza Rolls for lunch...we had a bag buried in the freezer in the garage. Yesterday I had a PBJ and chips for lunch. I had to brown bag it to an event and I think I was the only one who had not stopped at Publix for a sub, but whatever...it didn't cost me a thing.

Now the REAL creativity will begin....we're pretty much down to chicken and a *few* frozen steak sandwich things.

BUT this week we had the 30 min. chicken (I'd had a frozen whole chicken) and some mashed potatoes and corn...then I took the leftover meat to make a chicken queso pizza for me and Jackson to split and then today I finished making the thick and rich chicken soup from the bones, etc. There is also just enough meat to make a sandwich or two. That's tomorrow's lunch! And the price tag was still on the bird- it had been on sale for less than $3. That's one hell of a deal when you break it down by meal!

Hooray!  The test came back negative and I am over the moon psyched about it.

Just had to let my lone blog reader know.  (*waves*)

Gotta run now.......getting ready for a booth event tomorrow and while Jackson is napping, I need to get some stuff done!

So I have lamented the fact that I have not really done any sort of exercise during this pregnancy....I mean, yes, I am chasing a toddler all day.  But really, that's not all that much exercise, I don't think.  Especially when you can involve sitting on a couch.

Today I packed up Jackson, a bottle of water and the stroller and headed to the mall to get some walking in.  And we walked all the way around the mall twice, which took about 35 minutes.  (We went down every side aisle too.)

By the time we were done, I was exhausted.  Which means (to me) that WOW I am out of shape.  Yes, the baby is pushing on my diaphragm a bit, making it harder to breathe, but sheesh!

This means that I will be making this trek at least 3 times a week now.  Hopefully more... and I even came up with a "water drinking game" to do while walking, so that I would make sure to stay hydrated.  Every time I pass a store (on my right) that's closed/vacant, I take a swig of water.  The water was gone quickly that way.

Oh and I found my Mom's Christmas gift while we were walking...so that's nice too!  I happened to see it as we walked by and it was in my price range, so I bought it on the way out.

So today I went in for my Gestational Diabetes test.....or as I keep calling it, the GD test.   (Yeah, I know...ha ha.)

I have been anxious about this and for awhile, I figured it was because I didn't want to have to change the way that I eat.  I mean, I'm pregnant- I am SUPPOSED to have the occasional doughnut or milkshake or whatever.

But the more I really thought about it and really reflected on it, the more I realize that part does not bother me.

What really has me anxious is that THAT test was what started me on the road to a c-section with Jackson.  If it wasn't for the GD, I would not have seen Dr Al-Malt, I would not have been induced, I would not have been given (as much) pitocin, and I would not have ended up with the section.

I would have been "allowed" to go into labor naturally. 

And it's a test I can't study for or prep for or cheat on or anything....it just is what it is.  Nothing can change at this point.  I am just waiting for the results right now.  I know most of the people who actually do read this probably don't do a lot of praying, but if you do, say a little prayer for me that the results will come back negative for GD.  

Well, we had a setback on day 4- the oven basically broke.  Which left us a microwave-only family.  Which meant that the meal I planned wasn't really going to work.  We made it work, to quote Tim Gunn.

On day 5, Kirk fixed the oven.  YAY!  But we had a situation we had to deal with and that caused us to be "out and about" for a LONG time and we were all starving...so we got fast food for lunch.  But the rest of the day went well....eating what we have!

Day 6- Hmmm.  Well, we knew that it would be an "off" day, because the plan was to celebrate Jackson's Godfather's birthday and we were at Downtown Disney.  We ended up spending $10 at the Lego Store- not too bad.  And we went to the Earl of Sandwich for lunch. (And we had woken up late, so none of us had eaten ANYTHING yet and we were all famished.)

Can I just say that for having to spend money and suspend the experiment, it was TOTALLY 100% WORTH IT!  This was the best meal EVER!  I had the All American Sandwich and a bowl of Tomato soup....holy hell, that was the best tomato soup ever made.  And the sandwich?  F-ing awesome.  I had half at lunch and the other half at dinner.  And really it was less than $25 for the 3 of us to eat at Downtown Disney, so it was a pretty great value.  (And we could have saved about $3 had I not splurged on the frozen lemonade and had we just shared a bag of chips...we didn't even open the 2nd bag til I ate dinner, anyway.)

By the time we got home, though, we were all just exhausted.  It was just an off day all around...so for dinner, Kirk got $5 pizza and then we planned to go to Publix for some groceries.  (Of course as we start this project, we ran out- completely OUT- of several items that we need- mayonnaise, plastic wrap, veg oil, etc.  Plus we needed to get eggs and apple juice for my Gestational Diabetes test tomorrow morning.  I chose apple hoping that the slightly lower glycemic index would help....it was either that or Orange juice.)

So we spent $40 at Publix.  But that's not too bad.  Especially considering that was "A LOT" of stuff that we needed.

Overall- we kinda fell off the wagon, but not terribly so....and we are hopping back on again tomorrow.  Let's see how the next week goes?
 

Here we are on Day 3 of our experiment.  Still doesn't feel any different, which is GREAT!  When I did go to Publix, I actually spent less than $10.  (We needed milks, I splurged on some on-sale yogurt, we got bread free cause it rang up wrong and the sauce needed for dinner tomorrow night.)

Last night's meal ended up being better than expected because the Orange Chicken was actually 2 individual meals- with green beans and sweet potatoes and the sweet potatoes were REALLY good.  The beans were okay and the chicken was nice and tender.  I just added some jasmine rice.  Makes me wonder why we hadn't already eaten them!  They were good.

Tonight it's a normal meal, chicken and rice and green beans.  Of course, for some reason, I have not been able to cook chicken like I used to.  It might be because the new stovetop is hotter than my old 60s stovetop?  I don't know.  Tonight I am going to try REALLY hard not to burn everything.  

In other news, Mom is bringing the DVD recorder to the house so that we can get the stuff off the DVR (I would not really care except that we have something on there saved from FOUR YEARS ago...our mini video from the wedding was featured as the Wedding of the Week on Central FL Wedding TV and yes, of course, I taped it.  I would really hate to lose that.)

As soon as we have that transferred, we are taking the box in and canceling the cable and phone service.  I admit it's going to be a bit liberating.  I can't just mindlessly turn on the TV *and* we have the added bonus of solicitors not calling us!  (Of course, now I will have to be extra vigilant about keeping my phone charged!)

Speaking of which, there's my cell!  Gotta run!

So here we are on Day 2 of project "empty the pantry" and tonight's meal is to be Orange Chicken with Rice and Broccoli.  (Have to double check and make sure the broccoli is still edible...been in the fridge awhile!)

I thought about making the first few weeks not so exciting...ya know, saving the "good stuff" for later on when we are bored with our choices.  But I think that using the best of what we have now and whittling away at the supply will also force me to get more creative as time goes on.  We shall see, that's for sure.

Oy vey...the back pain I have had this pregnancy has been killer. One day I could not even walk!  I know it's partly due to having a toddler to chase around and not being able to "take it easy" when I feel I should. 

So I bit the bullet and paid a lump sum for a chiropractic package.  I found someone who deals with pregnancy and would even come out to the home birth to do adjustments to help along labor!  And basically, she has a pregnancy package so that I don't pay the standard rate each time I come in....I get 8 adjustments during the 2nd trimester and 12 during the 3rd.  (Which may end up carrying over to post-baby?)

And while I have never been to a chiro before and my hubby thinks it's a bunch of quackery, I could not be happier.  I basically told hubby to stuff it because he doesn't know what it feels like and this woman has magic hands.  (There were days I was seriously having trouble breathing and she did an adjustment and I felt like my lungs gained an extra 50% capacity...awesome!)

I have joined twitter.  It really started because I wanted to follow @shitmydadsays cause he is teh funny.

Holla if you twitter!  I am conversegrrl because I tried a bajillion other names and they were all taken.  I felt like Forrest Gump on the school bus on his first day of school.  Sigh.

Ugh!  So last night I could not get to sleep because of my allergies.  So I got up and did the whole Neti Pot thing, proceeded to sneeze a bit more, and finally got to sleep around 3:15am.  

Then Jax woke at 6:45am (had to go down the stairs to set him back down and give him a "binky sock")

Then he woke at 7:45am (see above)

Then the phone rang at 8:30am and I was like "OMG ppl, my alarm does not go off for FIFTEEN minutes!"  Then my cell rang.

And Jackson was up.

Whatever, okay.  We ran our errand, ran to the playdate, got ready for swim class, and then headed out.  When swimming was done, we got in the car AND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD.

To quote Kirk, "MOTHER PUSS BUCKET!"

So we had to walk home.  At 1pm in the 90+ degree weather.  I had cork wedge shoes on.  Thank goodness the swim lessons are about 1/3 of a mile from home.  BUT STILL!

I call do-over! 
Now my car is at the dealership because the battery is still under warranty so let's hope it is that and not, say, the starter or the alternator.  We will be walking to the swim lessons tomorrow.  

Why is it that a President speaking to students about education being important and taking personal responsibility for your commitment to education is a BAD thing?  

Honestly, I am repulsed by the fact that people ASSume that Obama will be discussing socializing the country or whatever other nonsense they keep spouting.  Folks, he is there to talk about EDUCATION being GOOD.  And you know what?  The White House is making the EXACT speech available online on Monday for everyone to read over nitpick and scream about.

If I had a child in school today, and W was making this type of speech, I would have NO problem with it.  (I would hope that he wouldn't ad-lib, and just stick to the speech because he was notorious for his atrocious grammar.  But I would not have a problem with him giving the speech.)

So Jackson is really enjoying his lessons...even though he sometimes cries.  I know that sounds odd.  But every day he wakes up wanting to know when we will go to the pool.  Sunday he even walked to the baby gate (by the garage door) and was pulling at it, saying "pool" and "shoes on" and "get in car".  So I do know that he likes going.

And after the lesson, he is all smiles.

Today he floated all by himself!  The teacher didn't have a hand on him!  
(There is a sweet little girl whose lessons are sometimes before ours...she doesn't seem to have a set time?  Anyway, this girl started the same day Jackson did and she just wails during the lessons. It's heartbreaking for me, and I don't even know the girl!  I am so thankful that Jackson just does a whimper-cry thing and not the whole time.  Otherwise, I don't know how long I could take it.)

Ah, it's nice to finally pull out my scrapbooking supplies and get back to it.  It's been ages since I did that.  And it felt wonderful.  I got a few spreads done....pretty good for a 4 hour timeframe.

I even signed up for the next crop in 2 weeks.  Cropping in a store was really nice cause I didn't feel the need to buy everything- just what I needed for my pages!  So I got a few pieces of paper and well, I caved and got the clearance felt pack too.  Didn't use those yet, but they are called "rough and tumble" and are for boy pages and I obviously will use them.  Dinosaurs, rocket ships, robots- totally cool!

Also, I saw the shuttle launch last night.  As we were leaving the parking lot, we pulled over and watched it.  It was awesome...got to keep it in sight for at least five full minutes....the longest I have ever seen one!

So Jackson and I made cookies (LOTS of them) with the new Cookie Press and wow is it awesome!  I also used the new cookie sheet and didn't think it would make a difference but it DID!

I guess if the sheet pan is too thick, the cookies "adhere" to them too much and crumble when you try and get them off of it.  But the cookie sheet was perfect!  (It's much thinner, but didn't warp at all.)

The old cookie press was, um, well, not my favorite product.  But the new one is f-ing awesome.  (And it doubles as a ricer too, so you can use it WAY more than you would a standard cookie press!)  I want to try the chocolate cookies next week.

Back from our road trip, we are missing all the people.....but thrilled to be back in our own beds!  Yay!  Jackson sleeps much better in the crib.  And I love my TempurPedic so much I may start writing it love notes.

Anyway, it is SO hard to get back in the routine.  But I am trying.  Cooking club is  tonight, so I have to get this place clean enough for company and quick.  I have just had no energy to do it this week so far.  I think my body is playing catch-up from all the walking we did last week.

 

So I had to talk to the guy who is supposed to be the "insurance guy" who knows "all about" the plans we can choose from.  Yeah, right.

He was "pretty sure" that a homebirth with a midwife would not be covered.  When I told him that it was covered in our current plan AND that Florida law demands that insurance companies cover it, he was surprised.  Midwife?  What?  What's that?  (headdesk)

He had never heard of gap exception coverage and then suggested that if I got it for a midwife, she would be out-of-network.  Which- hello?  Then why bother GETTING the gap exception?  You do that so they are covered as IN network.  Um, pardon my lack of tact here, but DUH???

He also suggested that doctors are only supposed to take the co-pay for the first visit and then collect NOTHING until after the baby is born, deductible-wise.  To which I LAUGHED IN HIS FACE!  (Well, as much as you can do that over the phone.)  I dared him to find me ONE doctor who did not make you do a payment plan in which the full deductible is due by like your 7th month.

Ah, yes, this is the insurance "expert".  

So I changed my default pic because, well, I am officially growing another person.  Yay!  (Not so yay for the nausea and other various symptoms that didn't present when I was pregnant with Jackson, but oh well.)

12 weeks and some change.

I am more than likely going for a homebirth....a VBAC with a midwife and a doula and YES in my house.  Why?  (Because I know many will ask.)

Well, because being pregnant isn't an illness, so it's not necessary to go to a hospital.  Also?  My experience with Jackson pretty much sucked ass.  From beginning to end, the whole thing sucked and left me unable to breastfeed.  (All the damn Pitocin- yes, 31 hours of it will pretty much override any natural form your body is supposed to produce and yes, I saw a lactation consultant and yes, I tried everything on her entire list.)  My whole family got to see him before I did- when they finally brought him to me, he was two hours old and asleep.  Did that affect our bonding?  You bet your ass it did.

They lost his ID bracelet.  They didn't take his picture in the hospital.  And someone who WORKED there said to me something like "just wait til that baby's out" while I was pacing the halls of the RECOVERY area because I was told I needed to get up and walk AFTER the baby was born.  (Yeah, you would think they would know what area they are in and that a woman's stomach area doesn't go completely flat after the baby is born.  Especially with all the fluid they pumped into me...I was swollen ALL over for like a week or two.  It was gross.)

Anyway, that's just some of it.  So yes, I know people will think I am crazy for doing it.  But just do me a favor and DON'T try to tell me how "dangerous" it can be.  (Especially since if you are saying that, you have not done your research.  Trust me- I have.)

How come they just don't seem to mesh well?  Is it s a 2-year old thing?  They get in such a play groove and you don't want to break it up and WHY WOULD YOU since you are getting some real adult conversation whilst the children are playing/throwing plastic food.

But then you realize that life has to return to normal and OMG you need to get home cause it is WAY past nap time.  And then you get a snack once you're home cause you realize that the kids, while playing, didn't really touch any of the food offered.  (Well, not enough.)

And you have a 1pm napper getting to sleep at 4pm and then oh crap you have to wake them at 6pm because you don't want them up all night but then they are cranky.  And Mr Cranky Pants doesn't seem to go away very easily.

Is it terrible that you don't even care all that much that the kid is off schedule?  Because I love me some full-fledged conversation....especially with someone I have not seen since my wedding FOUR YEARS AGO!  Geez it was great to see Shannon....and Angie....that was awesome too!  But I have not seen Shannon in forever and holy heck I miss her!  We used to work together and if it wasn't for her, I would never have met my hubby!  (And hence would not have this child....so really, he owes his very existence to her...being off schedule is a TEENY tiny price to pay.)

Ah, guilt absolved.