Happy Easter!

Well, just popping in quick to wish everyone a Happy Easter and to give a little recap (via pictures) of what some of our Easter celebrations looked liked this year.

Now I'm at the tail end of spring break, and have T-minus thirty minutes to prepare for the day tomorrow and get my mind back in work mode for the next 9 or so weeks!

Hope everyone enjoyed this joyous day!

My Jesus is alive and that is all the reason I need to be happy!

We are still in Christmas mode around here--hence, the Christmas themed jammies.  I also started a new tradition this year with the Easter "basket".  Instead of the traditional basket, I found this really cool and large egg that is Peter Rabbit themed (Everett's new obsession!).  Just big enough for some treats and toys.  Next year  I will start putting a verse in his egg that I want signify the year ahead for his life!  He had so much fun searching for the egg!

Egg hunt #2!  Lucky kid.

These little hooligans.  So funny together.

 

And this guy.  Need I say more?  He's straight out of a movie! :)

Spring Break DIY--Wood Crate Night Stands

So, I had a hankering to get my DIY on this week during my time off for spring break.  It starting with an oops, as I botched a painting job to try to refurbish our old nightstands.  So I said, "scratch that!" and began with a blank slate.  So, being without night stands, we needed something by our bedside.  I looked on Craigslist for some cheap replacements, but I wanted something a little more unique.  Enter in craving to DIY.  I took that craving and ran with it to make some wooden crate night stands.

Supplies:

Wooden crates from Michael's Arts and Crafts $13/each.  ($11 with my educator discount--yes!)
I looked online for some cool vintage or used crates, but they were even more expensive!

 Grey acrylic paint.  I had a big tube on hand and just wanted to some to match.  In hindsight, spray paint would have been easier/faster due to the the rough surface of some of the slates of wood on the crate.  I liked the rough look, so didn't want to sand, but it was a beast to get it all coated evenly!

$1.00/ tube (3 tubes)

 These pretty little legs are from Home Depot.

2 night stands = 8 legs= $20 total ( little bit of an ouch)

 Red(ish) satin finish spray paint for the legs.
$3.59

 That brings it to a TOTAL of $48.59 ($24.29 per night stand)

Some fun accessories to add!

 

Cute napkins from World Market work great as a night stand cover...because well, I guess nightstands need covers.

2 napkins for $4.00

Letter "L" at World Market

$5.89

And all that turns into all this.....

(Hers)

 

(His)

 

15 going on 16 weeks

**This is my 200th post!  Woah! 


How far along? 15 going on 16 Weeks

Total weight gain: Few pounds maybe?  We'll see next week at my doctor's appointment.

Maternity clothes? Yes, of course,  Mostly maternity pants.

Stretch marks?  Not that I'm aware yet.

Sleep:  Incorporating some lavender into my night time routine has helped, but still a lot of tossing and turning.  I'm a stomach sleeper naturally, so it's not been my favorite.  Everett has been creeping around the house at night lately as well, so that sure doesn't help!

Best moment this week:  I received some great work related news that allows me to be a counselor at ONE school as opposed to two.  This is a huge deal and dream come true! Yay! :)

Miss Anything?  Sleeping on my stomach,  lunch meat--like pickle roll ups and booze. Sigh. 

Movement: Feeling a lot of flutters.

Food cravings: Well, now thanks to a friend traveling down to Texas that sent me a picture of Krispy Kremes, I can't get them out of my head.  You know who you are!  :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Last week, I had three days that I felt really sick and crummy, but has seemed to subside for now.  It was quite random since I haven't felt that for awhile.  Headaches are still very frequent, but incorporating the caffeine I previously stopped consuming has helped a bit. 

Gender:  This week I feel like its a girl for some reason.  We'll find out 4/16!

Fruit/Veggie Size:  Navel Orange!
 
Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Headaches.Tired. Itchy skin :(

Belly Button in or out? In.  By the way, this is a weird question and I think I will exclude it next time.  Who really cares about my belly button?!  Odd.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood This Week:   Excited, relaxed and ready for a week off of work! :)

Looking forward to: Spring weather....30's are NOT doing it for me!  AND going to spend some family time at an indoor water park this week.  It's no Mexico, but maybe the 3rd or 4th next best thing :)

Baby Steps to Chemical Free

So, over the past 9 months or so I've been really encouraged by other blogs and close friends to make better choices about what is going in and on my body.  It is especially important now that I am with child.  I have slowly been incorporating new products into my daily life and have so much more add!  Take it from me (a beginner)--it is SO easy to start the process of becoming chemical free and it will really pay off in the long run.  These are some of the things that I have (and will soon) been using to replace the other toxin filled products I've been putting in my body.

Make-up: I've replaced my mascara with this organic mascara from Physicians Formula.  Free of all chemicals and toxins and created using plants and natural elements.  I love it!  I am planning to go to my local co-op soon to look at their organic/natural make-up selection and keep replacing my products!

 One word--NORWEX.  I was introduced to Norwex a few years ago and love love love their products.  My first go to product is their enviro-cloth.  These cloths are made with fine fine strands (like 1/500 of a human hair!) of silver, which naturally repels germs and bacteria--so you can use it on meat juices, toilet seats, and your hands and the germs wont transfer----so crazy! I need about 5 more.

 Hairspray: Replaced my treseme hairspray with organic hairspray.  Still smells pretty strong, but toxin free!

 Oh Coconut oil.  Thank you to my friend Regan for introducing me to the greatness of this stuff!  I use it for:

Cooking

Shaving

Face and Body Lotion

Natural first aid--think neosporin

Lip balm

Again, Norwex :)  I use the make-up cloths from this brand to both remove my make-up and wash my face.  The exfoliating cloth does the same work as an exfoliating scrub and a face wash because of the antibac qualities.  I love them and use them daily.

Essential Oils:  I am learning new things daily about how to use oils and what to use them for  I really dislike and have always disliked taking pills so being able to find a holistic alternative has been so nice.  I got this starter kit with some essentials and use at least one every day. Some things I use them for often:

Headaches

Sleep Remedy

Natural cleaning solution (mixed with water and vinegar)

De-stresser

Morning Sickness

Stuffy nose

Cinnamon in my sanitizer--natural antibac

Room/home deodorizer

 Shampoo:  I got rid of all of Everett's bubble baths, shampoos and body washes and incorporated this new product into his (and MY) bathing/showering routine.  It serves as a 3 in 1 being a shampoo, bubble bath and body wash. It is chemical and toxin free--again using plant solutions.  I use it for my own shampoo!

 Wish List: The products below are, you guessed it, Norwex! :)  I am going to a fellow crunchy friend's house this week for a Norwex party and hope to get the following products!  (And hope Curt doesn't notice the bank account if I do :) )

 

See.  Simple people.  If I can do it, you can too!  Have you become chemical free?  I'd LOVE to hear about the ways you have replaced your oldies with some goodies! :)

14 weeks

How far along? 14 Weeks

 

Total weight gain: Breaking even I think.  Went to the doctor last week and I was less than before, so maybe a pound by now?  Well heck, after all the girl scout cookies I've been eating, I'm surprised it's not more!

Maternity clothes?  Yep.  Found some non maternity very spandex like colored pants that do the job for now. 

I appreciate how now I can wear all the tighter fitting tops I have and it looks acceptable with a bump as opposed to before when it'd be a completely unacceptable muffin top silhouette.  Silver lining to this belly growth?

Stretch marks?  Not that I'm aware yet.

Sleep:  Same as before..... Uncomfortable.  Lacking. Tossing. Turning. Middle of the night bathroom breaks.  Sleep is no bueno.  :(

Best moment this week:  Well, I'm not sure I can share that one yet....  :) 

Miss Anything?  Still with the booze.  You would think I was Snooki before all this.

Movement: Feeling a flutter every now and then, but no "kicks"

Food cravings: random craving this week was Nacho Cheese Doritos.  That bag is now empty.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week!

Gender:  Hoping for a girl!...still

Fruit/Veggie Size:  Lemon!
 
Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Headaches. Oh my gosh the throbbing.  It's awful.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood This Week:   Stressed, but seeing the glimmerin light ahead signifying spring break!

Looking forward to: Spring Break! 

   Here's a bump pic from this weekend!

When God gives you a snow day....

You go sledding!

Woke up this morning to a message saying that school was closed!  Hooray!  Snow days are extra special because they are like a Saturday in the middle of the week---unlike sick days where you still get bombarded with emails and work.  Snow days are days of FREEDOM! :)

Here's how we spent some of ours!

Mama's a little TOO excited to go sledding!

That blur right there got some air about 2 seconds after the snap of the camera and swiftly landed on our sides!

That's what a pregnant woman looks like after walking up a giant hill multiple times in foot deep snow!

E was VERY happy he could go on the slides today.  In fact, he was more excited about the park than sledding!  Silly kid.

Happy Tuesday to you all!

2nd Trimester, here I come!

Jumpin' on the preggo bandwagon here and going to do try to do a weekly pregnancy journal.  I would have liked to look back on something like this with my first pregnancy, so I'm starting now!

I can say that this pregnancy has been harder than my prior one, but not awful.  Morning sickness lingered on heavy for about a month and is tapering off now.  Everything else is pretty much the same---boobs = ouch, tired....oh so tired, crabby emotional, crampy.

How far along? 13 Weeks

Total weight gain: By my scale 1-2 lbs.  We'll see what the doctor's scale says tomorrow!'

I've been trying to be healthier this time around--like 2-3 apples a day healthy!  So I really hope the weight gain is much less than with Everett---still working on shedding those last Lb's!

Maternity clothes?  Uh, for sure.  As expected, I am definitely "showing" much more this time around and faster so regular pants are out of the question!  EEK!

For the record, maternity clothes suck.  They are boring and bland or halfway cute and super spendy.  What gives!  Can't a girl just get a really cute pair of colored skinny jeans for the spring for less than $50!

Stretch marks?  Not that I'm aware----but Everett "blessed" me with them before, so it might be hard to tell.

Sleep: Uncomfortable.  Lacking. Tossing. Turning. Middle of the night bathroom breaks.  Sleep is no bueno.  :(

Best moment this week:  A week or so ago, I got myself a fetal heart rate doppler off Amazon ( Best spent $30 ever!)  I've been using it ever few days and it is SO cool to here our babe's heart beating and even hear it move around in there.  So crazy what the body is capable of.  Because of my previous miscarriage and being a natural born worrier--it is great for peace of mind on days where I don't  "feel" pregnant.

Miss Anything?  Sleeping on my stomach and alcohol!  I would die for a rum and coke or margarita!  MMMMmmmmm......


Movement: I know it seems early, but I feel like there are little flutters here are there that are definitely the baby.  Nothing huge or visual to anyone else yet obviously, but I know the difference between wiggles and gas, ok people? :)

Food cravings: Like I said above---adult beverages!  Cereal, Apples, pickles, cantaloupe, pomegranate seeds and oh those Krispy Kreme's!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Thinking of hot Cheetos.  Totally devoured them prior to pregnancy and now, I can't touch them.

Gender:  Hoping for a girl!

Fruit/Veggie Size:  Peach!


Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Boobs.  Lingering morning sickness. Tired.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood This Week:   Stressed.

Looking forward to: Spring Break!  Knowing what my job looks like next year.  Figuring out what the sex of the peach is.