My morning

This morning was nice.  We went on a nice walk by the river and saw a few cool things, like a robin's egg and a rabbit, who was too quick for me to capture a nice photo.  Mena seemed to enjoy it and was "nah, nah," and "da, da"ing it up the entire time, which is music to my ears.  After I layed her down for her nap I enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sauteed spinach, toast and coffee.  The rest of the day is going to be blah, since I have Verizon coming by and I have to work later.  Glad I had some energy this morning!

Spring is in the air

Spring has officially sprung!  I am so happy, I only enjoy the cold months for a short time.  Every year its like I am rejuvenated by May.  The older I get, the more apparent that feeling is.  I definitely get that Spring cleaning jones.
So far, I have redecorated my living room and cleared my son's closet of outgrown clothes/shoes.  I still need to sort through the attic and clean out my filing cabinet.  Those projects are daunting, so I moved on to something fun, repotting my plants!
I ran out and grabbed some clay pots, plastic trays and some organic potting soil.  We had beautiful weather last week, so I put my Lana Del Rey playlist on Pandora, threw Mena in her walker (which she loved) and got to work outside on the back deck.
I repotted my house plants and bought some parsley, jalapeno peppers and strawberries and potted those also.  A friend mentioned the strawberries would do better in a different planter, so I've got a project planned for next weekend.

Has Spring brought about any changes for you guys?  Are you growing any herbs/veggies/fruit?

Sewing the Curtains

A few weeks ago, I posted a picture of some fabric I purchased to make some curtains for my bedroom.    This was quite the task since I don't know how to operate a sewing machine.  In spite of that my sister encouraged me to get the fabric and she would help me when I went to her house.
She showed me how to pin the fabric to prepare it to make hems and a little ruffle on top.  This took the longest to do, but made it easier when it was time to actually sew.
Next up was learning how to thread the machine and arrange the bobbins.  Then a quick tutorial and I was on my way.  I made four panels.  My sister helped me troubleshoot when problems arose and the project took longer because a cute and cuddly baby needed me from time to time.  So after the kiddies were down for the night, we cracked open a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and turned on Russell Peters and I finished up.  Sewing was very relaxing (or maybe it was the wine =0) and I intend to sign up for a class at Joann's to learn how to use my own machine, there are so many projects I'd like to tackle!

Baby Weight Loss

During my first pregnancy I gained 50 lbs.  I was nervous this go round that losing weight would prove to be very difficult since I am 10 years older and haven't worked out in quite a while!  I tried to watch what I was eating during the pregnancy and walk as much as possible.  I still ended up gaining 45 lbs. by delivery day.  I didn't really think about it after delivery because you aren't supposed to diet while breastfeeding.  I decided I would just go shopping for some larger sizes and roll with it until I finished nursing.  To my surprise the weight just started rolling off.  Technically, you are supposed to eat 500 more calories then normal per day while breastfeeding.  I am not good about counting calories, so I just eat and drink when I am hungry.  I try to eat whole foods and drink water so that my caloric intake is worthwhile.  That's not to say that I never indulge, because I have definitely inherited my grandfather's sweet tooth and I truly believe in everything in moderation.

So far, I am proud to say I have lost 50 lbs.  Yay!!!  Over 3 years prior to getting pregnant I had slowly gained 15 lbs., so I have been able to put a  5 lb. dent in that also.  I am super excited. 

A regular day's meal plan for me includes:

Breakfast- oatmeal with raisins or 2 eggs ( and yes, I eat the yolks,) toast (sprouted whole grain bread,) and fruit
Lunch- turkey wrap or soup, or pasta with marinara sauce and fruit
Dinner-chicken or fish-usually grilled, sauteed/roasted veggies or salad and baked yams/roasted potatoes or jasmine rice
Snacks-0 % Fage Greek yogurt, cheese and Ak-mak crackers or cottage cheese and fruit, and sweet potatoes

Breastfeeding burns 500 calories per day according to WebMD, so when I finish nursing, I am going to have to have a workout routine in place to maintain the loss.  I have decided to do a mud run this summer ( which we'll discuss later), and signing up for a race has made me start working out in the past, so we'll see what happens.  For now, I'm just going to enjoy my current triumph!

Brunch at....Sam's Morning Glory Diner

My sister is in town and it was a gorgeous day and let's face it, really any excuse is a good reason to go to brunch.  This time we settled on Sam's Morning Glory Diner.  I had heard about this place a long time ago but never made it over there until yesterday.  It was midweek, so no wait thankfully.  We decided to get the Challah French Toast and the Eggs Your Way platter with scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, roasted potatoes, cinnamon apples and a G-I-G-A-N-T-I-C biscuit!  I also had some coffee, which was served camping style in a tin-style mug.  The meal was yummy and the biscuit was out of this world.  The french toast was served with a strawberry sauce which tasted super fresh.  I brought the baby some sweet potatoes and she got to sit in a high chair and munch on those, which made for an even nicer experience since I had a free lap finally!  The food and service was good and I will definitely go back.  And just an FYI for those who chose to go, this establishment is cash only, there's an ATM across the street though just in case.

Nails

Going to the nail salon is fun but for me it feels like a waste of money and time.  I do go occasionally though, as a treat.  And, I did go faithfully during the last two months of my pregnancies.  You gotta keep them toes looking right even when you can't reach them anymore!  I have found that the manicures I give myself last just as long as the manicures I get from the salon and come out great, as well.  Here's a link that explains how to give yourself a manicure.
These are the tools required: cotton balls, nail polish remover, nail clippers, emery board, buffer, cuticle oil or cream, cuticle stick, small bowl (to soak your hands in), lotion, and polish (a color of your choosing, and a base and top coat.)  If you're going to do a pedicure also, you will need a larger basin ( for your feet) and a pumice stone.  All of these products can be found at your local drug or beauty supply store.
Picking the color out is the best part for me.  Sally Hansen, Essie, and OPI  all have great colors and most recently I purchased some polish from Revlon called Mint Mojito...I love this color!  I usually do my nails while catching up on a favorite show, then the drying process doesn't seem to drag on as long. Enjoy!

Lessons

This weekend we visited family in Virginia.  My sister told my son that he could earn points for doing some chores and she would take him to buy a new video game.  My son, ever the hustler, devised this list of chores and with my sister's help assigned points to each chore.  One of the chores he came up with was to polish the shoes.  He told her he knew how to do this, which was news to me, since we never do it.  We have the supplies, but I never think about it.  Its weird, when I was a child my parents wouldn't let us leave the house unless we could see our reflection in our shoes.  I clearly remember my mom sitting me down and teaching me how to shine my shoes.   Nowadays, children usually wear sneakers (well, at least my child) and don't really need to know how to shine shoes.  So, I had never instructed him.

This gave me the perfect opportunity.  It got me thinking about a lot of things that children don't get the opportunity to learn and perfect anymore because of modern day conveniences and changes in standards.  Things like ironing, answering a telephone (we got rid of our house phone a while back, but recently got a line again), writing script (they don't teach it in certain places) and I'm sure there are more.  These are things I will have to teach him.  I think he did really well with the shoes though and he earned some points in the process!