Week in My Life: Thursday

Welcome to day 4 of Week in My Life! I've been having a lot of fun with this project, but it's been exhausting to remember to take pictures constantly and to write every night.

I've noticed that my posts are heavily focused on our mornings. Today I decided I would shift my focus and do most of my documenting in the evening. Of course, nothing ever works out the way it's supposed to and both Joseph and I ended up feeling pretty cruddy. I'm not sure what was wrong with either of us. For him maybe teething? Or a virus? I think I might just be overtired and my body is working overtime fighting off the colds that have been going around our house for the past week. I just felt achy and tired and I couldn't completely put my finger on what was wrong. Luckily I've perked up a little tonight!

And now...what you've all been waiting for...our Thursday!

We woke at 6:45. My day started with coffee of course, while the kids had their milk. (And water. Stephanie was double fisting.)

Joseph sat down on his Dino and just hung out there for awhile.

We got dressed, I made breakfast, and we ate. Then it was time for the dishes.

Then it was school for Stephanie and some shopping/bonding time with my mom for Joseph and I. We stopped off at Dunkin Donuts first for a coffee. The guy asked me if he could give Joseph a munchkin. It was his first one, and though he wasn't sure what to do with it at first, he loved it!

After school we went to my sister's house for a Halloween get-together with my Aunt, Mom, Sister and niece. I made a pumpkin pie but it turned out all speckled.The spices didn't mix well, but it tasted good!

Joseph wants food!

The cousins love playing together!

After the party we went home and Joseph went for a nap. When he woke up, the crankiness started. It wasn't normal crankiness though...it seemed like he really didn't feel well. 

This was one of the few times my baby wasn't crying this afternoon.

 We spend the entire afternoon, from 4:00 on, rocking and cuddling in the chair.

Poor little guy!

 Stephanie was fantastic and alternated between playing independently and watching Caillou. Joseph was just so sad.

I did eventually put him down and he spent 5 minutes playing with his stacking cups.

When Dan came home at 5:20, I left Joseph with him and took Stephanie to CVS and the library. When we got home, I resumed cuddling with Joseph while Dan got dinner ready. (We were having leftover pasta and chili, so he reheated everything and set the table.)

 After dinner I put jammies on the kids while Dan did the dishes. (Did I mention how awesome he is?)

Once the kids were in their jammies, I snuggled with Joseph while he had his milk. Stephanie did a great job cleaning the living room for me.

Yup, he's still cleaning! I have the best husband.

After milk, I helped the kids brush their teeth.

Then it was some pre--bedtime snuggles.

Joseph went to bed and Stephanie and I read books.

Then it was bedtime for Stephanie.

She yelled at me for not closing my eyes and pretending to be asleep. We had to re-take the picture.

 Now it's wine time for the Mommy while I blog, and listen to the Big Bang Theory playing on the TV in the background.

*A big thanks to Melissa from Adventuroo for putting this project together! If you missed any of my other Week in My Life posts, you can check them out here: Monday Tuesday Wednesday 

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Project 10: Week 4 Update

I finally had a good week! There were definite slips, and days where I didn't get my wine at night. But in general I felt like I stuck to my healthy habits and am proud to say i'm down 2 pounds!

I've been drinking a lot of water, eating extra fruits and vegetables, walking with the kids every day, and curbing the snacking a little. Knowing that I can't buy new clothes until I lose the weight is a big motivator. I still need to buy a few things for BlogHer12 at the start of August, so I'm really determined!

In addition to sticking with the healthy habits I've been doing, I have two additional goals this week.

1. Cut down portion sizes at dinner. I have a tendency to go back for seconds, and I really don't need to. So I'm going to stick with one plate of food, and if I really can't resist going back for more, i'll get extra vegetables.

2. Use the calorie-counter app that I downloaded on my phone. I actually downloaded this a few months ago, but was never able to make it through an entire day. I remember from my first week of Project 10 that keeping a food diary was helpful. I've gotten lax with that, and so I thought doing this might be a way to make it new and fresh and stick with it. I did it all day yesterday and discovered that I can scan bar-codes of foods and it will automatically find it without me searching. And once I've searched for a food on the app, it saves it so I can quickly retrieve the data if I eat the same thing again. So easy! It's nice to know not only what i'm eating, but the number of calories i'm consuming. It helps me stay on track.

I'm still using wine as a motivator, and hoping I get to have some more often this week!

I'll leave you today with a recipe I found from Good Housekeeping magazine. It's a pasta dish, which isn't the healthiest, but we are big pasta eaters in my house so I figured a dish that is loaded with vegetables is healthier than just eating it with sauce and cheese! Here is the link for the original, and below is how I made it.

Rustic Pasta Toss
-salt
-pepper
-1 box Barilla whole wheat penne (I think it's a 13oz box instead of 1 lb)
-1 zucchini chopped
-1 summer squash chopped
-1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
-dried parsley
-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1 clove garlic
-1 5oz pouch of light tuna in water

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Add squash and zucchini during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, 1/4 teas salt & 1/8 teas pepper. Stir in tomatoes.

3. Drain pasta. Add the tomato mixture to the pasta, squash and zucchini. Add tuna. Mix well.

We discovered that this dish is better cold. (It made enough for us to have two nights in a row. The second night we ate it right out of the fridge and enjoyed it better!)

If you've written a post about healthy living or fitness, feel free to link up with us below! As always, thank you to Stephanie's Mommy Brain for putting this project together.

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Being Happy At Home

Last week the Today Moms group on Facebook posted an article that I found very interesting. It says a recent Gallup survey shows that stay-at-home-moms are more depressed than working moms. They go on to say that the drudgery of at home life, combined with isolation and a lack of "feeling accomplished" cause sahm's to feel more sadness, anger, worry and depression. Working moms on the other hand, were more apt to report that they had feelings of happiness and enjoyment.

Reading the article caused me to feel a deep and profound sadness for those stay-at-moms who are suffering. I know first hand what staying home is like, and I can easily see how a mom might start to slide into depression. There is definitely an isolation factor involved, as well as a day-to-day drudgery that can really wear on some moms.

I count myself blessed to be a sahm who loves my career. That being said, as someone who is happy and content with my choice I think it's important to share some of the things that have made my life as a sahm the enjoyable experience that it is. I know it's not the right choice for everyone, but if you are a mom who stays home, you deserve to have it be a positive experience.

The most important thing I've learned from staying home is that not every day is going to be wonderful. It is so easy to feel guilty on those days when you don't get out of your jammies, the kids are whining, don't nap, the dishes and laundry are piled high, and it's been raining for 5 days straight. On those days, it's important to remember that nobody loves their job every single day. It doesn't make you a bad mother, it doesn't mean that you made the wrong choice, and it doesn't mean that you have failed in any way.

It does mean that you need to give yourself a break. When the chaos threatens to take over, figure out what you can do to help yourself relax. Maybe you need to check in with a friend or relative. Maybe you need to pop in a children's dvd and make yourself a cup of tea while the kids are occupied. Maybe you need to hand the little ones over to your husband when he comes home, and spend 10 minutes by yourself regrouping. Whatever it is, do it, and don't feel guilty. You need a mommy time-out every now and then, and there's nothing wrong with that!

I also find it important to stick to a routine. We're very flexible in my house, but there is a general structure to our days, especially in the mornings and evenings. It helps us all stay accountable to the tasks we need to accomplish.

I make sure to get dressed and put makeup on every single day. It helps me feel like a functioning human, and reminds me that even though i'm Mommy, i'm still Megan.

I plan an activity every day. Most days the activity takes place outside of our home. It might be a playdate, storytime, or simply a trip to the grocery store. Whatever it happens to be, it gets us out of the house, provides a change of scenery, and allows me to converse with other adults. If we have no plans, we go for a walk, or do special out-of-the-ordinary things at home. (Play-doh, baking, painting, etc.)

Utilize the social media world. My Facebook and Twitter friends have provided countless hours of support in my times of need. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or clueless there is someone out there I can turn to. I also text my friends and family throughout the day. It helps stave off those feelings of isolation that can creep in, especially when it's been raining for 5 days and the kids are all suffering from colds.

It's really important to remember the things you liked to do pre-children and make sure to incorporate them into your current life. I love drinking coffee or wine with friends. Once a month I go out with my mommy blogger friends, which helps me feel connected to other women, and free from the responsibilities of home.

We often have playdates scheduled around lunchtime, which allows me to chat with my friends while the kids are entertaining each other. Coffee is usually involved too. If we don't have plans, i'll make a trip to Dunkin Donuts and enjoy a piping hot cup of coffee made by somebody else. Just that small pleasure is enough to make me happy on a dreary day when i'm sleep deprived and feeling miserable. And a glass of wine at the end of a hectic day is one of my favorite ways to decompress.

I love reading and writing, so I make this blog a priority. I find time every day to catch up on a few of my favorite blogs, and read a few pages in a book. (I always have something I'm reading, although I admit that sometimes it's a parenting magazine instead of an actual book.) If there's something you love to do and are passionate about, you need to make sure you do it! I don't like hearing that there is no time. The laundry/dusting/vacuuming etc. can wait for a little while, because doing something for yourself each day is essential!

Lastly, make sure you have time with your spouse or partner. It doesn't have to be a date night, especially because those can be pricey and hard to arrange. Dan and I love our at home nights, where we order pizza when the kids go to bed and relax with a glass of wine and a slice. We've also been known to break out the scrabble board from time to time. (Yes, we are that awesome.) Keeping connected with your spouse is a way to share the ups and downs of your life at home with the kids, and having his support and understanding is crucial.

Staying home and raising my children is my biggest point of pride. I love knowing that i'm fulfilling my dream and doing what I've always wanted to do. I hope that there are moms out there that have found this helpful, because being a mom, whether working outside the home or not, is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week job, and we all deserve to be happy and enjoy this time in our lives.

*If you think you are suffering from depression, please seek professional help. If you're feeling sad, weary, or just down, reach out to someone. If you need support, I am always willing to listen. I love hearing from new people, and you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, or by email.

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Surviving the Exhaustion

Sleep?

I don't get much of it. At all. I know I talk about it a lot (probably too much for many of you) but truly, when you don't get sleep it's all you can think about. Instead of lamenting my tiredness and circling around the reasons for Joseph's night waking and possible solutions for it, i'm giving you my tips for dealing with the lack of sleep. Because lets face it, after 6.5 months where the longest stretch I've gotten is 4 hours, i'm pretty much an expert.

Drink 

1. Coffee. Obviously i'm touting the benefits of this one. The caffeine wakes me up of course, but so does simply smelling it. While the first pot of the morning brews, the scent triggers parts of my brain which tell me "hey, it's time to look alive!" I also love the taste, so on those mornings where I could potentially be pretty miserable, it perks me up and makes me happy. I am also back to my daily Dunkin Donuts habit, which I refuse to apologize for. I deserve it!



2. Water, water, water. When i'm tired, the last thing I want to do is add dehydration to the mix. I drink one glass of water for every cup of coffee, and then continue to drink water throughout the day. Even though recent research has suggested that 8 glasses aren't necessary, I do my best to get and exceed that amount. It helps my body feel more alert and less sluggish.

3. Wine. When I finally get Joseph settled for the night (wait, let me rephrase. If I can finally get Joseph settled for the night) I like to relax with one glass of wine. I keep it to 2 or 3 nights a week, which makes it a relaxing treat. I enjoy the taste of red wine, and it's something I can look forward to and enjoy before heading into a night where I may possibly be pacing the floors for hours on end.

Food


1. Less sugar. I've noticed that when I consume large amounts of refined sugar I feel awful. I have a stomachache, I'm cranky, I get headaches and i'm beyond the point of sluggishness. That's not good when you're already running on little to no sleep. But I've often found that when i'm overtired my first reaction is to reach for a piece of chocolate or a cookie. I've forced myself to stop doing that, which has made a huge difference in the way my body feels.

2. More fruits and veggies. These foods naturally contain a lot of water, which aids in the prevention of dehydration. They also make me feel fuller longer so i'm less apt to binge on the sugary, processed foods that make me more tired. I've made it a point to include a serving of either fruit or veggies during breakfast, lunch and snacks and two servings at dinner.

Exercise


1. When i'm tired, the last thing I want to do is work out. But it does give me energy, and an afternoon walk outside is just the thing to get me through the rest of the evening. The fresh air is an added bonus, but even on bad weather days I will get up and do some jumping jacks or dancing with Stephanie in the afternoon. Anything to get the blood flowing through my body.

2. Yoga. I've never taken a structured class, and for all I know i'm doing all the moves wrong and have terrible form. But boy do I love yoga. I've started incorporating it into my daily life and I feel happier, more relaxed, more energized, and more peaceful. I've also noticed my body becoming more toned, which is an added bonus. I use the yoga moves from our Wii fit, but even if I don't want to take the time to boot up the system I will do a move or two anytime I find myself sliding into exhaustion and crankiness. The mats we put down to prevent Joseph from slamming his head on the concrete floor have the added benefit of being an always-there yoga mat as well.

Clearly none of these things is a perfect substitute for a full night's sleep. But as any mom knows, there really isn't such a thing as a full night's sleep once you have kids. Even if your child has slept great since he/she was tiny, most moms deal with night waking at least a few times a week. Sometimes it's a nightmare, sometimes it's needing to use the potty (or wetting the bed), sometimes it's teething pain, sometimes it's just lonely kids who want to cuddle with mommy in the middle of the night. Whatever it is that's causing your  tiredness, I hope you find some of these tips useful. They have definitely been a lifesaver for me lately.

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