Thredup: Clothing swap

Happy Monday...
I think I found a great website...it's a children's clothing swap website called ThredUp.
Has anyone ever used it before?  I can't wait, I love getting Ben cute clothes to wear and not having to pay an arm and a leg for it is even better.

Apparently, you build a box and they send you the mailing boxes, and when someone on the site picks your box you send it free of charge.  Great way to get rid of some of those clothes your kids are not using.  Then you can peruse the website looking for boxes and when you find one you want you pay $5 + shipping ( which is being sent in flat rate boxes so 10.95).  The idea sounds pretty solid.

Join, let me know when, if you use it and what you think.  I am going to make a box this week and post it... Ben is growing so fast I have a bunch of items we can send.

Here's my referral link - you get $5 to spend for joining and I get $5 when you ship a box.
Happy hunting!

Pantry Challenge Menu

So in order to save money and to clear out my pantry I joined the pantry challenge.
I started cautiously last week and worked on a menu with the hubs for the coming week.

last week the menu was ad hoc but went something like this -

Wed - some cornbread mix I had in the pantry and a can of bush backed beans on Wednesday. 
Thurs- I had some quinoa in my pantry and cooked the rest of that to go with a PF Chang's frozen Broccoli and Chicken from my freezer.
Fri - I cooked up some red lentils ( for next week - these came out delicious) and I made some chili probably for Saturday - from some red and black beans I had in my pantry and some soy protein also from the pantry.

The Coming week Menu is as follows:

Sun ( today) - Pizza - hubs requested this as he gets no junk food in February
Mon- Red Lentil Stew and Quinoa
Tuesday - Chickpea and Couscous Salad
Wed- Sesame and Ginger Veggie Stir Fry and some Quinoa or Couscous
Thurs - Left Overs
Fri - Taco Salads (with chili)
Sat - not sure

We will see how close we are able to stick to the menu but I think we will be ok.  Breakfast will always be some fruit ( we have grapefruit and frozen peaches and cherries) and oatmeal  or a smoothie for now and lunch for the hubs is usually whatever is leftover from the day before and I usually have some Ezekiel 4:9 bread and a salad or something from the cafe at work ( I have credit there that I am trying to use up)  Friday is payday...so I will be able to replenish my fruits and veggies then.  Wish me luck..

Mission: Mummy Tummy - wk 1

Yesterday marked the end of my week on focusing to lose the reminder of this horrid baby weight.
It was marked with a few milestones and some stumbling.

I still have not added back working out.  However, I am happy to announce that when I came home last Thursday night my kettle ball workout had arrived and I fully plan on doing that at least twice in the coming week.  I am still in search of a treadmill, although the hubs uncle has offered me a nordictrack...at this point I am going to take it.  It does after all offer an amazing full body workout if I can get all my limbs coordinated.

I stepped on the scale Wednesday morning I like to weigh in the morning after the biggest loser and it showed I was down 2 lbs from the previous week so just changing my eating has helped. Also I am in a new size pants all be it they are tight they fight but they didn't in December so that's another triumphs.

And now for the set backs, so I went to the grocery store on Wednesday to get some items to couple with the items I was cooking from the pantry challenge and what did I see but the delicious cranberry oatmeal cookies I have just started to love at Safeway.  Of course the little one packs that I like to buy and freeze for the unbearable crave days were not available so I got a 12 count.  CAN WE SAY BIG MISTAKE!!!!
I came home ate two and froze the rest in baggies of two in order to restrain myself...and it's working and it's not because I have eaten another two today...sigh...well at least I am trying.

Next week I am focusing again on eating healthy and adding in 2-3 days of exercise... Still on a mission to find my treadmill...so we shall see...How are your weight loss goals going?

Snow day fun

So due to the yesterday...I ended up taking Friday off to hang with the Bens and to hopefully get the house in some kind of order for the Sabbath...of course the later did not happen.
I spent the morning cooking and going through one thing in the kitchen... The I spent the lunchtime on the phone with a potential new boss but more on that later...in the afternoon Ben suggested I nap with him and I reluctantly (lol) gave in...Before I knew it it was 4pm. 
I did get to work on my closet a little and start preparing meals for next week so I would have things ready to eat and wouldn't get off the mission..

As I was cleaning the master bedroom...I have to go from a walk-in closet to a good size reach-in...which sucks but it was one of the cons of the house that I figured I would work with.  I put Ben in the toy I got off of free cycle...Hubs tried it yesterday and told me my guy had a blast.  He was so right as soon as his feet hit the floor my little guy was bouncing and turning and cooing...it was a joy to see...aww I love moments like that...they make me wish I stayed home full-time. (ignore the mess...as I stated I am going through the closet)

Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My very dear friend came to visit me 2 weeks after having Ben and she was reading this book and was all engrossed in it...so much so anytime Ben and I were not entertaining her she was reading it.  One day we spent the whole day inside, as people with newborns so and she read that book all day.  Wow, I remarked that must be a good book and she stated that it was.

So on vaction as I mentioned before I found the book in the guest house library and started reading it...it was good and addictive.  I didn't get to finish it so I went to the library in my town to borrow it and had to be put on the wait list.  Well, Tuesday after picking up Ben I went to the library to turn in the dvd Weeds, one of my addictions while I was on maternity leave, the TV guide channel would have marathons of the show and hubby and I would stay up late Sunday night and watch it...by that not the point.  Upon my arrival at the checkout counter the librarian ( are they all librarians, I mean there were like 5 people behind the counter.  Do you have to be a librarian to work at a library?  I wonder.) told me my books were in.
Anyway, I finished the book last night.

The book, purely fictional, was about black help in the 1960 in Jackson Mississippi.  It really centers around 3 main characters 2 servents and one affluent white women, who writes a book (called Help) with the help of the 2 servants and their friends about the help in Jackson Mississippi in the 1960, so it's kind of like reading the book which the people in the story are writing.  The characters are entertaining and all have different points of view on the situation they find themselves in.  It give a great insight into the two cultures of that time and the depth of segregation and the pressure on people who didn't agree with it to conform.  I thought the book really flowed, I never felt lost or had to go back and read a character's previous chapter to figure out the current chapter I was in.  And the end is amazing and heartbreaking at the same time.  Interestingly ( for me anyway, it may not be for you)  it was written by a white women.

All in all a great book...I was sad when it ended.

Winter Wonderland

So it snowed here last night and it wasn't a lot of snow but for the Mid-Atlantic it was more than enough.

We woke up to about 6 inches on the ground, which for me as a native New Englander and then going to college in the Midwest is nothing but for the people here it's all a rage.  Apparently, on the way home last night the traffic was bad because of the thunder snowstorm that cars got stuck in the snow and people ended up abandoning their cars.  This of course made it a hard and inconvenient to plow so the roads are not plowed as great as they should be.  However, the highway was all clear, which I found out on my way to work after my lovely 2 hour delay.

The news said there was a sheet of ice so bad on one of the roads yesterday that cars couldn't make it up a hill to get onto the main highway without each others help.  People said they were stuck on the 8 mile stretch for 12 hours because traffic was so bad...can we say Torture!!!!!

Luckily I was home by 2:45pm...I picked up the wee one late because I wanted to run to the grocery store so I could make dinner and then home we went.  The hubs was able to get off of work at 3:30 so he left work early and missed lots of the rush hour traffic home...even my workplace let out early... One of my coworkers who lives way north of the job didn't get home until 3am this morning because of traffic due to the weather...I can see why some people abandoned their cars.

All in all in the wee one's household things were quiet.  I made cornbread (vegan), bush baked beans ( I would have made chili but I am trying to do the Pantry Challenge I know I am a month late).  I figure I would do it anyway, since the month of February we are doing some strict budgeting and seeing how it goes so that I can further explore my stay at home option.  Along with beans, I made some seasoned potatoes (I only had two potatoes left and they needed to be cooked) and I made a salad.  It was delicious my corn beard was good...I forgot to take a picture before we cut it open...we ended up sticking it back in the oven to dry up a little more but it was still very delicious.

Then the hubby went down for a nap and the wee one and  I hung out and had some tummy time then I fed him and hubby put him to bed, which allowed me to finally finish the book The Help, which I mentioned here ( more on  the book later).

Then off to bed I went hoping for a snow day...which I clearly did not get since I am at work today.  However, I got a delay and it was nice to sleep in with the hubby and hang out with Ben.  Turns out though that daycare is closed due to lack of power...so the hubby had to telecommute this morning and I still had to come in.

Jumping Jellybeans!!!

So yesterday...I went to pick up my little guy from daycare...and what do I find him doing...Jumping his little heart out on the jumper/walker toy...

Luckily I picked him up one of those on Friday from a freecycler...so I have one at home but I hadn't set up...(1) I needed to sanitizer it and (2) I didn't think he would like it...but yesterday he was in his glee standing up and pushing off the floor and then holding his feet up as the toy keep bouncing him up and down.

And in other news, last night was my little guys 2nd night in his crib. My mom and sister came into town this weekend to finally help me get the house in some kind of order...it was nice but annoying because I have spent the last 3 weeks avoiding packing away the rest of the stuff because I don't know where I want to put the stuff and because I know I need to throw things out but haven't the heart to do so.
So there they were telling me to purge, and asking where items go...and I was very annoyed but that's so what I needed because I was getting into a lazy funk.
But I digress one of the things they helped me do was wash Ben's linen and make up his crib...
My mom snuck him in there first to put him down for a nap and he woke up screaming and frantic...I told my mom she needs to ease him into the crib. First tell him that's where he will be sleeping...and talk him through it...she rolled her eyes at me. So we put him in his bassinet to sleep that night but in his room. The second night he slept in his crib and would wake up periodically, so I ended up putting him in the bed with me until he was sound asleep and then last night I put him in the crib awake after changing his diaper and kissing him goodnight and he went down no problems...
Turns out it was me who couldn't sleep I must have gotten out of bed 5 times to check on him...
Ahh...he's growing up so fast...

Mission: Mummy Tummy

Ok...so after I had my wee one...I lost 37 lbs in the first 6 weeks...awesome I thought I will have this baby weight off in no time...well I was wrong (faint wimper)

Another 10 weeks later and I have lost maybe 4lbs...I saw pictures of myself on facebook last weekend that my cousin posted from my awesome Christmas vacation and I look like a stuffed human skin...not so pretty...

So I am a mission...I would like to lose 20lbs by the time Ben's baby blessing which is exactly 60 days away.
And then another 50 lbs by year end.  It's reasonable really...But I do need to be careful I have been reading articles lately about losing weight two fast after the first 6 week loss can release toxins in the breast milk.  Also, that some people have trouble losing the last 10 lbs of baby weight until after they finish breastfeeding...I don't know but I am on a mission to try - with in reason I promise.

My strategy is to eat more fruits and veggies...I have started this for the past two weeks - with a few hiccups I have been doing well.

Step 2 part 1 - is to add back my workouts...I had been working out before my awesome vacation but haven't since we moved...so I am going to look to get a treadmill, some kettle balls and then fingers crossed add back yoga...all in moderate increments...we shall see.
Step 2 part 2 - is to read the book how to lose you mummy tummy and incorporate some of those techniques daily... I have the book from the library now if I could only read it.

I will update weekly on my progress...I am tempted to do PX90 but I think I need to work on building some strength before I torture myself to that degree...wish me luck

Temptation

As I rock my baby to sleep tonight I am tempted...
Tempted to let him nurse even though I know he's not hungry.
Tempted to let him over eat because I know the nursing will knock him out.  I know that he's fussy because he's so tired but just doesn't want to sleep. 
My husband seems to have a magic technique because my son will lay on his chest and be asleep within minutes.  Me on the other hand he will want to nurse if I put him anywhere near my breast...so I am tempted to take the easy way out so I can get a little me time.

I had all these ideas lined up before I had the baby, no he would not nurse himself to sleep every night because I don't want him to associate eating with sleeping.  Or the "itis" as we call it...having a heavy meal and then thinking you must take a nap.  Yes, I know I sound a little crazy, I mean we are talking about a baby and he likes the comfort of the sucking action hough getting the milk is a nice payoff.  Still I just don't want to instill that in him..but I am so tempted.
I always said I wouldn't let him sleep in my bed or just pull out the breast to feed him and then fall back asleep all exposed...it always drove me crazy when my sister who was probably exhausted ( I realize that now) did that.  And so far I haven't done the leave out the breast thing but I do let him fall asleep in my bed after his early morning feeding many times.  I have been warned though not to make it a habit or he may never leave my bed.  Secretly that is fine with me...I love my little man so much but I am sure as time goes on I would prefer he slept in his crib/bed.

So I don't give in, I try to rock him to sleep and when he starts to get droosy I lay him in his bassinet and walk out the room and check back in 15 mins...and wouldn't you know that after a little bit of fussiness he is fast asleep and I feel like I have stuck to my principles...tonight at least.

HOLIDAY Wrap Up

Before I move on with 2011 here is my  My holiday wrap -

December was my last month of maternity leave and my first month (really) out of the 6 week haze that comes after giving birth.  So the month started off with a bang.  I went to a cloth diapering workshop which was cool...Ben was good and sat through most of the workshop.  Before our big christmas getaway we worked on closing on the our new home, but was postponed until the end of the month because of hang ups with the title company. 
I attend my office christmas party sans baby, which was nice but I had to buy a new dress which was a little depressing.  However, Ben was good during the whole shopping trip and was even kind enough to fall asleep so I could go in the dressing room and try dresses on...best baby ever!

The office party was nice everyone asked about the baby and how I was feeling and if I was ready to come back to work.  Then the Monday after the party I took Ben in the office for my coworkers to meet him and eveyone oooed and ahhed and that was nice and I discussed with my boss about returning to work part-time during the exclusively breast-feeding period...she agreed to this arrangement  in the short-term.

Then on Dece 18 we flew out of the our local airport to Trinidad and then to Tobago...It was a big family vacation.  My mom met us there and so did 2 of my aunts and a bunch of my cousins.  There were about 18 of us in total  we rented this awesome guest house with a pool.  The kids basically spent the whole vacation in the pool.  And my aunts, my mom and my grandmother spent the whole time spoiling the kids, especially Ben. 

Let's not discuss the reasons this was an awesome trip... I got to read a book ( the guest house had a mini library)...I mean I got hours of reading in.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a great book if anyone is interested.  I got moments alone with the hubs because my cousin would take the baby for moments on end and Ben slept great he would go down at 8pm, wake at 3pm to eat, back to sleep and then back up at 8 to play...He took two naps a day and enjoyed all the attention he got.  Icing on the cake I got to go the beach twice and ate tons of great food. 

Of course it all ended too soon, and we were headed back home.  After getting stuck in the airport for 10 hrs because the flight back was cancelled so we got rerouted from Houston to Miami in order to get back home and then spent a night in janitor's closet of a hotel room...all part of the experience I guess. 

Then back home, where we closed on the house we wanted the same day we arrived back and then moved the following weekend.  We spent New Year's eve moving ( the hubs did all the heavy lifting...I kidd u not) and then going to bed at 10pm we were so tired and then brunch by a coworker the next day...Sigh...hectic...hectic month but so worth it.

Name Change

Maybe you noticed...maybe you didn't...

Who know's but I changed the name of the blog...since I am all about Ben and the family...I figure it was applicable.   My goal is to post more often this year...We shall see...

Best Christmas Gift ever

Even though we were away for Christmas; the hubs family gave a ton of Christmas gifts to the boys.  When we returned from vacation I picked them up.  It turns out Ben got a lot of learning toys which is great because while I had the basics a bouncer, a car seat, a jogging stroller, and tons of clothes etc.  he had no toys to really play with and entertain himself besides one activity mat.  I spent most of the first 3 months of his life reading to him, singing to him and entertaining him ( talk about exhausting at times but so worth it).

Once we opened up all the presents, we decided to try out his toy and put him down for tummy time.  Oh the smiles, laughs and cooing that came from my little butterball...None of the usual grunting and then crying.  He spent almost 10 mins on his tummy and though I haven't gotten a repeat in that length of tummy time...he absolutely adores his fisher price crawl along snail.  Great Gift....

He was mesmerized!

little things

One of the best things about having my little guy is watching him grow and change daily...
He used to not make a sound when he laughed just open his mouth wide and eyes smiling.  Now he has a little muffled laugh sound that comes out when he laughs.
My other favorite little thing is his little hand goes up when ever he's nursing to hold my hand and then his other hand gets tucked on his side but in a push away motion as "if just in case someone tries to come and take my milk...I am ready"
It's the little things like that I miss as I sit at my desk all day wondering what he's doing and if he's having fun.
Today he was so tied he slept through most of the get ready for daycare process...but I hate when he wakes up at daycare because I think that's really jolting for him.
Humm to work or not to work...I keep thinking I will quit when my part-time stint is expired but then there are minutes when I think I can do this...I missed working and using my brain analytically...but those moments are always fleeting. what's a mom to do...

One of the hardest things ever

Daycare - well except for labor and delivery but those are short.

Last week I dropped Ben off at daycare for the first time.  It took hubby and I forever to get childcare for Ben.  We knew I had to return to work for 30 days or forfeit any maternity benefits I received but we didn't really know anyone that was available to watch Ben.  So we prayed about it long and hard and wouldn't you know 3 days before I am to return to work the perosn my hubby mentors mentioned that his mother runs a nice, small, neat at home daycare.  So we checked it out and it seems ok and Ben warmed up to the care provider right way.  So we decided to go with her.  She has a total of 5 kids( 1 infant and 4 toddlers) and one part time infant and then she added Ben as another part-time infant.  Apparently it truely is a blessing because most daycare's don't do part-time. 

The first day of dropping Ben off I was a mess...from the time I started to get him dressed to go the tears came and wouldn't stop until after I was half way to work.  I just felt so bad, and he had no idea what was going on.  All i wanted to do was crawl back into bed with him and quit my job.  Even now, I want to quick.  I only scheduled to work from 7am -1pm but it seems so long.  And dropping him off is the hardest part.  Some days I wake him up so he can see and spend 30 mins with his dad and I before he just gets dropped off.  And that way he doesn't wake up in a strange place.  The only problem is on those days he doesn't go back to sleep until I pick him up.  He will fight sleep all morning. 

I can't judge anyone who works or stays home.  I just don't understand how people do it...everyday dropping him off is hard and the Monday after the weekend is the worse because it's like starting the process all of over again.  And yes I know like anything he will adapt and so will I.  I know that but emotionally the last two weeks have been draining.  At the same time staying home and not bring in any income is just not an option, even if I stayed home I would have to bring him half my current salary...

It's just so  much to think about...I would love to hear how other moms made it through.  And what were your deciding factors that led you to quit if you did or not if you didn't?

3 Months

My dearest Benji,

Last week Friday, you completed 3 months of life. And what a month you have had!

During this past month you have started reaching for items waved in front of your little face. You also constantly reach for my face and hold my hand with your little hand while nursing. I love when you reach out your little hand and the brightness in your eyes as day by day you become more and more alert of your surrounding and the people in your life.

During this last month we have had some really fun times. You took your first international trip to the Caribbean and were the best baby on the plane. You slept the whole time during the hour layover in Newark and then fell asleep an hour into our 5 hour flight. You did awesome and when you weren’t sleeping you were looking around and wondering who all the new faces were.

Turns out Ben that you are an island baby just like your mommy! You basked in the island warmth, you seemed to really enjoy no socks and no shoes and shorts all the time. While on vacation you got to meet a bunch of your cousins, aunties and uncles. We wanted to take you for your first sea bath but decided against after you cried when we put your feet in the pool.

So now my dear child you have been to your mother’s home land and saw the place where mommy and daddy almost got married a year before you visited.

You were a trooper as we attempted to return back to the US and got stuck in the airport for 6 hours trying to talk to a Continental agent. Not fun but you were again the best baby ever as you slept half the time and chilled the remainder of the time. Your Grammy was able to get us on her flight back to Miami, and again you slept the whole flight, which I was grateful for but also surprised. Then you spent the night in a studio hotel room on a chair. It’s a good thing you are still so little because that room was barely big enough for the 3 of us. Of course you slept the night away and were ready to play the next morning as mommy and daddy had to take separate flights to the DMV. You were the picture of perfection on the 3 hour flight back to the DM; SO much so even the flight attendants in business class remarked that you never once cried and were a blast to have in-flight…awe Ben you are the greatest by far.

Also, during month 3, mommy and daddy moved into a new house where you will be able to have your own room, a yard to play in and a playroom to keep your toys

However, with all the joys of month 3, also came some serious sorrows. Mommy had to return to work, albeit part time and you had to head to your first week of daycare. Don’t worry my darling Mommy is trying to figure out a way to be able to stay home with you or lower her part-time hours but for now you are in daycare and while you seem to enjoy the daycare…I know you would prefer to have mommy and daddy home with you.

Well my son, you are growing well and people are constantly remarking about how happy and content you are. I only prayer that feeling of comfort you enjoy can last as long as possible the world is a rough place but mommy and daddy are trying let you enjoy your innocence as long as possible.



We love you…Mommy