I Tried to Get to The Point... #fail

On Saturday, January 26, I moved into my 26th week of being pregnant. I can't believe how fast it's going! We are only a few days away from February and before you know it, March with be here and then its April! It seems like every time I sneeze a month has passed.

My sisters both went a little early with their pregnancies so who knows, maybe I won't have to wait until May. If I do, that is totally fine. I want Shepherd to stay in there as long as he needs. I'm sure as I get closer I'll be uncomfortable and impatient to meet him but I don't want him to come any sooner than when he is ready and healthy. I just wanted to mention it cause it's not every day that you hit the 26 week mark on the 26th!

But, Saturday was more than just a pregnancy milestone. In continuing with my theme of getting things done, Bryan and I hit up Lowe's to grab some supplies that we needed to complete a few projects and get some ideas on some others.

When I was reflecting on this little shopping trip I realized the following things:
1. Bryan and I do not have the same taste in lighting - at all.
2. Bryan does not care about lighting, but he does have an opinion about all types of lighting.
3. Bryan and I do not have the same taste in ceiling fans.
4. Bryan does not like the price on any of the ceiling fans I like.
5. I do not like the price on any of the ceiling fans I like.
6. Bryan will 86 any light fixture based on the price of the bulbs. Regardless if the fixture perfectly matches our house aesthetic.
7. Bryan doesn't understand what our house aesthetic really is.

Anyways, I got home and started doing the normal Saturday cleaning, vacuuming and dusting (I hate dusting) and reorganized our hutches. Colleen and Jordan came over and she helped me with a few things (lifting a box that I couldn't, sweeping the floor (I hate sweeping), and generally being awesome.) which was incredibly helpful cause I was already exhausted.

Jordan was watching a basketball game so I had a few minutes to shower and de-funk myself and we went to eat. A had the best tasting salad I had EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE. I also had two small pieces of pizza that rocked my world. What I'm getting at is that I worked up an appetite.

I also want to get at the point of this already too long post. We went to Target to look at lamp shades for the lamps I had bought for my new entertainment unit...which I had purchased before I even had the unit itself.
We didn't find any. What I did find is what I want to talk about today. It only took me eight paragraphs to get here! I'm not long-winded at all.

Bryan and I had a depressing talk about our finances earlier that day and it kicked me into gear about getting things organized. I think I'm mentioned it before but my job requires me to pay bills, maintain a budget and watch every penny that is spent for a small school district.

Since I do that all day, everyday, I don't like to come home and analyze and peer over more charges/numbers/expenses. So I don't. Bryan kind of watches things and money gets overspent constantly. Our biggest problem is going out to eat. I buy groceries, we don't cook, we eat out, groceries get thrown away. We are buying a whole lot of food and most of it sees only the inside of a trash can, not the inside of our stomachs.

It's a problem. Dave Ramsey would be incredibly ashamed that two people that took his classes weren't on top of their money. (But Dave! We have zero debt other than our cars and mortgage, and we are working on getting those to zero! Does that count?!)

I had looked into the Erin Condren life planners after a friend had posted hers on Instagram. I couldn't pull the trigger on a $50+ planner. Then, I got a bright idea. Hey! I'll custom make one and get it printed so it is perfect for our little family. Oh I wish, how I wish, I would have looked into printing costs before spending all the hours making my planner. Printing and spiral binding would put our planner at $80. Uhhhh. No.

So happily, I stumbled on some new Mead* Organizher products. Right away, I was impressed. They had a myriad of different planners, organizers and meal planners and I picked two of them to be my guides as I crack down on the money that goes in and out of our account and how I spent my time.

I was going to get all in depth on the products I chose but since this post is already all kinds of long, I'll continue it tomorrow.

Ooooh, a cliffhanger about planners. So suspenseful! ;)

*Mead has never heard of me. I just found their stuff at Target and I bought it. Over and out.

Finished Floors! .........Three Years Later

I had that breakdown on the 15th and since then I've been slowly trying to get some things done without being overly hard on myself.

We've had this massive pile o' crap in our dining room that was mostly made up of get-to-it-later projects. I sold a couple of items and am still trying to sell some more. We threw away a lot of stuff and we're putting things away. If I don't have a place for it, I get rid of it.

It was great that we were doing this because the concrete slab that has been my dining area (for three years) is now FINISHED!!

I'm not sure if it was coincidence or whatever, but my father-in-law ended up strong arming Bryan into finishing our floors. This was a huge project that has just been sitting there and it seriously makes me feel so FANCY having finished floors in my house. The only floor that is concrete is the garage floor - as it should be!

Here are some photos of the process and the finished floor:

Here it is completed!!

I know there aren't any pictures of Bryan, but he absolutely helped my father-in-law and hopefully learned a lot about the process for the future. They took the time to frame in the cement step to do it right and have clean edges, and they had the idea to lay the floor the opposite direction as the lower floor to create dimension - and it was Bryan's idea to do white trim to really make the step pop, so people wouldn't trip. It's definitely an awkward design but they really made it make as much sense as it could.

I'm in love!! :)

ps. Sorry the lighting in the pictures is so wonky. My FIL brought in a flood light because he "couldn't see in our dark house." Have I mentioned we have very little natural light in our house? Boooo!

Little Decisions

I got off work last night and headed home to find my husband and his father working on installing flooring in our dining area.

I'm sure I've posted this before, but when we moved into our house, we hired a dude to install the flooring we purchased and to paint the house.

He installed about 85% of our flooring, took our $1,000 and sailed off into the sunset. Since then we've been licking our wounds and the 15% of flooring that wasn't done remained undone.

Our dining area is on a small step up and it remained concrete, covered in a water-barrier sheet and the flooring pad and a large rug on top of that for a long, long time.

I'm really glad that the project is finally getting going. Even if my house is now even more insane than it was before construction began.

Anyways, last night, I immediately sat down and began working on the baby shower guest list. My sister came over and we started working on a date and thinking about venues. We got a lot accomplished.

We ended up hitting a local sandwich shop, (the two of us and my sisters family of three) and I had a veggie sandwich as part of eating clean for my gallbladder - plus the fact that you're really not supposed to eat deli meat unless its been heated to 165 degrees to kill a baby-harming bacteria, listeria. (Unpasteurized cheeses and processed meats are a no-no during pregnancy, which has been a hard change for this sandwich lovin' girl.)

We got home and I asked Bryan to help me chop up veggies for my lunch. Romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, bell pepper and tomatoes with almonds and walnuts. Plus, an apple for a snack. I had talked the girls at work into making healthy smoothies, so I prepared the items I was to bring for that as well.

By this time it was 9:30pm and we went to read our birthing books in bed. He read Husband Coached Childbirth and I read Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. Lights were out at 10:30pm.

Little decisions on how to manage my time made for a huge difference in how I feel today. There was no TV last night. I drank lots of water yesterday, ate a healthy dinner and prepared food for today. I settled on a guest list, figured out a date and started looking into venues. I got a little more prepared on what is to come for labor.

I had another sleepless night, filled with tossing and turning. I woke up this morning, got ready, made my coffee (have I mentioned that the best decision I've made in a while is that latte maker? Still rocking my world.), got to work, made healthy smoothies filled with strawberries, bananas, blackberries, spinach, Greek yogurt, orange juice and ice.

I'm starting my list of things to accomplish and letting go of things that just may not get done and that is okay. The most important thing, to me, is that I get my new eating habits in place so that I don't have any more gallbladder issues. Plus, eating healthy and clean will help with the weight issue, too. Win/Win.

I know this post is lackluster. My writing often reflects my feelings. I'm on my lunch, picking at my boring meal and feeling.... here. Resigned, I guess. Not exactly motivated. I guess just that feeling of there is no other option or road. This is where I am headed and I can either fight it and struggle or I can put one foot in front of the other and move along.

It's just hard to have a pep in your step when not only can you not have sandwiches, you're not supposed to have ice cream either. What kind of life can one live without ice cream?

It Happened Last Night...

I haven't been sleeping. I've been in this weird, semi-awake state where I have very weird thoughts/dreams and I toss and turn a lot.

We haven't deep cleaned the house in forever. On Sunday, we ended up getting a lot done, but not nearly what needs to be done.

My pregnancy is causing some gallbladder issues. Last night I had my first painful experience with my gallbladder. The only option I have to is go on a strict clean eating diet. Kind of like a rabbit. Except Shepherd refuses to let me eat salad and if I do anyways, I pay for it later.

Good news is I've been cooking again so that keeps us eating at home and not eating out. Bad news is that it takes so much energy to come home from work and cook dinner that by the time that is all done, I'm done.

Late last night it "all" got to me.

House.
Work.
Pregnancy.
CASA.
Projects.
Cleaning.
Cooking.
Weight.
Budget.
Baby.
Relationships.
Baby Shower.

Everything. It all just piled high and I collapsed right under it.

I had just gotten out of the shower and I laid on our bed and sobbed.

How can I do all of this?

I'm so tired. There is so much to do. So much going on.

I look in the mirror and am so happy with my face. For the most part, I look like me again! But then, I look at my stomach and can't believe that for the past year I had seen it shrinking and going away now its sticking out. It's bigger than ever! It's round and OUT THERE. My arms and chest don't fit in Extra Large but my stomach doesn't fit in Large which makes dressing a challenge.

We've got to clean out our spare room and pretty much every room so we can purge items we don't need and get the carpets cleaned. Just thinking about it is so overwhelming.

I've started collecting small things for Shepherd's room and trying to get a plan together on how to paint it and how to decorate it. We need to take a trip up to Ikea to get the things I've already decided I need. The nearest Ikea is over three hours away. Instead on taking a proper babymoon, we plan to go to Ikea to get the items we need. I want to redo the trim, the crown molding, it needs a new light fixture, closet doors, etc.

We have a baby to pay for. As in, the actual act of having the child. We have bills coming up and major purchases to make. Money. Flying right out the window before we even have it. That's a good feeling.

Bryan laid with me and said that I need to take it one step at a time. I get that. But every part needs one step taken. There is no time to sit and dawdle now. We have roughly 108 more days.

108 more days. It seems like a long time but in reality, it's not. I want to be superwoman and do it all and do it well, but by the time I get home from work I'm exhausted. My brain is mush.

Then it seems like when I'm in the mood to get things done and get cracking, Bryan is difficult, tired and lazy. We can't seem to get on the same page or schedule with what needs to get done.

Today, I'm in the puffy-eyed, exhausted haze of last night. I feel bummed out and like a failure. I'm hoping that I can make it through today and start fresh tomorrow. Ready to conquer the world.

Or... at least my world.

24w 4d

First breakdown during pregnancy.

Was hoping to skate past this part.

My Mom's Co-Workers Taco Soup

**If you liked the recipe, let me know! If you want to pin it, click here!

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My Mom got this recipe from one of her co-workers back when I was in my sophomore year in high school. I remember this specifically because we had just moved out of my parents house because my parents were separating. We were poor, this was cheap, easy, and we could eat it for every meal every day without getting too sick of it.

Plus it's great when its cold outside.

I want to remind you all that while my photos are photographer quality, I am not a food blogger. I started editing them and was like forget that business! Be gentle.

Brown a pound and a half of ground beef, sprinkling some salt and pepper halfway through cooking. Drain the fat... but it's okay to keep just a small smidge for flavor. 

Cut a crap ton of carrots. Stop chopping carrots when the sound of chopping carrots drives you nuts. My mom's recipe doesn't have an exact amount, cause my mom writes her recipes for reminders only. Not to give accurate measurements to other people attempting to make said recipes. So, carrots. Chop. Use your judgement on how much.

Get a pot that is at least 8 quarts. Seriously. This is no joke. 8 quarts. Pour in a large can of tomato sauce. Freak out when it gets on your shirt. Run to laundry room to spray shirt. Come back and resume recipe.

Grab your large can of tomato sauce that is now empty, fill it up with some water the pour it in the pot.

Get a small can of tomato sauce. Pour it in.

Fill small can with water. Pour in pot.

Grab a packet of taco seasoning. I use McCormick because its the best. You use whatever is best to you.

Look in the pot and say, "Ewww, that looks gross!!"

Grab carrots. Dump carrots. 

PS. They splash. 

Grab beef. Dump beef.

PS. Some of mine fell on the counter. Whatev.

Stir it up! Then, put your pot on a burner if it wasn't already. Mine wasn't cause I was using the light above the sink for the pictures. Anyways, turn burner on medium and bring to boil, then turn it down to simmer for 45 minutes. YEAH. 45 MINUTES OF DELICIOUS SMELLING TORTURE.

It's soooo worth it. Set a timer. Walk away.

When the timer goes off, the really hard prep comes into play.

You have to open ALL THESE CANS! My mom's recipe calls for hominy. Forget that! I had white beans and I am cheap so I used those instead.

Oh, directions, right. Open cans. Pour the entire can (including juices) into the pot. Throw cans away.

Such hard work, but someone has to do it.

Stir it up! Bring it back to a simmer to heat it all the way through. 

At this point you do have a little more prep. It's easy though, promise.

Grab a small head of cabbage. Cut it in slices, like this:

Once your soup has come back to a simmer, add in the cabbage. Please don't skip the cabbage. Seriously. It's delicious. 

Let the soup simmer until the cabbage is translucent-ish. 

MORE CANS!!! My moms recipe says to add in the olives (no juices) and one-to-two cups of water if the soup is too thick. I decided to keep a little of the olive juice to add to the soup. What could it hurt? Also, I added about 6 ounces of water, just to get to my preference. I'm a rebel like that.

Here is the soup. I let it sit, covered, for a few minutes longer to simmer and incorporate the new cup of water I added. I probably waited like five minutes or so. When I came back, it was all bubbling and delicious looking. You can't tell it's bubbling in the picture below. It was. Pinky swear.

Okay, so now it is ready. You can eat it! Except not yet. If you eat it now, it'll be great. But if you wait, follow these steps, it'll go from great to fantastic.

Finishing touches:

Pour soup in bowl!

Yuuuummmmm!

Put a dollop of sour cream right there in the middle of that soup!

Oh yeeeah. Now we are talking!

But wait! More??

Yes! Grab no less than three tortilla chips. Hulk smash them in your hands and sprinkle them in the bowl. 

Goodness gracious. Just one step left!

Cheese. Oh, the cheese. 

Grab a spoon, mix all your pretty toppings right into the soup and devour it like you've never, ever eaten anything in your life. It's good. Real good.

I'm gonna tell you a secret. The night you make this, the soup is amazing. You'll want to eat 50 bowls. Don't.  Eat only 2-25 bowls. Let the soup cool to room temp and put it in the fridge. Tomorrow? Eat it again. If you thought the soup couldn't be more delectable, you were wrong. It's bomb dot com the next day. 

I also wonder if this soup might be good for freezing, since you make such a large batch. Hmm.. Will have to test this out.

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Here is the copy-and-paste version so you can print it. :)

Embrace the Crazy's

Mom's Co-Workers Taco Soup

(modified by Megan's Mom and again by Megan)

1-1/2 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 large can tomato sauce (+1 can water)

1 small can tomato sauce (+1 can water)

1 cup of carrots (ish)

1 can hominy w/ juices 

[Megan's Modification - White beans instead of hominy]

1 can black beans w/ juices

1 can dark red kidney beans w/ juices

1 can whole kernel corn w/ juices

1 large can sliced olives

[Megan's Mod: 2 small cans. Boom.]

1 small head of cabbage

2 teaspoons beef bouillon w/ water

[Megan's Mod: I skipped this. I feel it is unnecessary, but if you taste it and feel like you need more flavor, go ahead an add it in with the extra water. I feel like this soup is so tasty on its own. Also, if you like a little heat, adding a serrano pepper or a jalapeno wouldn't be a bad idea. I detest spicy so that's all you. I can't vouch for its yummy-ness.]

Toppings:

sour cream

cheese

chips

chopped avocado

[Megan's Mod: I didn't have this so I didn't use it.]

sliced tomato

[Megan's Mod: I only had one tomato and I need it for another recipe.]

[Megan's Note: Anything you like on a taco could easily be put in this soup. Add whatever floats your boat.]

Instructions: 

Brown ground beef, drain fat. Transfer to at least 8 quart stock pot. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, water and carrots. Stir and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add hominy [MM: or white beans], black beans, kidney beans, corn and juices. Bring back to simmer. Add olives and add one-to-two glasses of water (with beef bouillon if necessary) if its too thick. Simmer til heated through. Add cabbage, simmer til translucent. 

Serve soup w/ toppings!

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**If you liked the recipe, let me know! If you want to pin it, click here!

My Mom Asked if I was Being Picky

The other day, my mom reminded me that she and Larry will be purchasing Shepherd's crib bedding and a bassinet if we wanted one.

I looked at her and said oh, nooooooo! Obviously, this was not the response she was looking for. I explained that it was so sweet that they wanted to gift me the bedding but it was going to be a nightmare because I had recently started looking at bedding and I hate all of it.

You might think I'm being dramatic or maybe overly picky, like she thought. I'm not. I promise. I'm generally very practical and easy going when it comes to this type of stuff.

I started thinking that maybe I was having a hard time finding what I liked because I didn't have a checklist. I was just looking at pictures saying, no. No. No. No way! Ew! I was getting more and more disheartened with each set I looked at. I sat down and made a list of my criteria.

Megan's Crib Bedding Checklist:
Equal quality to price.
Nothing too baby-ish.
Open on colors, hope for a nice tan, dark blue, dark green, very earthy.
No cartoon-y characters.
Simple lines and or patterns acceptable.
Trees / Branches welcomed.

When I looked at that list, I realized I'm not being picky. I'm being too simple! This is a problem because now-a-days, baby bedding looks like a character/theme vomited bright colors all over it.

Let's take a look at some of the bedding I 86'd.

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Those are all 13 piece sets and are (at the time I looked) $115, which is an excellent value. They are all cute in their own way, but they just have so many things going on! Lots of colors, lots of pictures, lots of stripes, lots of plaid.

Guess what? The more simple you want, the higher the price. I kid you not.

Overstock lists this set, which is the same brand as the others I linked to, only it’s a nine piece set and it’s just black on black pattern. Very simple, masculine, almost bachelor-ish right?

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This set is $190.

This next one? A different brand and only three pieces but it shares the same simple vibe is $400.

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Granted, these are all the same website. I went to JCPenney’s, Etsy, Target, Pottery Barn, Walmart, Dwell, Babies R Us. I didn’t like most of what I saw. Now, let’s get to what I found that I liked, but probably won’t be purchasing.

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This is a 3 piece crib set for $130. Not exactly economical. There are other items in this collection that you can purchase.

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This is a 4 piece crib set for $220. It has characters, but the colors are muted and earthy and I don’t loathe the owl. It also has other items in the collection you can purchase.

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When I saw this I was like, this is it. This is the one! It’s perfect. Simple, earthy, the sage green is boyish and I was smitten. Then I saw the price. $425. NOPE! 

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This is a duvet cover that I think its pretty adorable. It’s got acorns, leaves, feathers and a myriad of other wilderness silhouettes. And its $9.99. It is a tad underwhelming, but if I went the duvet cover route, I could have a couple of different options and change them out as the mood strikes. (Or a blow out does.)

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This is a 5 piece crib set on Amazon. I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. Maybe if there weren’t any deer? I don’t know. 

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This is an 8 piece crib set that could have been the one if it didn’t have a giraffe, a porcupine or the owl. Why can’t it ever just be the tree? 

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I actually love this. I think it’s really cute, even if its busy. I can handle the owl. What I can’t handle is the price. It’s a 4 piece set for $271.41. Crazy.

The search continues. I am going to look into some DIY options too. We have another 3 months until its crunch time. Hopefully I can find something before then!

My Home Birth Essentials, Part 1

I mentioned yesterday that we are planning to give birth at home.

I've been thinking about how to prepare my house and myself for labor. I've already pinned down a few things that I believe will help to have ready during labor.

1) Non-scented Candles

From what I have heard, women's senses are pretty heightened when they are laboring. I plan on stocking up on non-scented candles so I can get the candle-lit vibe without the smells.

Candles are relaxing, calming, and can be a great focus point. Women usually need to have a focus spot and a dancing flame might be a great visual while getting through tough contractions.

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We have a fireplace in our master bedroom, which Bryan will never light it. Our master is not that mastery, so it would get very hot, very fast. Right now there is an gas insert that he plans to take out. I figured by taking it out before the baby comes, I can fill it with candles so if I happen to be laboring in our bedroom I can enjoy the fireplace lit up with candles.

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A candle tray is a great way to incorporate candles into home decor, I especially love the rock layer for that earthy touch. I plan to clean off our coffee table in the living room and stack it with a tray like this, so that if I'm laboring in there, I'll have that calming presence.

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Ask Bryan and he'll tell you that I already have tealights everywhere in our house. I love the twinkling light that tealights provide. I already have a ton of unscented candles, so I plan to use those. We get a good 4-5 hours per candle, so I plan to have my Mom or my mother-in-law to be on candle duty.

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We have a few shelves that have been waiting to go up. I plan to keep them bare so that I can load them up with tealights and candles.

2) Music

What is awesome about having a home birth is that what you listen to and how loud you listen to it is completely at your discretion. I plan to have my iPod filled with different playlists ranging from serene background music to heavier rap music. Sometimes when I listen to rap music, I feel like a badass. That can't be a bad feeling during labor right?

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Shepherd was born and Eminem was doing his thang on the radio? Hardcore for life!

3) Clothing

From what I see and hear, women in labor go from the comfy, yoga pants and t-shirt, to some sort of freeing, shorter dress type contraption to nothing at all when they labor at home. I plan to have multiple outfits that are ready to go so I can change when I need to. Here are a few outfits I'm planning to gather:

Two sets of cozy clothes
-Normal yoga pants, t-shirt and light sweater, socks and slippers.
-Oversized, loose fit, lightweight cotton pants, cami, light sweater, socks and slippers.

Three lightweight dresses

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-Maternity maxi dress - something flowy, appropriate for visitors and does not require a bra.

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-Maternity Sleepwear - A few mid-thigh to knee length dresses will be good to have on hand. You can easily be checked and are free to move in any position you feel necessary but everything important is completely covered.

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-Maternity Hospital Gown - I think having a hospital gown at your disposal is great. If there is ever an idea that we would need to transfer, I would easily be able to slip this on and be ready to go at the hospital. It's easy to remove and even if we don't transfer, is a great gown to labor and possibly give birth in.

Nursing bras and tanks

I plan to have a few nursing sports bras at my disposal so that if I decide to get into the birthing tub, I can wear a sports bra, get it wet and not worry about it. 

Nursing tanks are great to have around because they are comfortable and if you are wearing one when the baby makes his grand entrance, its easy to pull down to get him latched immediately.

Robes
I already have a silky robe and a short bath robe. I plan to have those and maybe another bath robe available to me so that I can pull them on after a shower or being in the birthing pool.

This may seem like a lot, but considering that a woman can be laboring for DAYS, having options ready to go is a good idea. I like the idea of knowing that at any moment I can change my clothes to fit where I'm at in the moment.

4) Food

Another pro of a home birth is that I'm in control of my water and food consumption. If I'm hungry, I'm gonna eat. I plan to be stocked up on bottles of water and maybe even some ginger ale. I plan to keep hydrated throughout the labor.

I plan to have a snack tray that I can go to any time, that is portable and can follow me around, and that can easily be restocked. I plan to have cucumbers, carrots, assorted fruits, nuts, cheeses and crackers. I also plan to have jello, plain veggie soup, juices and popsicles.

Obviously, my husband is going to need to eat real food while I'm laboring, so we will have to come up with a few options that won't make his breath stink.

5) Clear Instructions for Family

It's important that family members know what the expectations are for a home birth. It is difficult because in a hospital setting, they can wait in the waiting room and then come visit once Mom and baby are settled. We are already thinking of our family members and devising a plan to keep them close, but not up-in-our-grill. More on that later.

What I am learning is that there is a lot more prep for a home birth than there is for a hospital birth, but the freedom you have in your surroundings is definitely worth the extra work now!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Various Life Musings

Monday night around 11:30pm my brain decided to revolt and I was forced to suffer in pain until about 5:30 yesterday morning. The migraine didn't return, but a pretty gnarly headache did around 11:30am, so I didn't make it to work.

Have I mentioned lately that migraines are the PITS?

Yesterday, while I was praying and asking God, "Why me?" I wondered if maybe having all these migraines would ensure that Shepherd never would. I choose not to think that it could quite possibly be the other way around. Nope. I won't even entertain the thought. 

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We have things to do. By we, I mean my studly husband Bryan. There are 'projects' all over the house that need to get tended to and we both have zero motivation to get it done. That is a problem when you will soon have to welcome a child into the world and that child needs things... Like a room. 

I'm working on a few separate posts about some of the projects we I want to undertake and how I'd like to go about it. 

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I have decided to order myself a plaque that says:

Best Wife Ever

Megan L. Vickers

2009-Present

Why? My husband has been a PS3 playing machine lately. I got him the console for Christmas and I've been generally agreeable about him getting to use it. 

HOWEVER, the time will come when I play my Queen (life is a chess game right?) and remind my hubby sweetly that all those hours logged on the PS3 need to be matched in Honey-Do's. That day is rapidly approaching.

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I continually need to remind myself that Bryan and I don't have to have it all figured out. Or all of it done. Obviously, with a baby on the way, you want to have a nice home. 

In our case, I want to have a nice home because I plan to give birth in it. So, it might be nice if while I am laboring on the floor, I don't have to look at the piles of crap that have accumulated around my house. 

But, that is an easy fix. There are other more annoying things like kitchen updates, replacing some trim, installing flooring, replacing light fixtures/toilets/sinks that we can't get to now. I read blogs and get discouraged because they are actually accomplishing something in their homes. I have to constantly remind myself that many of those bloggers work at home. Their blogs are their jobs. If they don't do renovations or upgrades to their house, their business suffers. 

I also have to remind myself that we are twenty-somethings. Most of the people I know that have nice houses that are renovated/updated to their potential are older folks in the 50/60 age range. We have a lot of time to work it out. 

Patience is a virtue. I'm practicing. 

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One of the best feelings in the world has to be Shepherd kicking around in there. I know there will come a time when he is kicking me in my ribs and it's gonna hurt like heck, but for now, it sure is nice to feel those movements. 

My Life has been Changed...

Yesterday, I tried to write this post, but I ended up writing a completely different post. That is the creative process, folks.

I wanted to tell you something.

Something that has changed my life.

I want to change your life too, if you are open to it...

Meet a Googled-Image of my friend:

Image Via

What a nice photo. Want to see the photo I took?

Have I mentioned that I should be a professional photographer? Yes, this is an Instagram picture.

Now, I'm going to tell you how this little guy came to be my best friend. 

I love a local drive up coffee hut in town. It's a $3.70-a-few-times-a-week problem. 

Do you know how much $3.70 is just once a week for a year? $192.40. I feel like that amount didn't make a statement because it's not written out. Let's try it again. 

ONE HUNDRED NINETY TWO DOLLARS AND FORTY CENTS A YEAR.

That is a lot of green. 

Did you notice that earlier I said multiple times a week? Yeah. Let's say I average about two a week. That is Three Hundred Eighty Four bones and Eighty cents. 

Holy heck, Batman. 

My beloved came to me the other day and said, "Ya know... you've been going to Java Heaven a lot lately again. It's a problem."

That was his kind way of saying, "HEY DUMB-DUMB. WE ARE PREGNANT. WE ARE POOR. STOP BUYING COFFEE."

I felt bad because we have lots of things to do in the house and buy for the baby. $384.80 goes a long way in diapers. 

So, I started to research my options. I have a cheap, reliable espresso maker. The only problem is that I don't like the milk frother. I have to stand there and circle a glass or metal pitcher. I don't have time for that, especially in the morning. I wake up with barely enough time to put my face on, brush my teeth and make sense of my hair. I can't stand there frothing milk. 

Logically, my first step was to find a milk frother. Except, all the reviews I found were less than great. Either there were cleaning issues, or failure to operate, or the milk wasn't hot enough. It wasn't looking good. The only one that looked even remotely interesting was the Nespresso Aeroccino. For one-hundred beans. Yikes. 

Obviously, this led me to the Nespresso machines. All I have to say is wow. $300 for a machine to make you a perfect latte. That is what I was up against? Eeek. That was way, way out of my price range. Then, I asked myself, "Megan... if just a milk frother is super hard to clean because of the milk protein, how hard will it be to clean a Nespresso maker which sucks up the milk, funnels it through a system and then dumps it in your cup?" It really skeeved me out to think that milk protein might build up in the Keurig type machine. 

With the price and upkeep clearly out of my comfort zone, I searched for other options. I was armed with Christmas gift cards and money - I was determined! 

Then, the internet heavens opened up and I found the Mr. Coffee Cafe Latte. All the reviews were positive. It was a solid piece of machinery. Of course, being a skeptic, I went straight to YouTube. 

I was blown away. It acts just like a coffee pot, easily brewing espresso and frothing milk at the same time. Every night, I set my pregnancy friendly haff-caff espresso and pour my water. In the morning, I wash my face, put on moisturizer, pour some milk in the carafe and press the button. DONE. 

By the time I'm done with my make-up the machine is done doing it's heavenly magic and I pour it straight into a cup, add some flavor syrup or just sugar and I'm out the door. 

The best part is that it's only $100. Sure, that is a lot of money for anyone (or it should be!).Compared to other machines that do the same thing, it's a steal. It's not a specialty appliance, so your local Target or Walmart should have it. Our Target had one so I used the gift card and my Target Debit, which gave me 5% off. When I think about it, if I use this machine 27 times, I have saved $100 from buying coffee at Java Heaven. 

I couldn't be happier. It's a breeze to clean, the lattes are hot and taste great. It's worth every Christmas penny. :)

*I was not paid or perked in any way to write this blog. Mr. Coffee and Target have never heard of me or my blog. :)

This Post Took On a Life Of Its Own

Usually, before I write a post, I think about it. I find that there are pros and cons to this method. 

PROS:

1. It makes you stop and think the following questions:

• Would I want to read that on the blogs I follow?
• Will it end up on Good Morning America as one of those news items?
• Will my family be pissed?
• Do I care if my family is pissed?
• Will it hurt someone?
• Will it help someone?
• Will it make my future kids proud?
• What is the purpose of the post?

2. If its a "funny" post, is it really? Cause... I think I'm hilarious. But will others?

• Example: When I first decided to write about what I should be writing about now, I thought of writing it as an infomerical. I giggled to my hamburger thinking it would be hilarious for my 10 readers to envision me writing as a one of those people that are SO UPBEAT and EXCITED about their appliance / jewelry / clothes. Then I decided that it might only be funny in my head.

CONS:

1. You psyche yourself out - to the point where you don't post anything.

• Example: Almost every time I didn't post. It's easy to be like, no one wants to read about my (insert life event here) or favorite appliance / outfit / whatever.

2. You deprive your readers of potentially funny stuff. 

• What if someone REALLY LIKED my infomercial post? I could have become famous. Like that Billy guy. Except he died soooo...maybe not like him. 

See what I'm saying? I like my blog to be real, honest, and true to who I am. When I freak myself out about a post, I'm putting limits on my writing and creativity. I find that I am a lot happier when I'm blogging or writing... but I always find an excuse to stop. 

This frustrates me. 

I frustrate myself!

I'm not going to make some crazy New Year resolution to write because usually, when you put black and whites on creativity you run dry. But, I'd like to stop being such a ninny about posts. 

Most of the time I just feel like my life is epically boring and who in Sam Hill would want to read it? Then... I think that I didn't start this blog for anyone else but myself. And if I want or need to write it then I should. Right? 

Right. 

Maybe. 

We'll see. 

PS. I did not mean to write this post. It just flew right out of my fingertips which oddly, feels good. Really good.

Vickers Family Christmas

Every year about a week before Christmas, we celebrate with my in-laws. I usually love this Christmas because its very low-key, we have a great time doing the white elephant game and I really love my in-laws.

This year was no exception!

Our cousins, Travis and Stacey hosted us at their home. They even set up a photo booth in their office! How cute is that?

Here are a few pictures in no particular order...

Bryan had a gig afterward, so we didn't get to stay very long, but it was a blast! It's one of the annual Christmas events I always look forward to. :)