*This post is brought to you by The Stork OTC and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own. I am not a nurse or healthcare provider. Treatment should always be discussed with your healthcare provider.
Planning for a family should be easy, but that’s not always the case. In my walk of life, I have met many couples struggling with infertility. For some it’s been because of known medical problems, for others they don’t know why they struggle conceiving.
I’ve watched the burden push friends and family away as they don’t know how to talk to each other anymore. Infertility has become the proverbial Elephant in the room for some, and they don’t know how to push it out. While I may not be able to give the best advice, I feel I’ve walked the waters of containing friendships and family peace, and would like to offer what I’ve learned. Hopefully this will help someone else.
Listen
When your friend wants to talk about their infertility – listen. Sometimes no words are needed, just an ear to hear, and arms to hug. Those two simple, silent actions let your friend know you love them and are there for them.
Don’t feel bad you have kids
While it may hurt seeing your friend hurt, feeling bad you have kids and they don’t isn’t helping anyone. Your friend wouldn’t wish her infertility on anyone else. Still invite her to gatherings, even if there will be kids around. If your friend declines though, understand. Don’t make it a big deal. Accept their decline to a party the same way you would any other decline.
Now the FDA has approved The Stork – an OTC conception aid. Making it more affordable for couples struggling with infertility to improve their chances to have children. It shouldn’t cost a fortune to conceive.
The Stork OTC can be used if you’ve been diagnosed with infertility, have tried months without success, or simply want to conceive more quickly. The Stork OTC uses cervical cap insemination – an established effective technique for infertility issues.
Keeping our bodies healthy means eating right, exercising and getting the right amount of play time and rest time.
That’s hard to balance for kids! I’ve noticed my oldest Princess V struggling lately to communicate her feelings. We were experiencing meltdowns way too often for anyone’s enjoyment. One day after her dance class, when we left early because it became too much, I decided we need to talk. At 6 years old, I feel she can understand more on what she can do to take care of her physical body and avoid the it’s’ just too much and I’m just TIRED meltdowns.
The first place I decided to start was with food. She has always been such a picky eater (despite my best efforts to follow the baby advice at starting with veggies and moving to fruits…it still resulted in a picky eater). I do my best to offer healthy options at all meals, and for snacks, but sometimes – the chocolate milk wins out, the cookies are set out, and it’s just too hard to cut up carrots that will be pushed to the side for lunch. Excuses excuses – I know. So she and I are both doing better.
It’s only been a few days since we first talked about making healthier choices with Princess V, but already she complains less about her food, and seems a tad more willing to try it out. I was shocked when she ate all her peas, chose to finish her potatoes over her pork, and even asked for an apple!
The best part – the daily (often more than once a day) tantrums and meltdowns have seriously become almost non-existent. She is more pleasant to be around, and when there is a problem, we’ve been able to talk it out before hysteria sets in.
I am so proud of my girl and the example she is setting, both for her sisters and for me. Her effort has encouraged me to look at what I eat more, and stick to the healthier foods, with sugary snacks as more of a once in awhile treat.
I was given Skinny Spices E-Book to review, and the whole introduction really resonated with me.
You could easily call me a spice addict. I love spices, and adding different flavors to dishes. The best part is, most spices add little to no calories and processed junk to your food. In basic terms – it’s a great way to add flavor while keeping it healthy!
It’s not just about the food though. Like I said earlier, we have to care for our bodies through food, exercise, and a well balanced scheduled. The author of Skinny Spices knows this too, and she doesn’t sugar coat it (pun not intended…)
oh I just love the way she put that. Can you picture it? Coating yourself in curry powder? My kids attempted it with flour once…not such a pretty sight…or mess…to clean up.
I’m excited to try out some of the spice blends from this book, and the recipes that go along with them. In the new enhanced E-book edition makes finding recipes a breeze for what you have on hand!
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Weekend. It fell right in the middle of our Spring Break, so we got a lot done on our bathroom remodel, but we also kept it fun and Spiritual for the kids. To celebrate Easter simply we had this Jerusalem dinner.
Saturday we went to the town’s Easter Egg Hunt. It was absolutely wonderful, and the kids may make it in the local newspaper! We got way too much candy though, so the Easter Bunny left one basket of goods for the family to share. I was actually pretty happy with this route, because it meant we could spend Sunday focusing a little more on the true meaning of Easter.
After church, we turned on The Testaments. A beautiful movie about faith in Christ, that ends with his Resurrection and his visit to the America’s (as told in The Book of Mormon). You can purchase it through Deseret Book.
After the movie, and some nice Sunday relaxation we ended our day with what I’m calling a Jerusalem Meal. I got the idea from SugarDoodle. While most families I assume were eating Easter Ham, we had a much simpler meal consisting of what Christ would have eaten. The only thing we were missing was some Lamb, because I couldn’t find it at our local grocer, and I didn’t want to make the drive out to Walmart.
Want to create your own Jerusalem Dinner?
A few musts –
Unleavened Bread, Grapes, Plums, cheese, and grape juice.
I added the hard boiled eggs because we have quite a few in the fridge. You could also add some lamb to your meal, and trade the juice for milk. Not pictured here is honey. I think the honey really made a nice addition to the bread.
I used Catholic Cuisine’s recipe for Unleavened Bread, but I added about 1 tsp of Rosemary to ours. It was quite good.
The kids and I loved this meal, Mark would have enjoyed it more with a little meat. It was a great lesson to teach the girls about the food ate during Christ’s time on earth though.
It’s official – there are not enough hours in the day to do all I want to do. When I became a mom I started throwing my whole self into that – motherhood. Slowly I began doing things I enjoyed again – like reading. As a homemaker, the kitchen became my domain. 3 home cooked meals a day (although that includes cereal most mornings) has turned me into quite a little chef. Having so much time to spend in the kitchen has helped me grow my cooking and baking skills. I can adjust recipes as needed, substitute with what I have on hand, and sometimes make stuff completely up and have it all taste pretty good.
With so much time devoted to feeding my family, and just staying on top of daily chores, my other hobbies have gotten left behind. This last Christmas I decided to start sewing again. It’s not something I was ever great at, but I did enjoy. So I made some hooded capes for my nieces and a hat for the littlest one. There was supposed to be a matching dress with the hat, but I ran out of time. I finally made the time to get the dress finished – 3 months late. I am really pleased with how it turned out.
Of course now I need to remember to get to the post office with it before she outgrows it.
I am actually really excited to have accomplished this. I plan on many more sewing adventures in the future, and perhaps more tutorials to share with you! Now I just need to find the hours to craft, go running, scrapbook and garden. So many fun things, so little time in the day.
We had a Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus for dinner last night. I think I got the best reviews from Mark I’ve had in awhile. Don’t misinterpret, he almost always enjoys what I make – but this meal was right up his ally, and he really really enjoyed it. I just might need to make roast more often.
Looks good doesn’t it?
I cooked the roast in a half can of Pepsi (because it was sitting on the counter, that’s why), some butter, and Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. The potatoes I added a little ranch, bacon bits, milk and butter to. Finally the Asparagus I pan fried in Hickory Smoked Grapeseed Oil with some Ranchers Steak Rub seasoning. We can’t forget the Hollandaise sauce either. It’s the perfect pairing for asparagus, but worked as a great “gravy” for the potatoes as well.
I must have really felt successful last night, because I’ve put together a bit of an ambitious menu plan this week!
One item I love keeping around the house is powdered milk. I use it mostly when making bread, but sometimes I like to keep a pitcher of it in the fridge as well. Growing up I had a friend whose family always drank powdered milk. I personally don’t care for the taste of it, but I have found other ways to use it that save our budget.
Milk prices seem to keep going up, and at close to $4/gallon here, it can really add up when you’re trying to stick to a budget. It gets even more expensive when you have 3 little kids who love drinking milk day. I use the powdered milk in just about all my baking now. It doesn’t effect the taste, or consistency of the dish, and it’s a lot cheaper than using your good milk. I’ve also started using the powder milk when making the girls mac and cheese. Then there are days like today where we ran out of milk, and I haven’t had a chance to make it to the store; the powdered milk is a good substitute for the kids breakfast cereal too.
Just look at this price comparison
1 #10 can of Non-Fat Dry Milk – Cost $14-16 (pending on brand)
1 gallon of milk – $4 (approximate)
1 #10 can of Powdered Milk can make approximately 10 gallons of milk. So that’s $14-$16 for 10 gallons
10 gallons of Milk will cost $40.
Double take – will you pay $40 for 10 gallons, or $16? That’s over a 50% savings!!!
EDIT: This all depends on the brand. This comparison was using Peggy Layton Brand. The brand I currently use, Rainy Day Foods, only makes 5 gallons, but also only costs $13. Do your homework, and check the brands servings per container to get the most for your money.
If you’re looking to save some money, and make your milk last longer, I would seriously look into buying powdered milk.
It’s the last week of the month! That means grocery budget is spent, and we’re cutting corners, and being creative in our menus. We’ll be eating lots of beans this week – at least until Friday.
Monday – Potato Casserole and Salad
Tuesday – Bean and Cheese Enchilada casserole
Wednesday – Chili
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Dinner at my parents
Saturday – Mark’s Birthday: I’m taking him back to our first date at a Japanese Restaurant.
We had 3…count them…3 themed parties last week! That’s about 3 more than I normally have in a year. I think I need Mother of the Year Award now.
It all started with Valentines Day. I put together a fun Alice In Wonderland Fondue party for the family.
On Saturday, our second child, Princess C turned 5. Although we don’t go all out on parties for our kids every year, we do let them pick a theme for the cake. She chose Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so I made an Izzy cake. It was a hit, and I’d dare say my best decorating yet.
Finally on Sunday night we decided to have a family Movie Night and watch the new DVD Samplers from Dream Works and Big G cereal (giveaway later this week!)
It was all so much fun, but I’m feeling a little partied out now. On top of all that, we also started our bathroom remodel. Sometimes I think we must be crazy.
Now don’t despair, I plan on posting about each of these themed parties in the coming days, so you can have as much fun as we did! I’ve got printables, tutorials, and a giveaway!!
To calm things down however, I’m planning a very simple menu this week.
Monday – Pasta
Tuesday – Potato Casserole
Wednesday – Chili
Thursday – Spinach Quiche
Friday – homemade pizza
Saturday – leftovers
Sunday – Taco night
I can’t believe I’m already thinking about my garden. I always thought I had to wait until the snow melted and it was more spring like to get started in the garden. Obviously, I’m pretty new to this gardening thing. Last year was our first gardening attempt, and we had minimal success with it. I’ve been itching to get started since Christmas this year though. Thanks to my awesome present from my parents – basket, tools, and tons of seeds – and the Craftsy Gardening class I’m taking.
When getting ready to garden, you want to start by deciding what you want to plant. For me, I’m going with the seeds my parents gave me –
~Corn
~Sweet Peas
~Zucchini
~Green Beans
~Onions
~Cucumber
~Tomatoes
These are all veggies I love, and know we’ll be using plenty of. As I go, I may toss in some peppers and herbs to make our own salsa come harvest, but I have a little time to figure that out still. Right now I need to get my onions and tomatoes started indoors. Thanks to pinterest I found this handy website that tells me when to start the seeds – SproutRobot – you just tell them your zip code and it does the work…er the easy work of giving you info, you still have to do the planting.
I don’t really have the money to invest into an indoor grow center, so I found some other great ideas to start my seeds indoors. I’ve been fishing toilet paper tubes out of our bathroom trash all week, and trying to use all our eggs so I can have the cartons as well.
What I love about both these ideas, besides being frugal, is that I can plant the “carton” with the seed, and not worry about disturbing the seeds. I’m pretty sure that’s how I killed my watermelon last year..although maybe watermelon shouldn’t be started inside either…
I purchased the Garden Fresh class from Craftsy (affiliate link) back in the fall, but just started watching the lessons. Lesson 1 is over, and I feel very overwhelmed, but also extremely excited to get started. We have very clay like soil here in Utah, so I need to find a good top soil to till into it. I’m also really hoping a neighbor has a rototiller I can borrow – doing our garden space with a rake and pitch fork just doesn’t sound fun…It’s a huge space!
This is going to be worth it though! Fresh vegetables every day, I can’t wait!
I completely slacked off in my 80Bites updates here. I was doing great until the Holidays and then my posting just got thrown off. I’m still trying to find a good groove for 2013.
I finished the 12 week program with 80 Bites though, and am really feeling great about it. I am no dieter. In fact I am as far from dieting as you can get. I love food, very much. Not only does it keep us going, the flavors you can create are so extraordinary. So you will never see me taking hunger suppressors, counting points or calories, or going on Juice Fasts.
(FYI, if you choose to do those things, more power to you! They just aren’t for me)
The 80 Bites program is not a diet. I’ve referred to it in the past as a diet program, but truth be told, it’s not. Yes I was hoping to lose weight while following the program, and I did. The truth about 80 Bites though, is that it is a food guide – a healthy way to eat, that doesn’t restrict, is easy to understand, and really just a bunch of facts put together in a way to transform eating habits.
Before getting to what I learned over the course of 12 weeks, I’d like to share this fun little rap put out by the folks at 80 Bites and Sam Stomach.
So what did I learn from 80 Bites?
– 80 Bites is a good guideline for food each day. A little over 80 Bites won’t hurt, but keeping it as close to 80 as possible really makes for the ideal stomach size.
– You won’t starve. It takes a little getting use to, but turns out I was eating close to 80 bites already.
– I learned about my own eating habits as I had to reflect and be more observant. Breakfast is very important to keep me from snacking crazy the rest of the day.
– I learned how to balance a simple meal using the 80 Bites building blocks – protein, veggie, fruit, grain, and beverage.
– Did you know juice during a meal is better than water, as it helps aid digestion? Water is best to curb hunger between meals, and keep you hydrated.
– Last and most important, I learned that I have more self control than I’ve given myself credit for. I can have leftovers, and turn it into an easy snack/meal the following day. I don’t have to eat it to avoid waste 🙂
One last tidbit for you – When I started the 80 Bites program I weighed 165. Today I weigh 156.
I am pretty proud of the weight I’ve lost, and I know with the things I learned from 80 Bites, I can maintain, and hopefully lose a little bit more. It’s a slow weight loss, but I also haven’t been exercising lately. Once I add that exercise back in, I have hopes of reaching my goal weight, and maintaining it. No more over-indulging for this girl.
Weekly Menu –
Monday – Sausage, Egg Potato Skillet
Tuesday – Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Wednesday – Tortilla Soup
Thursday – Fondue “Tea” Party (Valentines!)
Friday – Pork Chow Mein
Saturday – Princess C’s birthday. She has requested we go to Chinese.
It’s so easy to let little things slide. To push small tasks to the bottom of an ever growing list. Time to stop it. Get those little things done, and soon the big things will fall into place too. It’s time to just do it.
Something seemed to click inside me over the weekend. I’m not sure what it was entirely, but I have this sudden urge to be a better home maker. I mean, it’s something I was working on already, but I have this better desire, and I can see more of what needs to be done without feeling overwheled.
Anyone else get that overwhelmed feeling when they start to think of everything they need to do? Sort of like there aren’t enough hours in the day, so why even bother? I don’t feel like that anymore.
We went to hang out with our 16 year old niece this weekend. Her parents were gone for the weekend, and didn’t want her home alone. It was a nice break from my regular routine. Now normally when we go on mini vacations like this, the car doesn’t get unpacked for days to come, and the suitcases sit around with dirty clothes while I get back into routine.
Ask for help
Not this time! I made the consious decision, and then the effort to clean out the van, AND put it all away when we got home. I asked Mark for his help, before we even pulled into the drive way. Since he was mentally prepared to help as well, the kids were mostly good at also helping.
It really made a nice night for all of us. We got our vacation cleaned up, and then got to relax watching Bolt with popcorn and hot chocolate. And the best part for me…Prince L then slept through the night (a rare occurrence indeed). Getting enough sleep led to an early morning of pondering my scriptures, and begining my menu plan for the week, as well as time well spent playing pirates and dancing crazy before the Princesses woke up.
JUST DO IT!
You’ll find it doesn’t take as much time, you’ll have more time for the fun things, and you’ll feel better about yourself.
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