Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Momma Mondays: Healthy Meals for Toddlers
Feeding little ones a variety of healthy meals can be a challenge…especially when they become oh so opinionated! All the sudden your glowing, well palated toddler has turned into this picky monster refusing anything presented to them simply I believe for the mere pleasure of watching mom burst into tears! But don’t lose faith you emotionally drained and overwhelmed saint! This too shall pass, and to help this phase move along here are some great tips for expanding your toddlers tongue and ensuring the little angel/demon gets adequate nutrition.
1. 1. Watch their liquids. A big deterrent for little bellies at meal times is their sippy cups. These cups are so handy, your little one can tote them around all day and for the most part they are spill-resistant. (I’ve yet to find a spill-proof no matter who makes the cup). However, this constant flow of liquids doesn’t allow their little bellies to get hungry so eating what’s on their plate becomes an issue. They can afford to be picky when they’re half-full! So a good way to eliminate this is to only offer their drink towards the end of the meal and to limit their fluid intake a good hour before they eat. Now all those parenting extremists out there, no I’m not saying deny your child fluid and dehydrate them, simply experiment! My trial and error has shown they will drink quite a bit towards the end of their meal and then usually a whole cup of water after the meal too.
2. 2. Don’t refill till their entire plate is empty. A big challenge is NOT to refill their “fav” foods when they gobble them down first and plead “MORE! MORE!” Instead let them have a few meals of “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!” No your little one will not starve! Like the saying goes, when they get hungry enough they’ll eat and believe me…it doesn’t take very long for little ones to figure this out. This method works great as well for those “picky” eaters. Simply offer more veggies and proteins while you’re in this “training” stage.
3. Hide your nutrition! That’s right; hide some nutrients in that food. Make your kiddos a smoothie and throw in protein powder, flax meal, oats or berries. Put some veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, peas) in their mac-n-cheese. Make their ordinary PB&J with almond butter and mashed berries instead of PB and high sugar jelly. Switch out all your tortillas and breads with whole grains versions…believe me, your kids will barely notice.
4. Let them dip! All kids love “dipping!” My girls love to dip any fruit or veggie in ketchup or yogurt, doesn’t matter what it is they’ll eat it simply to dip it. So liven it up a bit, ditch the ranch and give them hummus, avocado dip(which is a big help for those kiddos with bowel movement issues!), yogurt and honey to dip their veggies and fruits in.
Mostly in all this don’t lose sight of the goal…getting your little one great nutrition to be healthy. That also means a healthy relationship with food. Too many kids now a day have been fed horrible nutrition growing up and start dieting in the adolescence, thus creating an awful relationship with food. Start your little ones early to enjoy healthy foods and help teach their little bellies moderation without making it an issue. Anyone else have any great success with expanding your little ones tastes?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tasty Thursdays: Heart Healthy Vegetable Lasagna
Well it was experimenting day in the kitchen! Having a hubby who LOVES some lasagna I wanted to make a healthier, low calorie version that was friendly to our waist lines and yummy to our taste buds and also was made with stuff I had in my cupboards versus going to the store for a few ingredients. I have to say...I succeeded! Here's the recipe...8 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles(Oven Ready)
1 cup 0%fat Greek Yogurt
1 cup Part skim Ricotta
1.5 Tbsp Basil
1-2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Jar roasted whole bell peppers
1 Bell pepper (julienne cut)
1 onion (julienne cut
1 15oz can of crushed tomatoes(preferably no salt added)
6 Cups of Spinach Leaves
1 Pint of Mushrooms sliced
1 cup Low fat Mozzarella Cheese
1 Jar of Marinara Sauce
Mix together your ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, basil and garlic powder. Start with a bottom layer of noodles in a 15x17.5 in glass pan. Next pour on some marinara sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, Julienne bell peppers, tomatoes and spinach. Sprinkles some basil and garlic powder on top of veggies.The take your roasted Bell peppers and butterfly them to make your next layer base.
Spread a little of the ricotta cheese mix on top then go to town with all your veggies and pasta sauce again. 
Sprinkle a little bit of the mozzarella cheese on top of this layer. For the next layer use the last 4 lasagna noodles, then add the ricotta cheese mixture on top of this then your pasta sauce and the remaining veggies again. Use the last of your whole bell peppers to make your top layer then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. 
Bake covered with foil for about 40 minutes, then uncover and bake till cheese is golden. Makes 12 large servings.Nutrition: (From MyFoodDiary.com)1 Serving
Calories: 219Fat: 6
Sat Fat:2.5
Trans Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 15
Sodium: 240
Carbs:32.6
Dietary Fiber:6
Sugar:8
Protein:13
Vit A:33%
Vit C:491%
Calcium:20%
Iron:9%
Monday, February 14, 2011
The twins are Two!
Abbie and Ella turned 2 on Saturday!! We've survived two years..Yeay!! I decided to have their party at The Little Gym and it was a hit! The girls loved every minute of it and we had such a great time playing with them.
Momma Mondays: Post-Outing Days
I decided I would start writing about "mom" moments on Mondays. Tips, tricks, advice, trial and error stories. These moment seem to stack up on the weekends so what better way to start out the week than having a bit of encouragement for the mammas out there!
This weekend was very busy for my Jackson Five! The twins turned two on Saturday and we had their party on Sunday. Magically Andy had the weekend off so we were able to celebrate as a family which is very rare in our household. As it always seems anytime we have an outing or event out of the normal daily routine, it takes almost an entire day to recover. My little ladies are great adapters for those random outings, but they do require an extra day to get back into the swing of things. Especially after a very stimulating party at a gymnastic gym for little kiddos.
After two years I've learned three realities when dealing with post-outings.
1. Expect the kids to be a little on the whiny side the next day.
98% of the time, my girls are a little extra needy and tend to fight more the day after we have gone somewhere out of the norm. I am more attune to the "pre fight" signs and use more distracting techniques than I normally would. On a normal day ignoring the fighting is the best method for me (unless it involves yelling and hitting then we go through the apologizing routine). But post-outing days I distract a little more when I feel a storm brewing.
2. Nap time usually needs to be moved up 30-45min
The girls normal nap time is around 1pm-3:30pm. On post-outing days they need that moved to 12 or 12:30. This irks our schedule a little bit, but being prepared for the change a head of time I can make the transition smoothly.
3. Errands on a post-outing day are akin to WWII
Too many times it seems we run out of milk or need diapers the day after we have gone out somewhere. Lesson learned the hard way after half a dozen fits in King Soopers, that we DO NOT go anywhere the day after an outing. Some out there would rather teach their kids to be flexible in this area, but in my house I'd rather push flexibility in another way than reenact a scene from Johna and Kate plus 8!
Any moms out there have stories about post-outing days? Please share!
This weekend was very busy for my Jackson Five! The twins turned two on Saturday and we had their party on Sunday. Magically Andy had the weekend off so we were able to celebrate as a family which is very rare in our household. As it always seems anytime we have an outing or event out of the normal daily routine, it takes almost an entire day to recover. My little ladies are great adapters for those random outings, but they do require an extra day to get back into the swing of things. Especially after a very stimulating party at a gymnastic gym for little kiddos.
After two years I've learned three realities when dealing with post-outings.
1. Expect the kids to be a little on the whiny side the next day.
98% of the time, my girls are a little extra needy and tend to fight more the day after we have gone somewhere out of the norm. I am more attune to the "pre fight" signs and use more distracting techniques than I normally would. On a normal day ignoring the fighting is the best method for me (unless it involves yelling and hitting then we go through the apologizing routine). But post-outing days I distract a little more when I feel a storm brewing.
2. Nap time usually needs to be moved up 30-45min
The girls normal nap time is around 1pm-3:30pm. On post-outing days they need that moved to 12 or 12:30. This irks our schedule a little bit, but being prepared for the change a head of time I can make the transition smoothly.
3. Errands on a post-outing day are akin to WWII
Too many times it seems we run out of milk or need diapers the day after we have gone out somewhere. Lesson learned the hard way after half a dozen fits in King Soopers, that we DO NOT go anywhere the day after an outing. Some out there would rather teach their kids to be flexible in this area, but in my house I'd rather push flexibility in another way than reenact a scene from Johna and Kate plus 8!
Any moms out there have stories about post-outing days? Please share!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Recipes
Since staying home I've been able to cook A LOT more and experiment with some recipes. I recently read "Skinny Girl Dish" by Bethenny Frankel. She breaks down cooking and really teaches some basic skills. One of those was the ratio of cookie making. Fats to sugars to flour and my first attempt I have to say was absolutely AMAZING!! So I had to share. This is by far the easiest and most delicious chocolate chip cookie I've ever tasted. Enjoy!
Sarah's Cookies
1/2 Cup Butter
1 2/3 Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Cups All purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 bar of dark chocolate( chopped and broken into pieces)
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder. Mix in chocolate. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 min. Only till they are slightly golden on top. It helps to bake them on parchment paper if you have it.
Simple Chicken recipe
So since Andy and I are counting calories and trying to slim down I've been trying to mix up the ever faithful fowl friend. This recipe has become a favorite and it's so incredibly easy to make. All you need is Boneless, skinless chicken breast thighs, a packet of ranch or Italian dressing mix and reduced fat Parmesan cheese. Mix the dressing packet and cheese. Rinse off thighs and trim any visible skin remaining. Roll the thighs in the dressing mix and put in a glass baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 for about 35-40 min until internal temp is 160.
Give me your feedback if you've tried them!
Sarah's Cookies
1/2 Cup Butter
1 2/3 Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Cups All purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 bar of dark chocolate( chopped and broken into pieces)
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder. Mix in chocolate. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 min. Only till they are slightly golden on top. It helps to bake them on parchment paper if you have it.
Simple Chicken recipe
So since Andy and I are counting calories and trying to slim down I've been trying to mix up the ever faithful fowl friend. This recipe has become a favorite and it's so incredibly easy to make. All you need is Boneless, skinless chicken breast thighs, a packet of ranch or Italian dressing mix and reduced fat Parmesan cheese. Mix the dressing packet and cheese. Rinse off thighs and trim any visible skin remaining. Roll the thighs in the dressing mix and put in a glass baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 for about 35-40 min until internal temp is 160.
Give me your feedback if you've tried them!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Couponing
It seems the latest craze is couponing! Everywhere there are advertisements for half offs, deals-n-steals, and massive BOGO offers. There are some AWESOME deals out there to be had, but the digging is time consuming and very, very addicting! I admit I have gotten caught up in it the last year, but now after going through the craze I've come up with a few certainties...
1. Of all the offers I purchased, I really only needed 2 of them.
2. 90% of all coupons in the Sunday paper are for processed, artificially flavored, sugar loaded junk food that I don't need or should ever buy.
3. Most of the household cleaning/paper products coupons still are more expensive with the coupon than the store brand product.
4. Diaper coupons are great IF the brand is on sale with a manufacturing coupons and a store coupon.
Don't get me wrong I'm all about saving money, but the time that it takes to research, clip, drive and organize the good deals cuts into my family time immensely! I was spending more time learning to be cheap than with my kids or being an attentive mom, lol. So in this Jackson household we use coupons...when they have them for the things we normally buy:) Maybe in the future when my kiddos are a little less dependant I'll have the time to set aside for this endeavor. But for now it's scanning the store fliers and clipping Sunday coupons for things we regularly buy.
There are some great sites out there that walk you through couponing and post good deals a lot.
http://www.eversave.com
http://groupon.com
http://southernsavers.com
http://mamapedia.com
http://moneysavingmom.com/
http://passionatepennypincher.com/blog/
Good luck to all those moms out there couponing!
1. Of all the offers I purchased, I really only needed 2 of them.
2. 90% of all coupons in the Sunday paper are for processed, artificially flavored, sugar loaded junk food that I don't need or should ever buy.
3. Most of the household cleaning/paper products coupons still are more expensive with the coupon than the store brand product.
4. Diaper coupons are great IF the brand is on sale with a manufacturing coupons and a store coupon.
Don't get me wrong I'm all about saving money, but the time that it takes to research, clip, drive and organize the good deals cuts into my family time immensely! I was spending more time learning to be cheap than with my kids or being an attentive mom, lol. So in this Jackson household we use coupons...when they have them for the things we normally buy:) Maybe in the future when my kiddos are a little less dependant I'll have the time to set aside for this endeavor. But for now it's scanning the store fliers and clipping Sunday coupons for things we regularly buy.
There are some great sites out there that walk you through couponing and post good deals a lot.
http://www.eversave.com
http://groupon.com
http://southernsavers.com
http://mamapedia.com
http://moneysavingmom.com/
http://passionatepennypincher.com/blog/
Good luck to all those moms out there couponing!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Favorite Things
A few of my favorite things!
Noodle & Boo
I had used Burt's Bees Baby Bee for a year with the girls and LOVED it! It was 98% natural and about 6months ago they changed all their products to 100% natural..a good thing, but it really altered the smell of the lotion and I can't stand the scent now:) I've been searching for a good smelling, gentle and natural lotion since then and found one I LOVE. It's made by Noodle & Boo and it's called Super Soft Lotion. It's a bit pricey, but well worth it to me:)
http://www.noodleandboo.com/
Picnik
I love pictures and showing them off! Who doesn't love to brag about their kiddos:) This site is free and you can enhance your pics. I love the stuff you can play around with and I seriously can spend hours going through pictures and editing them.
http://www.picnik.com/
Jillian's Kettlebell Shred
Probably my favorite celebrity is Jillian Michaels. She is committed to the cause and doesn't sell out to gimmicks. I completely trust anything she promotes and I LOVE her workout videos. Having 3 little ones at home makes going to the gym impossible. But I still get a great workout with this video and I get results for sure. It's $9 at Target or cheaper on amazon and you can use a hand weight or a kettlebell if you want to shell out a bit more for one. I use a hand weight since I already have a few. Definitely a great way to keep mom in shape so she can keep the house in shape!
www.amazon.com/Jillian-Michaels-Shred--Weights
So Delicious Coconut Milk
I'm always looking for alternative solutions for my diet and I have to say this is an AMAZING one! When making protein shakes for those busy mornings I love using the So Delicious Coconut milk. It has half the calories as skim milk and is so creamy! It also is full of omega fatty acids and vitamins so It's a bonus for my little nursing baby. I use the unsweetened one for substitutes in my recipes(what Andy doesn't know doesn't hurt him and he can't tell the difference:)!). There are a few different varieties and it's so good for you.
www.turtlemountain.com/products/coconut_milk_beverage.html
Assets Camis
Ok so these are a MUST! I would wear one everyday if they made a nursing version, but if I go out I usually have one on. They slim SOOO well and they come in a lot of different colors and Styles. They flatten and firm the mid sections and help hide the baby belly leftovers! if you watch Target you can get them on clearance.
http://www.target.com/ASSETS-Sara-Blakely-Fantastic-Firm/dp/B001SBUH3A/ref=br_1_2?ie=UTF8&id=ASSETS%20Sara%20Blakely%20Fantastic%20Firm&node=13768381&searchSize=30&searchView=grid3&searchPage=1&sr=1-2&qid=1296687764&rh=target_com_brand-bin%3AASSETS%26%23174%3B%20by%20Sara%20Blakely%26%23174%3B&searchBinNameList=style_name%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1
Noodle & Boo
I had used Burt's Bees Baby Bee for a year with the girls and LOVED it! It was 98% natural and about 6months ago they changed all their products to 100% natural..a good thing, but it really altered the smell of the lotion and I can't stand the scent now:) I've been searching for a good smelling, gentle and natural lotion since then and found one I LOVE. It's made by Noodle & Boo and it's called Super Soft Lotion. It's a bit pricey, but well worth it to me:)
http://www.noodleandboo.com/
Picnik
I love pictures and showing them off! Who doesn't love to brag about their kiddos:) This site is free and you can enhance your pics. I love the stuff you can play around with and I seriously can spend hours going through pictures and editing them.
http://www.picnik.com/
Jillian's Kettlebell Shred
Probably my favorite celebrity is Jillian Michaels. She is committed to the cause and doesn't sell out to gimmicks. I completely trust anything she promotes and I LOVE her workout videos. Having 3 little ones at home makes going to the gym impossible. But I still get a great workout with this video and I get results for sure. It's $9 at Target or cheaper on amazon and you can use a hand weight or a kettlebell if you want to shell out a bit more for one. I use a hand weight since I already have a few. Definitely a great way to keep mom in shape so she can keep the house in shape!
www.amazon.com/Jillian-Michaels-Shred--Weights
So Delicious Coconut Milk
I'm always looking for alternative solutions for my diet and I have to say this is an AMAZING one! When making protein shakes for those busy mornings I love using the So Delicious Coconut milk. It has half the calories as skim milk and is so creamy! It also is full of omega fatty acids and vitamins so It's a bonus for my little nursing baby. I use the unsweetened one for substitutes in my recipes(what Andy doesn't know doesn't hurt him and he can't tell the difference:)!). There are a few different varieties and it's so good for you.
www.turtlemountain.com/products/coconut_milk_beverage.html
Assets Camis
Ok so these are a MUST! I would wear one everyday if they made a nursing version, but if I go out I usually have one on. They slim SOOO well and they come in a lot of different colors and Styles. They flatten and firm the mid sections and help hide the baby belly leftovers! if you watch Target you can get them on clearance.
http://www.target.com/ASSETS-Sara-Blakely-Fantastic-Firm/dp/B001SBUH3A/ref=br_1_2?ie=UTF8&id=ASSETS%20Sara%20Blakely%20Fantastic%20Firm&node=13768381&searchSize=30&searchView=grid3&searchPage=1&sr=1-2&qid=1296687764&rh=target_com_brand-bin%3AASSETS%26%23174%3B%20by%20Sara%20Blakely%26%23174%3B&searchBinNameList=style_name%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Memories
I've been thinking a lot today about all the milestones, amazing memories, and favorite days as I approach my 26th birthday. Oddly enough all those memories and favorite days have happened in the last 4 years! It seems like my life really began when I met Andy. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but I think all that time I was being prepared for this life.
Andy has been such a wonderful friend, husband and dad. We've had our bumps but for the most part it had been the best years of my life. He gave me my girls who fill our lives with such fun and unconditional love. And he gave me an extended family that loves me as if I was their own.
It's hard to think 4 years ago I was dreaming of love, dreaming of getting married and starting a life with someone. If someone had told me on my birthday 4 years ago that I'd be a wife and soon to be mom within 13 months I would have laughed in your face! But here I am a wife to my best friend and a mom cubed. There have been challenging days like when the girls were born and enduring all 3 of my kids in the NICU for the first days of their lives. And there have been joys- my wedding day, when my girls smiled at me for the first time, said "mama" for the first time. It's been a very full 4 years and I'd never trade it for anything in the world.
I'm so blessed to wake up on my 26th birthday to 3 smiling beautiful faces who want hugs and kisses and a husband who loves me like a stalker:) I have a wonderfully full life and pray God's blessings continue to rain on us.
Andy has been such a wonderful friend, husband and dad. We've had our bumps but for the most part it had been the best years of my life. He gave me my girls who fill our lives with such fun and unconditional love. And he gave me an extended family that loves me as if I was their own.
It's hard to think 4 years ago I was dreaming of love, dreaming of getting married and starting a life with someone. If someone had told me on my birthday 4 years ago that I'd be a wife and soon to be mom within 13 months I would have laughed in your face! But here I am a wife to my best friend and a mom cubed. There have been challenging days like when the girls were born and enduring all 3 of my kids in the NICU for the first days of their lives. And there have been joys- my wedding day, when my girls smiled at me for the first time, said "mama" for the first time. It's been a very full 4 years and I'd never trade it for anything in the world.
I'm so blessed to wake up on my 26th birthday to 3 smiling beautiful faces who want hugs and kisses and a husband who loves me like a stalker:) I have a wonderfully full life and pray God's blessings continue to rain on us.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Changes
Well, I spoke too soon! I was so gung ho about the schedule and we were all doing good, then life changed...
After trying a "dream feed" little miss Nora woke up at 1am, 3am, 5am and 7am...so needless to say I will no longer be doing a "dream feed!" She has now taken after her sisters at this age and is feeding every 2 hours! Which is not all that bad as long as she will sleep her 13-15hours like her sisters did at 3 months...which is coming soon! So crossing my fingers once again that this will happen:) She seems to be quite more content too. I was so strict about making her lay down for a nap about an hour after she ate for a few weeks and it was a struggle. A lot of times she wouldn't sleep, or she'd wake up after 30 minutes. Now she stays awake every other feed...which is what my mom recalls that the girls did(my mind ever so inconveniently blocked out). And Nora seems so much more content being doing this every other thing. Before she was so restless to sit or lay for even 10 min...which was so frustrating, but now she is very happy to play on the floor for 40 min. Maybe this will change next week, but for right now life is good:)
Babywise is a very helpful book and answers a lot of questions and gives good reassurance, but my kiddos are just 2hr feeders and great sleepers:)
After trying a "dream feed" little miss Nora woke up at 1am, 3am, 5am and 7am...so needless to say I will no longer be doing a "dream feed!" She has now taken after her sisters at this age and is feeding every 2 hours! Which is not all that bad as long as she will sleep her 13-15hours like her sisters did at 3 months...which is coming soon! So crossing my fingers once again that this will happen:) She seems to be quite more content too. I was so strict about making her lay down for a nap about an hour after she ate for a few weeks and it was a struggle. A lot of times she wouldn't sleep, or she'd wake up after 30 minutes. Now she stays awake every other feed...which is what my mom recalls that the girls did(my mind ever so inconveniently blocked out). And Nora seems so much more content being doing this every other thing. Before she was so restless to sit or lay for even 10 min...which was so frustrating, but now she is very happy to play on the floor for 40 min. Maybe this will change next week, but for right now life is good:)
Babywise is a very helpful book and answers a lot of questions and gives good reassurance, but my kiddos are just 2hr feeders and great sleepers:)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Scheduling 2
Nora 2 months! Jan 24th, 2011
Well, last night I wrote I was going to implement the "dream feed" which is the feeding at 10:30-12 at night with the hopes of Nora sleeping till 7:30, but I quickly decided (being the early bed timer that I am) that I'd rather wake up at 4:30 and feed her (since I' already up to pump my engorged milk makers) than stay up or get up at 11pm to feed her. I'm a lot happier for some reason at 4:30am than I am after waking up at 11pm.
So I'm going to stay on this track until she gets a little bigger and shows she wants to sleep all the way till 7:30. Hopefully I'll be happy to report in a couple weeks my method has worked , but if not...oh well this is a learning process right?!
Here's the blog I've been addicted to lately. She has got so much great info that has helped me out in these past 2 months. babywisemom.com
Monday, January 24, 2011
Schedules
After reading a lot of books I have come to the humbling conclusion I know so little about childraising! I've stumbled across a great help called scheduling. Most days I simply turn the TV on after breakfast to entertain the girls with the goal of it only being an hour tops, then it ends up all day long. So reading about scheduling your kids was awesome. Making the girls have room time, structured play time, independant play time, mommy time, reading time has quite unbelievably freed up my days! I have time allotted for everything I need to get done and the girls are learning patience, self control and the stinking tv in only on for maybe a half hour!!
Don't get me wrong about scheduling. It hasn't been easy and I don't think it will always stay easy. I just got done reading a bit more information on what Nora should be doing now, which I've been doing a little backwards which explains some things:) But life is a learning process...I'd just like to get it right and stick with it.
Our days have turned into something like this or what we're working toward
7am-I get up and do devotions and get breakfast ready
7:30-Feed Nora
8am-Get twins up and feed them breakfast
8:30-put Nora down for a nap clean up girls breakfast and let the girls have free playtime
9am-Exercise while girls play downstairs with me
10am-Put girls in their room for quiet time/I do a few chores
10:30-Feed Nora/get girls out of bedroom and put in chairs for coloring time
11:00-TV time/My cleaning or personal projects time/get dinner going
11:30-put nora down for nap/fix girls lunch
11:45-Lunch time
12:15-clean up lunch/reading time
12:45-free time
1:00-Nap time for girls/I shower
1:30-Feed Nora and do her exercises
2:30-Put nora Down for nap, along with me!
3:30-Get girls up from nap and give snack
4:00-Mommy play time
4:30-Feed Nora/girls have free time
5:00-Play with Daddy while I get dinner ready
5:30-put nora down for nap or in swing to sleep
6:00 We eat dinner
6:30-Girls bathtime
7:00-Twins bed time
7:30-Feed and bathe Nora and put her down
10:30-Last feed then back to bed
Now in the perfect world she sleeps till I wake her up at 7:30, but lately I've been letting Nora sleep from 7:30 until she wakes herself up which has been around 4. I'll get up and put a passy in her mouth and she sleeps till 5:30. I feed her and put her back to bed then get her up at 7:30. This week I'm trying the late night 10:30 feeding to see if this will help her sleep till her wake time...we'll see.
After this week of getting the twins used to their schedule we will be potty training. I've read Pottywise and I'm stoked and geared up to get er done! Wish us luck as we all try to get organized and routined!
Don't get me wrong about scheduling. It hasn't been easy and I don't think it will always stay easy. I just got done reading a bit more information on what Nora should be doing now, which I've been doing a little backwards which explains some things:) But life is a learning process...I'd just like to get it right and stick with it.
Our days have turned into something like this or what we're working toward
7am-I get up and do devotions and get breakfast ready
7:30-Feed Nora
8am-Get twins up and feed them breakfast
8:30-put Nora down for a nap clean up girls breakfast and let the girls have free playtime
9am-Exercise while girls play downstairs with me
10am-Put girls in their room for quiet time/I do a few chores
10:30-Feed Nora/get girls out of bedroom and put in chairs for coloring time
11:00-TV time/My cleaning or personal projects time/get dinner going
11:30-put nora down for nap/fix girls lunch
11:45-Lunch time
12:15-clean up lunch/reading time
12:45-free time
1:00-Nap time for girls/I shower
1:30-Feed Nora and do her exercises
2:30-Put nora Down for nap, along with me!
3:30-Get girls up from nap and give snack
4:00-Mommy play time
4:30-Feed Nora/girls have free time
5:00-Play with Daddy while I get dinner ready
5:30-put nora down for nap or in swing to sleep
6:00 We eat dinner
6:30-Girls bathtime
7:00-Twins bed time
7:30-Feed and bathe Nora and put her down
10:30-Last feed then back to bed
Now in the perfect world she sleeps till I wake her up at 7:30, but lately I've been letting Nora sleep from 7:30 until she wakes herself up which has been around 4. I'll get up and put a passy in her mouth and she sleeps till 5:30. I feed her and put her back to bed then get her up at 7:30. This week I'm trying the late night 10:30 feeding to see if this will help her sleep till her wake time...we'll see.
After this week of getting the twins used to their schedule we will be potty training. I've read Pottywise and I'm stoked and geared up to get er done! Wish us luck as we all try to get organized and routined!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Princesses
Grandma got princess dresses for the girls and they LOVE them! I've definitely got some girly girls on my hands!
Thursday, Thursday...
I can't believe I'm posting twice in 1 week!! This is turning into my almost diary:)
Well Last night was great. After only a half hour of baby blues when Andy got home we had a very calm relaxed evening putting the girls to bed and sleeping all night! My little Nora is doing so great (thank you babywise for enlightening me!) and on a flowing schedule. I have to say I was pretty arrogant after the twins came home and they started sleeping through the night. I thought I had this mommy thing down to a T, well it's funny how God brings you back to reality. I was completely lost when Nora came home. It was like I had forgotten everything that happened the 1st year of the twins lives. I didn't know how often I should feed, when she should sleep, how long she needed to stay awake, what her cries meant, how often she should be pooping..the list goes on and on. Then a gentle yet direct best friend brought me out of my pity party and said, "this is why there are books, women forget and need reminders". So i got a book, well I got several of them and set out to get my kids lives in order.
The first month we were home I was really slack about schedules. I just went as I pleased, took the kids out whenever I wanted to leave the house and stuck to no normal routine. So of course after a month of this they were a little out of sorts not knowing what to expect. So buckling down this week and locking ourselves inside has majorly paid off. Even though the little buggers are really flexible about going out, they are so much happier and settled when they know whats coming. I know there are a lot of opinions out there about how scheduling kids is bad and a form of child abuse...well, I believe most of those opinions were formed in the quiet living room of a singleton parent sipping their Starbucks and watching days of our lives while their nanny tends to the kid. My limited experience has taught me that predictability is a powerful thing to a child and when that child is content and happy...mom is content and happy and the home becomes a peaceful refuge instead of a chaotic emotion pit.
So for this mom of three, things are looking up! I'm not naive enough to think there aren't going to be hard days and nights, but at least I know what to do when they come and I'm expecting them to happen.
Well Last night was great. After only a half hour of baby blues when Andy got home we had a very calm relaxed evening putting the girls to bed and sleeping all night! My little Nora is doing so great (thank you babywise for enlightening me!) and on a flowing schedule. I have to say I was pretty arrogant after the twins came home and they started sleeping through the night. I thought I had this mommy thing down to a T, well it's funny how God brings you back to reality. I was completely lost when Nora came home. It was like I had forgotten everything that happened the 1st year of the twins lives. I didn't know how often I should feed, when she should sleep, how long she needed to stay awake, what her cries meant, how often she should be pooping..the list goes on and on. Then a gentle yet direct best friend brought me out of my pity party and said, "this is why there are books, women forget and need reminders". So i got a book, well I got several of them and set out to get my kids lives in order.
The first month we were home I was really slack about schedules. I just went as I pleased, took the kids out whenever I wanted to leave the house and stuck to no normal routine. So of course after a month of this they were a little out of sorts not knowing what to expect. So buckling down this week and locking ourselves inside has majorly paid off. Even though the little buggers are really flexible about going out, they are so much happier and settled when they know whats coming. I know there are a lot of opinions out there about how scheduling kids is bad and a form of child abuse...well, I believe most of those opinions were formed in the quiet living room of a singleton parent sipping their Starbucks and watching days of our lives while their nanny tends to the kid. My limited experience has taught me that predictability is a powerful thing to a child and when that child is content and happy...mom is content and happy and the home becomes a peaceful refuge instead of a chaotic emotion pit.
So for this mom of three, things are looking up! I'm not naive enough to think there aren't going to be hard days and nights, but at least I know what to do when they come and I'm expecting them to happen.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Week 7
So after 6 weeks of craziness, fits, fatigue, and no order I am finally buckling down and forcing my kiddos into a routine. I read the babywise book and I have to say about the 2nd round of the eat/wake/sleep cycle Nora was a new baby. She seemed to almost crave this routine and it has eased my mind a lot!
However here we are in week 7. The week where I've decided not to leave the house so I can get all of us into a preditable routine. Nora has refused to go down for her nap and stay asleep. I've been reading Chronichles of a Babywise Mom and have found a lot of helpful tips, but today nothing seems to work. I've been letting her CIO and she'll fuss for maybe 5 minutes drift to sleep then wake up and fuss another 5 minutes. This continues it seems like for an hour!!! I'm at a loss and have no idea what to do! I thought maybe I was keeping her up to long so this last time she was up about 45min and started yawning and drifting to sleep so I put her down, then 45 min later the crying cycle began. Hopefully this is just a 1 day thing and she'll go back to normal.
My two toddlers...oh how to begin. This weekend has been the hardest week of parenting so far. Overnight it seems Abbie has perfected the fit throwing. She has been a raging terror the last 3 days. She started getting a cold and I attributed most of it to this so the first day we coddled her a bit...turned out to be a BIG mistake. We set ourselves up for sleepless nights, mom and dad crying and fighting and many many headaches. But of course overnight, she has returned back to her normal self. Now Ella has a pretty bad cold and I'm very prepared to deal with what's to come now:)
On a more positive note, Nora slept through the night last night for the first time!!!!! I got 8 hours of sleep and I feel like a completely different person. After bouting the baby blues for several weeks and trying to figure out a newborn with 2 year olds.
However here we are in week 7. The week where I've decided not to leave the house so I can get all of us into a preditable routine. Nora has refused to go down for her nap and stay asleep. I've been reading Chronichles of a Babywise Mom and have found a lot of helpful tips, but today nothing seems to work. I've been letting her CIO and she'll fuss for maybe 5 minutes drift to sleep then wake up and fuss another 5 minutes. This continues it seems like for an hour!!! I'm at a loss and have no idea what to do! I thought maybe I was keeping her up to long so this last time she was up about 45min and started yawning and drifting to sleep so I put her down, then 45 min later the crying cycle began. Hopefully this is just a 1 day thing and she'll go back to normal.
My two toddlers...oh how to begin. This weekend has been the hardest week of parenting so far. Overnight it seems Abbie has perfected the fit throwing. She has been a raging terror the last 3 days. She started getting a cold and I attributed most of it to this so the first day we coddled her a bit...turned out to be a BIG mistake. We set ourselves up for sleepless nights, mom and dad crying and fighting and many many headaches. But of course overnight, she has returned back to her normal self. Now Ella has a pretty bad cold and I'm very prepared to deal with what's to come now:)
On a more positive note, Nora slept through the night last night for the first time!!!!! I got 8 hours of sleep and I feel like a completely different person. After bouting the baby blues for several weeks and trying to figure out a newborn with 2 year olds.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Years
Well this is probably the 5th time in a few weeks that I've sat down to write something, but everything coming out was a downer, so here goes my 6th attempt at an update!
Praise the Lord our Jackson family entered the new year in great health! Times would be so much more strained had I had sick kiddos to deal with. But thankfully we are all healthy and I pray it stays that way!
Our little Nora is beautiful and so perfect. She has started smiling when you talk to her and it's the most precious smile ever! She is a great eater and overall very content to not be held, which is a must in a house with two toddlers who get into EVERYTHING!! She is 5 weeks old tomorrow and 9.5lbs. We had to go to the doctor with her last week to get her stitches taken out from where her PIC line was in and the doctor really laid it out to me how sick she really was when she was at Children's. Thankfully the wonderful nurses and staff at Children's were so comforting and positive that had I been fully aware of the severity of her situation I would have lost it completely. I am thankful everyday (and every sleepless night which are many many) for her to be here and healthy.
Little Ella Noodle is doing great. She is 23 months old and a little firecracker! She is a mimic to everything I do. She wats to help me do anything whether it's vacuuming, dusting, emptying the dishwasher, changing Nora...she just wants to be mommy's little helper. She is talking up a storm. Both the girls are spouting off full sentences and conversations. Ella has had a hard time adjusting to Nora being here. She is missing the one-on-one time with mommy and has been naughty lately when she doesn't get it. It has been a real challenge to discipline and deal with her tantrums. However if my Great Grandma did it with 4 by herself I'll make it.
Abbie is a complete ham. SHe loves loves loves to laugh and dance. She has had a very easy transition to Nora being here. She has always been content to play byherself and doesn't want a lot of single attention from momma. She loves to do workout videos with mom and she's better than I am at them! She is getting so big and growing a lot of hair! I can't wait till both the girls hair gets long enough to put in ponytails:)
Andy is doing great, just exhausted from a heavy work schedule. He has only 3 weeks left of this ridiculous schedule which we are all happy about. He has been really missing spending time with his girls and me.
I have been trying to keep up with everything. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, it's been hard, very hard to transition to life with a newborn. Nora isn't the hard part, although I would trade my left arm for a solid nights sleep. The twins are the kids that are wearing me out. It's game on from the time they get up until the time they go to sleep. Our days are filled with giggles, fights, smiles, tears and hugs and kisses. I wouldn't trade them for anything!
Praise the Lord our Jackson family entered the new year in great health! Times would be so much more strained had I had sick kiddos to deal with. But thankfully we are all healthy and I pray it stays that way!
Our little Nora is beautiful and so perfect. She has started smiling when you talk to her and it's the most precious smile ever! She is a great eater and overall very content to not be held, which is a must in a house with two toddlers who get into EVERYTHING!! She is 5 weeks old tomorrow and 9.5lbs. We had to go to the doctor with her last week to get her stitches taken out from where her PIC line was in and the doctor really laid it out to me how sick she really was when she was at Children's. Thankfully the wonderful nurses and staff at Children's were so comforting and positive that had I been fully aware of the severity of her situation I would have lost it completely. I am thankful everyday (and every sleepless night which are many many) for her to be here and healthy.
Little Ella Noodle is doing great. She is 23 months old and a little firecracker! She is a mimic to everything I do. She wats to help me do anything whether it's vacuuming, dusting, emptying the dishwasher, changing Nora...she just wants to be mommy's little helper. She is talking up a storm. Both the girls are spouting off full sentences and conversations. Ella has had a hard time adjusting to Nora being here. She is missing the one-on-one time with mommy and has been naughty lately when she doesn't get it. It has been a real challenge to discipline and deal with her tantrums. However if my Great Grandma did it with 4 by herself I'll make it.
Abbie is a complete ham. SHe loves loves loves to laugh and dance. She has had a very easy transition to Nora being here. She has always been content to play byherself and doesn't want a lot of single attention from momma. She loves to do workout videos with mom and she's better than I am at them! She is getting so big and growing a lot of hair! I can't wait till both the girls hair gets long enough to put in ponytails:)
Andy is doing great, just exhausted from a heavy work schedule. He has only 3 weeks left of this ridiculous schedule which we are all happy about. He has been really missing spending time with his girls and me.
I have been trying to keep up with everything. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, it's been hard, very hard to transition to life with a newborn. Nora isn't the hard part, although I would trade my left arm for a solid nights sleep. The twins are the kids that are wearing me out. It's game on from the time they get up until the time they go to sleep. Our days are filled with giggles, fights, smiles, tears and hugs and kisses. I wouldn't trade them for anything!
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