Friday, March 2, 2018

Getting nostalgic, joining the stroller club, and why we shouldn't trust health food bloggers (7QT)

Happy Friday, everyone! Life has been very full over here lately, and topped off with some pregnancy sickness and a very active toddler, I just haven't been around this blog as much as I'd like. So, I thought I'd pop in for some quick takes to let y'all know what's been happening around here lately :) 


1. We bought rugs! 
This may not be exciting to most people, but receiving huge, heavy packages containing rugs was one of the most thrilling events to happen around here this week. Our house is all hardwood or tile floors, and besides getting cold in the winter, there are times when you just want to sink your feet into a soft carpeted surface, you know? When we finally started rug "window shopping" online, we realized that we really wanted 100% wool rugs...which happen to be rather expensive. But then I randomly found out about a rug website that was running a 50% off sale (with free shipping) for President's Day, so we made the jump and ordered two. In the past few days that we've had rugs, we have all thoroughly enjoyed them. Our toddler kept laughing gleefully as we unpacked them and has spent loads of time rolling around on them. Rugs are good, friends. 


We might be crazy for buying cream-colored rugs, but we liked how they looked. 

2. The other evening, I launched myself wholeheartedly into some early 2000s nostalgia. 
It all started when I discovered that A Walk to Remember was streaming on Amazon Prime...but was leaving on March 1. I promptly added it to my "watchlist" and headed out to grocery shop with the toddler, belting out songs from the movie soundtrack during the entire drive. A few nights ago, I was feeling nauseous and needed to meal plan, so I camped out in the bedroom and put it on. At one point, my husband poked his head in the room and informed me that I was being too loud. Apparently, I was so caught up in the movie that I forgot it was 10:30 p.m. and our toddler was asleep in a room nearby ;) The nostalgia was so strong, and it was a lot of fun to relive memories of listening to the soundtrack and watching the movie when I was younger :) 

3. I think it's my duty, as a good citizen who cares about her fellow human beings, to remind you all that we cannot fully trust enthusiastic blog posts (with recipes) by "health food bloggers."

A blogger will claim that his or her "healthy" version of a food item tastes the same-or even better-than the "original" version of that item. Friends, I think my husband is still mildly traumatized by the "clean" lemon bars I once made (they were tasty, they just tasted more like healthy granola bars than a dessert). All that being said, I made these waffles twice this week-I ate them for breakfast and snacks 4 days in a row-and I disagree with the blogger who made the recipe. They DO NOT taste just like "real" waffles, they definitely taste different and I'm not a huge fan of the tangy cottage cheesiness in them. But, pure maple syrup and butter cover a multitude of failings. The waffles were still fairly good, especially once I added cinnamon to the batter, and they are chock full of protein, which is important to me as I increase my protein intake during pregnancy. 




4. I finally succumbed to the general trend among parents and started using a stroller. 
As a bit of a minimalist, I never really wanted a stroller. I could just babywear my infant/baby/toddler and call it good! On occasion, I've been really grateful that I don't use a stroller, because when my mom-friends are all stuck navigating huge strollers through parks or museums while their kids run free (since they inevitably want to get out of the stroller), I've enjoyed my freedom in mobility. BUT, as I've been thinking about the coming months of pregnancy, and the fact that my belly is going to get big at some point, I finally have come to realize that I need to use a stroller on occasion. My midwife said it's fine for me to babywear with some carries, and I like doing that, but sometimes, I'm just too tired and sore to want to strap my toddler to my back or hip. The other day at the library, a mom I recently met was chatting with me and she mentioned that she had an extra stroller laying around that I could use. So, Wednesday we met at the park for a walk, and I pushed my son in a stroller for the first time ever. While it was weird, and he eventually got fed up with being constrained to a seat (he likes his freedom of movement!), it was really nice that I could have a leisurely chat with another mom as we pushed our toddlers around. I'm not fully convinced that I want to use a stroller as often as some women do, but I am definitely looking forward to using it on our longer walks. 

5. My toddler isn't even 2 years old yet, but he's already learned that moms like to lock themselves in the bathroom with books for peace and quiet.
In my defense, I've only done this 2-3 times since my son was born, but yes, it has happened. A couple days ago, I had been in the bathroom for less than a minute when all of a sudden, a board book came sliding under the door. And another one, and two picture books. Apparently, my son wanted to make sure I had plenty of reading material on hand ;) 

6. When I was pregnant with my firstborn, I didn't really have pregnancy cravings, aside from a general craving for fresh fruits and veggies-but this time is different.
The other day, I began craving hamburgers. We make meals that include meat a few times a week (and eat leftovers for lunches), but the meat we mostly consume is pork or chicken. Occasionally, we'll have a dish with beef, but I'm pretty frugal and stretch that beef a long way (adding oats while cooking it is a great way to do this). When I first started thinking about hamburgers, I decided to put it on the meal plan for next week. But then, the next day, I started thinking about burgers more. And then fast food coupons came in the mail with pictures of burgers, and I could not stop thinking about burgers. As night fell, I found myself convinced that if I didn't have a hamburger NOW, I was going to hit the level of insanity occupied by Bertha Rochester. So, after putting my toddler to bed, I grabbed a coupon and drove to Burger King to get us a late-night snack of Whoppers. While I was eating it, the burger was totally delicious. A couple hours later, when I started feeling gross, I realized that sadly, I may not be able to eat fast food burgers anymore (the only times I've really had burgers in the past couple years is at nice diners or restaurants with really good gourmet-ish burgers). Still, it was the first time I had done a late-night run for a pregnancy craving, and that alone was thrilling :) 

7. So yes, pregnancy update time!
Baby is currently 14 weeks gestation, and at my appointment this week, I was able to hear the heartbeat. This was a HUGE relief, because at my 10-week appointment, the midwife wasn't able to find a heartbeat. At the time, I was guessing that the baby was probably fine, since babies are tiny at that stage and I'm in the small percentage of women who have a tilted uterus (two factors that would make it difficult to hear the baby with a Dopplar)-but I'm pretty sure I barely got any sleep the two days following my appointment. This pregnancy has really been a time to focus on trusting God and growing in patience, and it's been really challenging, but really good :) 


Happy second week of Lent from Baby and I!
I feel huge, even though I've only gained one pound so far, and I excitedly pulled out my small selection of maternity dresses the other day. Hopefully my belly will be big enough for me to wear my Easter dress in a month without it looking weird!  

Thanks for joining me in some random updates! I hope y'all have a great weekend. Make sure to hop on over to Kelly's blog for more quick takes! 

7 comments:

  1. I hear you with no strollers! Here in NYC strollers are a pain on the subway (most stations don't have elevators.) But when my son turned 13 months old he weighed 25 pounds, and him everywhere on me was painful and exhausting. Ergo, backpack, nothing cut it. I only recently stopped wearing his younger sister, 14 months 23# because like you I am pregnant and hauling her around on me is exhausting. I love baby wearing on my back while in the kitchen, at potlucks, museums, etc! __MariaE

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    1. Congrats on the pregnancy, Maria! I'm so glad you understand about the stroller thing-I feel like I'm in the minority about it, so it's nice to have some solidarity :)

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  2. So many fun things in your update!!

    I love babywearing but I've learned strollers definitely have their place and I'm grateful for ours! It's so much easier sometimes pushing something on wheels than carrying someone ;)

    Pregnancy cravings are hilarious. I had more cravings and aversions with this baby too.

    A Walk to Remember soundtrack is awesome!!

    I have a tilted uterus too. :) So happy to hear all is well with baby! You're into the second trimester-- congrats!!

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  3. You look so cute! Strollers are great for carrying everything else you need, even if the kiddo is out if it. And yay for new rugs!

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    1. Thanks so much! Oh my, yes! I've been discovering how great the basket under the stroller is-no longer do I have to lug all my library books home in my backpack!

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  4. You look beautiful!! And I'm so so glad to hear that baby is doing well and you were able to hear the heartbeat!! ♥️

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    1. Thanks so much, friend! We were/are so grateful for that beautiful little noise we heard :) I hope you are doing well!

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