Postpartum Diet

Yes, I know what the first three letters of "diet" spell, but I need to do something to get rid of this "baby weight." I think I eat fairly healthy, but that's not cutting it this time. I don't know if it's because I had a c-section or because I'm older now, but the weight is NOT coming off!

When my first son was 8 months old, I tried Weight Watchers. Eating my "normal" foods and keeping a food diary must have worked because I lost 15 lbs in the first month. I liked that I didn't have to follow certain recipes and that most restaurants even had WW friendly meals. Unfortunately, the diet only lasted a month. I became pregnant again, and therefore, ditched the food diary.

Well, I'm going to try the food diary and counting my "points" again. I figure if I write about it in my blog, I will be more accountable. I would love any ideas, tips, or encouragement that my friends would like to share. Those who are moms may understand how hard it is to NOT grab a piece of chocolate or an extra cup of coffee to make it through stressful days.

Here's to shedding some pounds!!!

Easy Homemade Fondant

Since my boys are outside playing on this beautiful fall day, I have time to post my recipe for homemade fondant.It's very simple and easy to work with as well! Now, once I get more practice, it may even look good ;)

The only items needed for this project are as follows: a large bowl and spatula, some Crisco, a bag

of marshmallows, a 2lb bag of powdered sugar, and a Tbs of water.

First, you grease your large bowl with Crisco, then you pour in your entire bag of marshmallows. Add 1 Tbs of water then microwave in increments of 30 sec.until melted. If you only need one color of fondant, it is easiest to add the coloring now. Otherwise, you will knead in

your colors at the end.

You will then add about half a bag of powdered sugar into your melted marshmallows and mix together with your spatula. When the mixture starts to form a ball, you are ready for the next step.Your next step is to grease your work surface.

That's right. . .smear a big glob of Crisco onto your sanitized table, and your good to go!

Now, dump some more powdered sugar onto your ball of dough and knead until it has the consistency of play-do. Form into a ball and coat with some more Crisco (aren't your hands feeling soft now?).

Wrap with saran wrap and let it "rest." I have read that it needs to rest from 10 min up until 8 hrs.! I let it rest for about 4 hrs this last time and it worked fine :)

After it "rests," you are ready to roll it out. Again, you need to grease and

powder your table. Now, roll away until it is about 1/8 in. thick.

The other thing about using fondant to cover a cake, is that you need to prep the cake first. I cover it with a thin layer of frosting, but recently was told that a layer of jelly will also do the trick (and that sounds yummy!).

I had always been intimidated by fondant, but this process is really quite simple. Just think of it as play-do, and have some fun! Cut out shapes, letters, or roll to make a border. The possibilities are endless!

Oh, and this is my finished product: a yellow dump truck :)

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

The TERRIBLE Twos

Funny that I should write about the "terrible twos," when I currently do not have any 2 yr. olds in the house, but you shall see where I'm headed. . .

Though our local library refers to them as the "Terrific Twos," most people view this stage in a child's life as quite the opposite - including me! And let me say, my boys all started pushing the boundaries and letting their opinion be heard at various ages. I just want to share our experience and ask that you share any advice you have!

My oldest entered this stage about a month after he turned three. He did not want to go to bed alone, he started telling lies, and developed an "attitude." It seemed to happen overnight, and it only lasted about a month. He was quick to realize that saying, "OK, Mom/Dad" was much better than the alternative - lol! Zack is a "thinker," and I love him for that, I just pray that he doesn't think he is so good that he doesn't need the Lord!

My second son began being defiant at about 15 months, and well, he still is (at age 4!). He knows in his mind that he is doing wrong by saying "no" to Mom or by punching his brother, but his flesh is weak, and he does it anyway. After being disciplined and praying that God will help him, he is always very sorrowful and repentant, but it is just so hard for him to do right. Kyle is a "doer," and I love that about him. I believe that once he is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will be able to do a lot for the Lord!

My youngest son started to push his limits about two months before he turned three. The problem is, sometimes he is just so "stinkin' cute" (as he would say), that he seems to "get away" with his wrong actions. He often will say, "You're beautiful Mommy," just before a brother will run in to complain that he took their toy. Lately, I've been sending him to his room as a form of discipline. Often, when he gets frustrated, he'll fall on the floor and start crying instead of telling me what's wrong. It's as though he can't verbalize the problem, so he just "falls to pieces." Once in his room alone, he calms down within 5 minutes. When he's composed, he'll call for me and say, "I'm all done fussing now, Mom." After that, I let him come out and tell me the problem, and he usually is fine. Evan is a "free spirit" and is happiest when he can make others smile. I pray that the Lord would use him to be an encouragement to others.

I think the most important thing I've learned from the "terrible twos" is that every child is different and therefore, needs to be treated differently. I believe it is very important to have structure in the home and children need to learn to obey authority. Some "act out" because they are really set on doing their own thing while some "act out" due to frustration. It's important to allow children to make choices, but to do so with boundaries. It's not OK with me to allow my child to have a temper tantrum. Children need to learn how to control their frustration and disappointment. What are we teaching children today if they are allowed to "act out" in order to get their way?!? I'm sure many have seen the mom at the store who "gives in" because she is embarrassed by her screaming child. I wonder if that mom realizes that probably 90% of us would rather her stand her ground (and let her child fuss) than teach her child that a "fit" will result in reward.

Raising children is a tough job. Raising them to be responsible, mature, hard-working, God-fearing adults is even tougher! We all need the Lord to help us in this. My oldest is only five. . .so I still have a lot to learn :)

Long time, no see. . .

Wow! Hello blogging world! I have been out of touch for so long, I think I forget how to write - LOL! I figured that now that I'm home with my children all day, I should start to make some time for blogging. It is, after all, a bit of a stress-reliever!

Well, we had a very busy end to our summer! Our first daughter, Jessica Karen, was born on 8/11/11. Shortly after that, my in-laws came for a visit, and then my father stayed with us for a week. As I was recovering from a c-section, it was nice to have some family around to keep me sane :)

Before our "sweet pea" arrived, I was very concerned about the fact that it had been 3 years since we had an infant in the house. After all, my other three boys had been born within 2 1/2 yrs of each other! Well, things have gone smoothly so far because she has been an angel! That may all change, but for now, she sleeps most of the day which allows me time to home school and do all my housework. And, amazingly, my boys have not shown any jealousy! They are always doting on her and begging to hold her. I hope it stays that way for a while. My husband and I adore just looking at her, and I think she may already have him wrapped around her little finger ;)

Of course, I added some pictures of our new little princess. We picked the name Karen for her middle name because that was my mom's first name. Her first name was just a pretty name, on which my husband and I actually agreed :)

Working Mom

I have not written in this blog for quite a long time! I figured I owed any readers (that I may have), an explanation. I am now a mom who works the home, so I have become a bit busy :) I would like to share how I decided to take on a job, especially since I LOVED being able to stay home with my boys.

Back in October 2010, my husband was "laid off" and money became very tight (especially with him not receiving any unemployment compensation). With Christmas on the way, I started applying for PT/temporary jobs so that we could have a nicer Christmas. None of those jobs "panned out." I was a bit disappointed, but realized it must be the Lord's will. After all, I did have plenty of work to do at home, and did not want to pay for child care if a job did open up.

In January of 2011, I received an email from one of the jobs for which I had applied. I decided to set up an interview, and by mid January I was offered the job. Though I had figured that working outside the home would be too much of a hassle, and not worth the effort, there were few reasons why I accepted the position.
1) The job offered free child care for up to 4 hrs per day.
2) The job was temporary.
3) The job offered me flexible hours.
4) The job was within 10 minutes of our home.
5) The job would allow me to be off my feet (this was important since I am in the middle of a "high risk" pregnancy)

I accepted the job and within a week or two, my husband also accepted a job. His job required him to work nights, so there was another reason why my job worked out for us. It is much easier to keep the house quiet (so my hubby could sleep days) when the boys are not home!

During the months of Feb/Mar I worked about 20 hrs per week. I would go in for two to three hours in the morning and the boys would play in the "child care" room while I worked. When I finished, I would pick up the boys and we would eat lunch in the "family room" at my job. The boys enjoyed this because there is a huge indoor play area. After we were done, I would take the boys home for their nap and then return to work for an hour or two.

Now that things have slowed down for me at work, I only go in for about 10 hrs per week. This means I have no problem taking a day off when my hubby is home (he only works four days per week) or keeping up with my prenatal appointments (which are every 3 weeks). I believe the Lord opened this job so that we could get our finances "back on track" before the next baby comes! I would like to say, whether you are a mom who works IN the home or OUTSIDE the home, ALL moms are busy! I believe taking care of my family is my true "calling" and I would leave my job in a minute if I felt my boys were suffering for it! After all, "Children are an heritage from the Lord..." and my job is only temporary!

High Risk Pregnancy

I remember hearing about women who had "high risk" pregnancies and thought, "Poor ladies. . .they have to stay in bed ALL day and do NOTHING!" I thought "high risk" referred to women who were having multiples, were older, or had some sort of physical disability which would make it hard for them to carry a baby. What did I know?!?!?

Now, on my 5th pregnancy in just over 5 years, I have come to a new understanding. "High risk" can include a variety of factors (of which I have 5 - seems to be a popular number with me, huh?). Thought I would just give a bit of information for those who are curious. Here are my risks.

1) I am over 35. I know, I don't look my age, right? Apparently, women over 35 have a higher occurrence of complications with pregnancy. I am fortunate to know MANY ladies my age who have had healthy babies (thanks for the encouragement, girls!).

2) I have had preeclampsia. Some of the symptoms include a drastic rise in blood pressure, edema (swelling), and blurry vision. During my first and third pregnancies I was induced because of this.

3) I have had preterm labor and delivery (also known as spontaneous labor). With my second son, my blood pressure rose on a Monday and I went into labor on Friday. He came rather quickly at just 34 wks.

4) I have had a stillbirth. Last year, at 20 wks gestation, my baby was stillborn. Thankfully, I have a great dr. who investigated the issue and gave me lots of great information about my 5th risk factor.

5) I have a thrombophilia (called C677T). This is a condition where my body is prone to blood clots and has difficulty absorbing folic acid. Because of this, I need to give myself two shots of Heparin daily, up until 6 weeks after delivery! I also take extra folic acid and iron pills (for my iron-deficient anemia).

Though all of this is a bit overwhelming, I know God is in control. After we lost our baby last year, my hubby asked, "Are we going to try for another?" I answered that if I was not pregnant by the end of 2010, then our family would be complete with three little boys. At the beginning of December I came to terms with not having more children. I was a bit sad, but only because I had a bit of emptiness from losing one.

The Wednesday before Christmas I went to the grocery store and forgot ALL my coupons. I complained to my husband, "I must be losing my mind!" He replied, "You're not pregnant, are you?" Well, wouldn't you know it, he was right. And right before the end of 2010! God listens to our thoughts as well as our specific prayers :)

I would appreciate your prayers as I foresee this as a "difficult" pregnancy (for me and baby). Since I am working, it will be a real issue for me to keep my blood pressure down. And, due to the thrombophilia, my dr. is planning to induce me at 37 wks, so pray I don't have preterm labor again! I appreciate all those who are concerned and look forward to announcing the arrival of our little one by the end of July :)