Thursday, December 25, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Food. Its what's for dinner
I read the Salt Lake Tribune online most days - or at least look at the headlines. In the last few months, there have been several articles on food pantries. Apparently, food pantries in the USA have received fewer donations this year while demand for food pantry services climbs in the midst of the recession.
Yesterday, I happened to drive by our local food pantry just before it opened. There was a long line of families on the pavement, with a number of mothers holding pre-school age children in their arms. This particular pantry has been holding a lot of food drives in an effort to meet the increasing need.
So chicken little's advice for today is to consider donating to your local food pantry. If you don't feel comfortable or able to give money, please consider a donation of non-perishable food items. Perhaps you've got some cans in your own pantry that you could give. Food. Its what's for dinner...
Posted by Nancy Ross at 8:01 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A Second-Hand Christmas
This is the first Christmas is years that will be a proper Christmas for my family. We've moved during the last few and I'm excited to be at home and looking forward to establishing some of our own Christmas traditions. Hairbaby, who is only 5 months old, will be too young to remember it, but Headbanger is almost 20 months old and will be able to appreciate the fun of big family meals, decorating and opening presents.
As the kids are still very young and will play with anything, I've been trying to find second-hand toys to give them. I've been looking on Ebay, but have had better luck on Craigslist. Last week, I bought a Little People Car Garage set for Headbanger for $10. Its in good shape and it retails for about $30-$40.
Flashlight and I feel that saving money is important this year. New gifts will be kept to a minimum and we'll spend a lot of time making candies and other treats. We've also decided that every Christmas season from now on will involve a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition marathon.
What are your holiday traditions and how will you be saving money this year?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 10:01 AM 4 comments
Defeating the Sunday Morning Mommy Monster
Ever since I posted about my Sunday morning struggles, I've been trying to slay the Sunday Morning Mommy Monster. I took an objective look at the time between waking up and leaving the house and observed the following things:
1. I spend a lot of time looking for shoes - baby shoes (2 pairs) and my own. They get lost because Headbanger likes to play with them during the week. She puts individual shoes in her secret hiding places, like the kitchen cabinets, and then I can never find what I need. This, more than any other thing, triggers the monster within to start raging.
2. I spend some time trying to find the pieces to cute baby/toddler outfits. It takes me at least ten minutes to decide what outfits the girls should wear and then find matching tights.
3. The diaper bag is never as ready as I think it is. There are always lots of last-minute additions.
4. 50% of the time, Headbanger pulls her pony tails out before we even get to church, so its not worth spending a lot of time on them.
Solution: find the baby shoes the night before, set out the girls' outfits the night before and get started on the diaper bag the night before and don't stress about toddler hair.
During the last few weeks, I've been trying to get organized on Saturday nights and its helped a lot. I can't say that the Sunday Morning Mommy Monster is absolutely dead or that we've arrived at church perfectly on time, but we're getting there. This past Sunday, we even arrived at church during the opening prayer and I wasn't feeling stressed at all. We're making a lot of progress and when Flashlight sees me putting in the effort, he tries harder too.
How have slain your inner demons?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 9:43 AM 1 comments
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Threats and bribbery
I have a problem. I can not get anything from my kids unless I threaten them of being spanked, or I promise them something they would really like (like a piece of chocolate). That is how they go to bed or they tidy up the living room. When they are doing something obviously bad (like hurting their younger sibling), I have nothing better than to tell them:"Stop that immediately or you'll be spanked. I count to three, ONE, TWO, " and they usually scurry away at THREE. My problem is the following : they start doing the same thing between them, and this is obviously not right. When they tell their sibling, "if you don't come play with me, I won't let you play with my brand new birthday gift anymore". What should I do? How do you do to foster a positive atmosphere into your house? Why do people need to threaten each others? Fortunately, the relationship between Monsieur and me is based on sound grounds of love and speechless cooperation. Why can not it be the same between my children and me? And why are they so cute when they are sleeping and you forget everything!!
Posted by hmaimai at 6:33 AM 3 comments
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Proper Way to Weigh
So I have been getting very discouraged lately... I am pregnant with my twins and it seems like I am the land-locked equivalent of a blue whale. I am 28 weeks along and already bigger than I was when I delivered both of my other two kids at 40 weeks. My biggest problem is that I never really lost the baby weight from the last one (who is now 16 months old) and so I am just piling more and more on top of that. It feels like I'm drowning. My sweet hubby still tells me I'm beautiful and attractive, but I just don't see it. I am really past the point of any sort of exercise regimen for the duration of this pregnancy... mostly because things are so tight in there that I get winded and often light headed just walking across the room. Plus, I have major circulation issues in my legs while I'm pregnant which makes exercise really painful (horrible varicose veins). I need a good post-pregnancy diet/exercise plan to look forward to, but it can't be too restrictive because that never works... I will also have 3 babies and a 5 year old to deal with so it needs to be very flexible. Do any of you have a plan that worked really well for you?
Posted by Molly at 12:27 PM 5 comments
The Sunday Morning Mommy Monster
On Sunday morning, every week, I turn into a stress monster. For some reason, we cannot get to church on time. Church starts at 9am and we live 20 minutes away, so we should really leave the house by 8:40 if we want to get there on time. We're doing well if we leave the house by 9. Yesterday, we left at 9:15. I spent 15 minutes trying to do Headbanger's hair, getting more and more frustrated with elastics and clips and hair that would just not do what I wanted to. I was so engrossed in her hair that I failed to realize that she had unscrewed the lid to the handsoap and was spreading it all over the counter and the mirror. As I was finally getting Hairbaby into her car seat, she spat up all over my arm. It had taken so much effort to get to that stage, that I decided to ignore the spit up and just get in the car and go. I'm convinced that I get up at a reasonable time on Sunday mornings, but things never go as planned and it is REALLY hard to get Flashlight out of bed early on a Sunday. I can be a sane and relatively calm and patient person throughout the week, but by the time we are all in the car on a Sunday morning, I'm about ready to shout at everyone, including the baby. At I time when I should be focussing on the important things in life, I am seething over the time it took Flashlight to shower and the last minute diaper changes, which normally do not bother me. As I walk through the front doors I am feeling thoroughly un-Christ-like. I hate being late for church (or anything, really) and I hate that I get so stressed about it. Sunday mornings are the low point of my week. They turn me into the Crazy Lady.
Is there a time in the week that regularly sends you over the edge?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 9:52 AM 6 comments
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Women Helping Women
So while I was doing some research for food storage (specifically what kinds of sanitary supplies to store) I came across a something that just blew me away. In Africa and other developing countries, girls only have rags or newspaper to use when they have their periods, or even worse they have nothing at all! This makes it difficult for them to go to school on the days that they are menstruating.
Posted by LAR Girl at 5:42 PM 4 comments
Labels: Women Helping Women
Thursday, October 16, 2008
No Child Left Behind?
All this talk about school has me a little fired up! Here's my beef...
In our school district, we live in the SF Bay Area in an affluent area, there are early intervention programs for children with all kinds of disabilities. Any kind of disability you can think of is covered. Here is a list of some of them, straight off the district website.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Deaf-Blind
Visually Impaired
Speech-Language Impaired
Specific Learning Disability
Multiple Handicapped
Orthopedically Impaired
Other Health Impaired
Mentally Retarded
Emotionally Disturbed
Autism
Traumatic Brain Injury
They start working with these children as soon as they are identified, sometimes as early as age 3, by their teacher/parent/pediatrician/etc. These programs adapt the state's curriculum based on the child's abilities/disabilities. They are given an Individual Education Plan. I think these programs are neccessary, useful, and obviously, costly.
Here's my pet peeve, what do they do for children on the other end of the scale? Those who might be bored in class, frustrated with the slow pace, need more challenging work? The answer is: almost nothing. They don't even attempt to identifiy these children until the end of 2nd grade. Then, like most districts, they offer enrichment programs, like GATE (Gifted and Talented Education). These enrichment classes are in addition to their normal curriculum and the kids must make up any regular class work they might miss while participating. There are also two classes of mixed 3-5 graders at one elementary school where the top 1% of kids tested in the district can go to be challeneged and interact with like-mided children. That's it, that's all.
What about the rest of kids? Shouldn't the schools try to recognize and incorporate all children's abilities and adapt their rigid standards to fit all kids? I know that the district relies on the state for funding and standards and I think California is failing. What do you think? How are your schools doing in identifying and accomadating children of all abilities?
Posted by Dwayne the bathtub... at 9:55 AM 5 comments
Labels: school
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
She Talks Too Much, She Never Shuts UP!
So I have noticed that I seem to only have LDS friends that I actually do stuff with. I am starting to dislike this a lot since it seems like I have to be around a particular person who has a grating personality. Last night she completely hogged the conversation and said very rude and also ridiculous things (these are only the highlights):
Posted by LAR Girl at 5:54 PM 4 comments
Labels: She Never Shuts Up, She Talks Too Much
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Help Me Understand Homeschooling
Growing up, the only people I knew who homeschooled their kids were my aunt and uncle, who were (and still are) extreme fundamentalist Christians. They really do believe that everyone is evil. As these were the only homeschoolers I knew, I figured that all homeschoolers were crazy. Since moving to my new home in Southern Utah, I have met lots of people who homeschool and I'd say that most of them seem pretty normal. A good chunk of people in my ward do it. Its something of a trend around here, as the homeschoolers add a few more to their numbers every year. But their motives, or what I perceive as being their motives, bother me somewhat. Some people fall into the-outside-world-is-totally-evil camp and I think that some feel that it is part of their religious (LDS) responsibility and this scares me. It almost seems as if homeschooling is seem as a form of super-righteousness.
Do you homeschool? Why do you do it? Would youy ever go back to regular (public or private) school? Please help me understand my neighbors!
Posted by Nancy Ross at 3:02 PM 3 comments
Monday, October 13, 2008
You know its time to lose the baby fat when...
your eighteen month old child (Headbanger) comes up behind you, pulls up your t-shirt and slaps your muffin top because she likes to watch your fat jiggle. Its becoming a habit.
Posted by Nancy Ross at 9:50 AM 1 comments
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sent to the Principal's Office
OK, technically not really, but she did call me up at home and politely chew me out. Here's what happened:
Posted by LAR Girl at 1:17 PM 4 comments
Labels: Sent to the Principal's Office
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Meltdown Prevention
I really only have major meltdown problems with HotDog, but they are pretty major. I actually held him back from going into kindergarten this year because I didn't think he or his teacher could handle full day kindergarten with full strength meltdowns. On his first day of preschool I asked him how it went. He said, "Not so good. I had five fits." But the number of fits has gone down and virtually disappeared since he has been going to school every day. I thought this article was helpful.
Posted by LAR Girl at 12:30 PM 2 comments
Labels: Meltdown Prevention
Monday, September 22, 2008
Comme une lettre à la poste!
"Like a letter through the post". That's how I would comment on the school start this year. We used to struggle with Satsuki and Mae (that's how I will call my number 1 and 2, following "My neighbor Totoro" animation that we LOVE and all the Miyasaki movies in general that I strongly recommend to you). And since this year, Bouclette is going to school as well. She is 3 year old and was really impatient to go to school. We were a little afraid that she would be disappointed but no, not at all! She pulls her sisters behind her, being so enthousiastic in the morning, the 2 elder ones just follow and we don't need to rush anymore to catch the school bus. How wonderful... I am not the one who drags everyone now, a little girl full of energy and full of life is doing that for me, for us. Bouclette is exceptional!! She shines. There is no other word.
Posted by hmaimai at 1:17 AM 2 comments
Giant bubbles
Recipy of the giant bubble for fun with the elder ones and fun for the dad. Sorry this one is in French, but I can translate 25% water, 5% sugar, 20% dishwashing liquid like Fairy (the green colored one), 10% glycerin, 40% water to mix slowly in this order without making bubbles of possible. Let it rest a few hours if you have made bubbles while mixing so that the little bubbles disappear. Then you need a big rope and 2 sticks. And the fun can begin.
Posted by hmaimai at 12:32 AM 1 comments
Labels: Bubbles
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Contemplating the Tomato
When we moved into our house last Christmas, we were excited about all of the space that we'd have, both inside and out. Where we live, everyone has at least an acre and we wanted to put our acre to good use. Flashlight planted 10 fruit trees and we're hoping to do more next year, along with blackberry and raspberry bushes. But the fruit we were really looking forward to was the tomato. Supermarket tomatoes in this country are crap. I've even splurged on expensive ones, only to be disappointed by weak flavor and odd textures. Earlier this year, we got very excited about tomatoes. We bought seeds for nine or ten varieties and started about 72 plants in a tray. We babied that tray, taking it outside during warm days and bringing it in every night. But then we put them in the ground way too late. While we had a number of plants develop, we didn't get any fruit. Then, just as other people's tomato plants stopped producing, we started getting tomatoes and I think that they're about hit their peak. I imagine that we'll be getting them until frost kills off our tomato patch. Here's a picture of Headbanger holding our first tomato, which was very oddly shaped. But even the weirdest-looking tomatoes taste fantastic and I've been freezing tasty tomato pulp for the winter. I get tremendous satisfaction from eating food that I've helped produce.
Did you plant or harvest anything this year?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 8:47 AM 6 comments
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sweet Sweet Sleep
This past weekend, the four of us went to the mountains near Richfield, Utah to pick berries. It was a long day and the girls conked out in their car seats. It was one of the few peaceful moments we had that day.
Posted by Nancy Ross at 8:22 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Vagina Monologue Continued
I chose this image of a uterus shaped vase because it seems like mine is similarly fragile. So when we last saw our brave heroine (me) she had just had a transvaginal ultrasound. (OK, I'll switch to first person because 3rd is too hard.) Since then I had a colposcopy which is a biopsy of the uterus. That was pretty unpleasant and I absentmindedly scheduled a dinner party for the same evening. My Lady Doctor called two weeks later and told me that I had some low grade abnormal cells in my uterus. So high grade abnormal cells would be cancerous. My cells are two small steps away from being cancerous! That news was really shocking and depressing, but at least they hadn't progressed to malignancy yet.
Posted by nutellafiend at 9:12 AM 3 comments
Labels: Vagina Monologue Continued
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
How funky is your chicken?
Flashlight and I are thinking of getting some more interesting-looking chickens, possibly something like this one, which looks like a cross between a chicken and a poodle. Evolution is a strange, strange thing.
I'm sorry that I haven't been very active on the blog lately. Hairbaby turned 9 weeks old yesterday and its been "challenging". Flashlight, Headbanger and Hairbaby are all doing well, but I went through a few weeks of depression that made me feel like a crazy person. I think that I'm through that now and have made peace with the fact that I'm now a mom to two (very) little girls. I only became a mom last year and to suddenly have two has been overwhelming. Fortunately, things are settling down and the girls have some overlapping nap time and we only have bad nights every other night. Those small graces have been enough for me regain some emotional strength and perspective. But for a while, I was worried that I'd become The Crazy Lady and would be The Crazy Lady until they started kindergarden.
What makes you The Crazy Lady?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 3:20 PM 3 comments
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Summer Full 'o' Flakes
So I have had a couple of bad experiences with other people's lack of commitment and consideration this summer.
Posted by LAR Girl at 8:50 PM 6 comments
Labels: Summer Full 'o' Flakes
C'est la rentrée des mamans!
Hi everyone! The title of this post comes from an invitation I received when I was living in France 6 years ago for a mama tea party to celebrate the first day of school. In France, the return to school is called "La Rentée". This invitation implies that it's a new beginning for kids AND their moms.
I have been a homeschooler for two years but this year all three of my children will be going to school all day. Homeschooling, for us, has been an attempt to open the world to our children, expand their experience and exposure to new (and old) ideas. We are living in France until Christmas and it just seemed like keeping them home would be contrary to our philosphy of education. So, we met with the director of the school yesterday and away we go! The kids are nervous but were very comforted by the charming, personable man sitting across the table from them at the school. He told them that his main goal for them would be to become great French speakers, to learn about French culture and to make some friends. He wasn't interested in sweating the rest. I like him already.
I have always loved the fall and the new possibilities it brings, It has always been a more natural time for me than the New Year to start fresh, make plans, get involved, learn something new. I feel energized after a summer of vacations and lounging, late nights, popsicles and ice cream. I feel so excited this year to have some time to pursue some of my interests in France. I want to exercise and take classes, romance my husband and sit in cafés reading books.
I know many of you may have young children who aren't in school yet but you can still have plans! Let's here them ladies!
Posted by Willow at 3:18 AM 3 comments
Saturday, August 9, 2008
A Grateful Heart
Many moms, me included, complain at times at the life we are called to lead as "stay-at-home moms". There has been more than one occasion that I have prayed for more in my life, had wished that there was more to my life than tending four kids. But tonight after reading this blog http://adailyscoop.blogspot.com/ & here http://dbkunz.blogspot.com I'll be on my knees thanking my Father in Heaven that tomorrow morning will find Jack coming into my room at 6:15am. I'll thank my Father in Heaven for the fact that I won't be able to go back to sleep because for the next thirty minutes or so Jack will carry on a conversation with his hands. Right when I think this conversation is over and I just might get back to sleep, I'll have to say another prayer of gratitude for the "Ma" I hear coming from the crib in the next room. Asher is awake and the first thing he'll want is me. Not long after this prayer is complete, I'll have another conversation with the Lord and thank Him for the two little girls who just climbed in bed with me. I'll keep that prayer in my heart even when they fight over the covers and push their little brother out of the way so that they can have their backs rubbed. Instead of praying to make it through the day tomorrow, I'll thank my Heavenly Father because I stumbled upon a blog which made me grateful to be a mother of four.
Posted by Ms. Jones at 7:42 PM 3 comments
Friday, August 8, 2008
Kids and Sex: A Humorous but Brief Account of My Morning
This morning Flashlight got Headbanger (16 months) out of bed and took her into our bed to give her a bottle, as usual. Afterwards, he set her down on the floor to play and, well, we got amorous (with two babies we have to make the most of what little free time we have). Just as things were "ending", Headbanger, with her sweet innocent face, pops up and hands me a condom (still in the wrapper) that she found on the bedside table. Classic.
I don't think I should tell her this story when she is older.
Posted by Nancy Ross at 9:56 AM 1 comments
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Cheap Dates Fo' Po' Folks
I don't know about you gals, but I am always looking for ways to save money. Babysitting is usually free when we use our babysitting co-op, but when we don't our dates cost twice as much. Once, a sorority girl babysat for us and her fee cost twice as much as what we spent on the date! It ain't right. I read this article that had some good ideas for cheap dates that are fun, but won't wound your wallet.
Posted by LAR Girl at 5:43 AM 8 comments
Labels: Cheap Dates Fo' Po' Folks
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Used the Force I Did
Jedi had his birthday party on Friday and I made these cupcakes. If you like, you can read about how I made them and also see one of the goodie bags here.
Posted by LAR Girl at 8:22 PM 3 comments
Labels: Used the Force I Did
Friday, July 11, 2008
Worst Mothering Moments
As I embark on my childless trip to Spain and England, I leave you with some funny, but shameful bad mommy moments:
Posted by LAR Girl at 7:15 PM 2 comments
Labels: Worst Mothering Moments
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Tale of Two: Two Weeks and Two Days
Headbanger (now 15 months) is the tricky one at the moment. She seems to like Hairbaby and is very interested in her, but is having a hard time adjusting. She often bursts into tears for no reason and needs to be held a lot. She hasn't been sleeping well since we brought Hairbaby home and is harder to feed. She requires a lot of attention and reassurance.
All of the things that were hard after Headbanger's birth are now much easier. Having two presents its own set of challenges:
1. They always need to eat at the exact same time and it is impossible to breastfeed Hairbaby and feed Headbanger at the same time. Ok, it probably is possible, but certainly not desirable.
2. I have to keep them apart unless I'm right there to supervise. Headbanger is starting to understand the word 'gentle', but still has a way to go. She also likes to steal Hairbaby's pacifier/dummy.
3. Sometimes both babies will wake up and need attention in the night. This is hard enough with one and completely exhausting with two. Worse still, sometimes one will wake the other by crying and they'll need attention AT THE SAME TIME.
4. Headbanger will always burst into tears at some point while I'm feeding Hairbaby. If you haven't breastfed before, it can be nearly impossible to get your half-asleep newborn to re-latch onto the breast if you have to interrupt the feeding. As soon as she stops feeding, she's fast asleep.
The hardest thing is having to choose between the two of them at times.
Posted by Nancy Ross at 2:20 PM 6 comments
Nostalgia
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7Y5Zl1LhQedGSoQUQUvaWwdMgUt9Ua6m-PKFiG3EwQ3epU6LTRYW7O9iWov9I_lDlRqx9XDoOqr0xzcG4hiyYhEfQZMNA1EuWvYHJ0Lr0947gYQJE0pSV58PoxxhEz8nvQe0gE3t60E/s320/veyo+pool.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1OQchzKCDnHS1s4R_OICYHH6r-9zQ6OUWBOAOJ81lC1U7Vt64go8d_azOjouBanTOGsSdWS52C77pXQXhyAc7bw9aKPSYZUu58r92hX3U5dFQ9gD8RfjP77HpZH2GMqUBH4kwQfXWHI/s320/veyo+2.jpg)
Posted by Molly at 2:18 AM 2 comments
Saturday, July 5, 2008
VOTE
Willow suggested that I make this blog for authors only. That means no one else would be able to look at the blog. In the comments, cast your vote to either make it for authors only or keep it open for all to read. I feel indifferent about it, but will bow to the will of the majority. Thanks!
Posted by LAR Girl at 3:56 PM 8 comments
Labels: Vote
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Where Everybody Knows Your Name . . .
. . . and they're always glad you came. . . You wanna go where people know, people are all the same, you wanna go where everybody knows your name.
Posted by LAR Girl at 2:53 PM 1 comments
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Those Summer Ni-hites
Posted by LAR Girl at 6:10 PM 3 comments
Labels: Those Summer Ni-hites
A Vampire for me but not my Daughter
So I'm reading the vampire series. I, like most women who read the book, am into Edward. He is the archetypal male. His got the hair, the eyes, and the body. He also has the charm and the protective nature that most women find appealing. But here's the catch, he is the type of guy that I'd want my girls to stay clear of. If you just examine the way he treats Bella (take away all the meant to be love stuff and the fact that he is a vampire) he's behavior would alarm me as a mother of a teenage daughter. He tells Bella who she can be friends with, where she can go, and what she can do. He also uses he's charm to get his way with Bella. Now to see my point you'll have to step away from your love for Edward and examine his behavior from an outsider looking in. So if you've read the books what's your opinion?
Posted by Ms. Jones at 9:52 AM 5 comments
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Good,
I had such a blast at Girls Camp this past week! The theme was Reach for the Stars. I went up as a cook and a fill-in adult leader. In the kitchen I learned how to cook for a large group of people (start three hours ahead and make use of crock pots). I also got put in charge of making things pretty. (See my two cakes for 100 people.) I squirted ketchup in star shapes onto people's plates and fancied up the desserts a little.
Posted by LAR Girl at 9:00 PM 4 comments
Labels: The Good
the Lame
Posted by LAR Girl at 8:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: the Lame
. . . and the Funny
A lot of funny stuff happened at camp. There were a bunch of harmless pranks, the girl pictured had her sleeping bag cornstarched by her friend. It was all in good fun because they are both pranksters who played pranks together.
Posted by LAR Girl at 7:50 PM 2 comments
Labels: . . . and the Funny
Chicken Little's New Chick
Flashlight and I are thrilled to announce the early arrival of Hairbaby. She was born on Monday, June 23 at 12:57 pm weighing 7 lb 11 oz and 20 in long.
Hairbaby was scheduled to be born by cesarean section on July 9th, but on Sunday night I started having frequent contractions and Flashlight and I went to labor and delivery to get it checked out. After monitoring me all night, my doctor decided that it would be best not to wait and she was born a few hours later by c-section.
Getting the spinal block was a little scary, but the rest of the birth experience was really positive. Flashlight was with me during the surgery and I got to breastfeed her soon after she was born. She seems to be a content baby but starts screaming when I change her diaper or clothes. Hopefully she'll get used to that soon. I had fantastic nurses who spent hours helping her feed. She hasn't got the hang of it yet, but I think that she'll do much better when my milk comes in.
We came home last night and we're both doing very well. With thick dark hair, she looks the opposite of Headbanger, who only recently decided to grow hair.
Posted by Nancy Ross at 9:07 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Laugh with me about lingerie
My niece, on Flashlight's side, is getting married in a few short weeks. Her bridal shower is a few days before the wedding and I've been asked to buy lingerie. I'm pretty excited by this as I'm 36 weeks pregnant and feeling very un-sexy. Looking through lingerie collections online has helped me feel a little sexier. I keep thinking "ooh, when the baby's born and I've shed the water weight, I can't wait to try something like this..."
The problem is that I don't really know my niece that well. She's LDS (they're getting married in the St. George Temple) and 19 or 20 years old. She's tallish with a slim/medium build and I've been told that red and pink things are out of the question. At the moment I'm leaning toward this (I'm a big fan of Victoria's Secret) in white but I'm not sure. To me, it says innocence in a subtle summery-sexy way, which, in my opintion, is probably good for an inexperienced woman. I often feel out-sexed by lingerie and tend to prefer tamer stuff.
After having a good laugh with Flashlight over some of these, especially the ones in the top row, he suggested something other than white, because white is the color of her regular underwear. He liked this one, which is, um, a little less subtle.
So I need some help here, ladies. What would you recommend for a first-timer on her wedding night?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 6:56 PM 7 comments
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Treat yourself to a retreat
Posted by Susan at 3:24 AM 2 comments
Saturday, June 14, 2008
My First Braids by a Pro
Posted by LAR Girl at 8:43 PM 3 comments
Labels: My First Braids by a Pro
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Just Get Out There and Do It!
I went on a longish (18 mile) bike ride with a good friend of mine early this morning, let's call her Farrah Funtime. It was relaxing because it had some gentle hills and stimulating because Farrah Funtime is a great conversationalist. We talked a little about a friend of ours (let's call her Wanda Wish-a-lot) who is always saying that she wishes she could just wake up and be someone else that she really admires. Farrah Funtime was saying that she would like to say to Wanda Wish-a-lot that instead of wishing to be someone else she should just love herself and if she really wants to, she can work on developing the qualities she admires in other people. What a great piece of advice!
Posted by LAR Girl at 7:07 PM 7 comments
Labels: Just Get Out There and Do It
Keep trust in myself
I recently reached a point where I realised I had to regain trust in myself. I felt crappy and did not know exactly why, considering the fact that I look like a happy mother, a happy wife, have a house and 4 adorable kids at 30. What was wrong?
The answer is now clear to me. Because of my health problems! The French saying is : quand la santé va, tout va. In the opposite, when health is not au rendez-vous, nothing goes well (in the head at least). Reading the post on Lady doctor, I felt a little better thinking, oh, I'm not the only one getting in trouble.
Since June 2007 (my first period after my 4th pregnancy) and May 2008, I had bleedings and spottings continuously, and I have had about 6 cystitis or urinary tract infection. Having taken 4 times antibiotics, having had inbetween that either vomiting or diarrhea (stomach pain anyway) I have been more or less very incomfortable since a year now.
It takes time to analyse and point out what's going wrong. Today, being again sick and taking antibiotics, I know for sure that: what changed after my 4th baby compared with the others is that I started to take the pill and that pill was based on progesteron, then I had a DIU with progesteron as well and the bleedings kept on. Since the gyneco took it out end of April (telling me that I lack obviously oestrogen hormon), I had my first normal cycle since ages in May. I told my husband, "you don't mind if we use condoms the time my hormons get back to normal?" but then, I started to have a cystitis again. I read on the internet that lack of oestrogen and lack of vaginal secretion can lead to vaginal infection and thus urinary infection as well after sexual intercourse. My gyneco told me as well to gain some weight because lipid help produce oestrogen hormon. So, now, I am in a much better mood. My action is : gain weight, produce more oestrogen, to produce more vaginal secretion, to protect better the area from germs! Simpler to say than to do, but at least, I have a plan! I weight 45kg instead of 48kg before marriage and 50kg after giving birth. Even the Wiifit tells me I am underweight...
Posted by hmaimai at 12:57 AM 3 comments
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Banoffee Waffle
I have not lived in England for almost two years now so my memories of our time there are currently rose coloured:). One of my favourite things to eat at the Coton Orchard was their version of banoffee waffles. I craved these constantly and ate them about once a month. You can leave out the Heath bits and mini chips or sprinkle them on top of the waffle instead of inside it. It will still be yummy. I think this would be a nice breakfast to make for Father's Day. Here's my version:
Posted by LAR Girl at 3:46 PM 2 comments
Labels: Banoffee Waffle
Monday, June 9, 2008
YAY! We made it to 100 posts!
Housewives Out Loud is now officially . . . official. That was a little anti-climactic. Anyway, good for us! Now in celebration I will reveal a few cupcaking secrets. These include the dip and swirl method, basket weave frosting technique and mini-marshmallow flower petals.
Posted by LAR Girl at 8:44 PM 1 comments
Labels: We made it to 100 posts, YAY
Sunday, June 8, 2008
If you were a spice...
This evening, several of the Relief Society Presidency came over to visit. I'm almost 35 weeks along and they wanted to see how I was doing and if they could help with anything. I've been impressed with this presidency, as they seem to be a pretty well-oiled machine.
One of them made the comment that I'm "spicy" - that my life experience is so very different from the other sisters in our ward, who have spent most of their lives in Southern Utah. I was surprised at the word "spicy" and the sister clarified that I was "good spicy". I wasn't offended but thought that this was a funny comment. To me, I'm fairly tame Chicken Little. Sure, I've lived in Scotland, England, have a doctoral degree and some other unusual experiences, but I really don't see myself as spice-material. Maybe a bland spice - like garlic salt or dessicated onion (to me, garlic and onions are mild), but definitely not cayenne pepper or cumin. Heck, I'm not even as exciting as pre-ground black pepper.
Are you spicy? What kind of spice do you identify with?
Posted by Nancy Ross at 7:26 PM 4 comments
Friday, June 6, 2008
Lady Doctor
If anyone is uncomfortable talking about women's reproductive health please look away right now . . .
Posted by nutellafiend at 8:08 AM 3 comments
Labels: Lady Doctor