On suppliments, bruising, and hating excersise

I'm fairly certain I need some more calcium in my diet.  Between my thyroid medication (which depletes calcium) and my lack of dairy intake, I'm not bringing in the bone reinforcements.  Before Eliza's allergy testing, I bought a giant bottle of calcium (and another bottle of folic acid) supplements.  After we found out that I needed to cut out soy, it took me a while to figure out why she was still having symptoms.  Some one told me to check out my vitamins.  Sure enough, my calcium supplement has soy letchin.  I've been so frustrated with the fact that I spent $15 on a supplement that I can't take that I have yet to replace them with anything else (it doesn't help that I haven't been able to find a soy free one in the regular grocery store.)  I know its stupid, since you know, the only one I"m hurting is ME. But, man, it makes me MAD!

Speaking of supplements, I think I may have to have my iron tested again.  (I had it tested during my pregnancy with Eliza, and it was above average.)  I've been bruising like a peach, and most of the bruises I have no idea where they came from.  (Although, if I'm honest, I'm a little more clumsy than the average bear.)  Gauging my tiredness level is no help.  I'm fairly certain anyone with 4 kids, one of whom eats 1-2 times a night, is tired.  I got over my fear of blood draws a long time ago, but I'm still putting this off.  Mainly because I have a fear of waiting rooms.  Okay, so maybe its not a fear, per se, but a much-deserved dreading.  Those labs are always small, busy, filled with old people, half of whom don't like children, and have tons of things that my preschooler and baby shouldn't be playing with but they desperately want to play with. 

While I'm on the topic of being tired, I've been trying to run in the mornings before E goes to work (versus in the evening, before bed).  Its.....um.....a challenge.  E leaves between 5:45 and 6.  So, I have to be back from my run between 5:45 and 6.  Even with my early risers, that's dang early.  (Especially with a 1 and 3 am wake up calls for milk.)  This morning, I happened to wake up about 10 minutes before my alarm.  I laid there, the entire 10 minutes, arguing with myself on whether or not I was going to get my butt out of bed and run.  Yes I am, no I'm not.  I'm going to sleep.  I'm getting up.  I don't want to.  I have to.  UGH!  Fine.  I'm up.  Sure, in the end, I did it.  I'm glad I did it because now its over and I don't have to think about it.  But, man, those few minutes of talking to myself are exhausting.  I wish I had a natural love of running.  So, it'd be like getting up early to have a cup of coffee by myself.  That, I would rarely argue about.

 

Did I ever share back to school pictures?  The big kids went back to school last week.  They are both loving it (which is such a blessing!)  A came home from school every day last week and said "school is awesome!"  That is music to a momma's ears, folks. Isaac doesn't start until next week, after labor day, but he's excited as well. We're getting back into a routine, which sort of helps every one.  I pretty much suck at schedules/routines during the summer.  But, yet, we all seem to thrive on one.  Maybe next summer, I'll pony up.

 

Me and my munchkins on the first day of school

I blinked

and this is what happened.

Its a me party

5:15 E's alarm clock goes off and wakes me up.  Which scares and shocks me all at the same time.  See, I'm not normally even in our bedroom when E gets up.  I normally move to Eliza's room after her early morning (2-4 am) feeding and sleep on the bed in her room.

6:00 the boys are awake and giggling in their room.

6:15 O is up and E is out the door.  I take the bigger 3 kids out back to play and eat breakfast on the patio.

7:00 Bananas in Pajamas (are coming down the stairs!) for the kids, and I dive into my coupons. My Internet keeps crashing.  I almost through my stupid mouse at the computer screen.

8:30 Eliza finally wakes up.  I'm super engorged, so she keeps pulling off during "breakfast" and it hurts so much I want to cry. (thrush, anyone??)

9:45 Finally finish coupons. 

9:50 we head to the bank, then to the store to buy our groceries.  Where I have to tell the older kids to "please stop talking to me for a few minutes!  I'm trying to THINK!"  So, yeah.  A tiny bit excited that I'll only be taking 2 to the grocery store with coupons next week.

11:00 Make lunch for the older kids and put Eliza down for a nap.

12:00 Get big kids settled in for quiet time.  Lay down with Isaac, in hopes that he'll take a nap.

1:00 Its a no-go for the nap.  I laid with him for a half hour, and I can hear him pounding on something in there.

1:03 I decide to try to make the paper lanterns I have planned for Eliza's party.  Unfortunately, I've bought the wrong sized dixie cup.  Dagnabbit.

1:30 I sweep and mop the floors.  Isaac freaks (he's not a huge fan of the mopping.  "too swippewy, mommy!") so I send him and O outside to paint.

2:00 Painting seems to be a hit with Isaac.  O is done because most of the "good" colors are dried up. Eliza's up, I feed her a snack while I finish my chores.

2:30 I'm getting a headache.  Seems to happen a lot around this time every day.  Maybe its because I didn't eat lunch.  Speaking of food, Crap!  I forgot to put dinner in the crock pot!  HIGH setting it is.  

3:20 its too late for "lunch", but I have got to eat something.  Coffee?  Salted Carmel latte??  Yes.  I eat an apple and some almonds, too.

4:00 time to feed shark baby (its what she feels like when she eats right now) and put her down for another nap.

4:30 E's home.  Time to go run!

"Woo hoo"s and "Boohoo"s

Woo Hoo:
~I'm back on the couponing wagon, at least for the kids' foods.
~I went on a girl's night last night.  It was super fun! It was nice to catch up with friends.
~Isaac seems to be mostly potty trained!
~Eric took me out on Tuesday night and we got smart phones!!!!  (I know, I know, welcome to the 21st century.)
~I'm listening to ocean waves music on Pandora via my new phone.  Soothing music.
~I just drank a yummy dairy and soy free salted caramel latte, made by muah.
~Eliza is saying "mama"!
~Eliza is taking a few steps here and there. (It has happened more than once, so I guess I have to count it.)
~Eliza is waving, and saying "bye-bye".
~When Isaac spells his name aloud, he says "I-S-A-B-C" which cracks me up.  He insists its a "b" and not an "A".
~Now that I've been soy free for a while, Eliza is giving me 4 hour stretches of sleep at night.
~I got a doula client!  (This is a big woo hoo!)  I'd been praying/thinking about when, or even whether, I should get back into attending births.  Then, a lovely couple called me out of the blue- getting recommendations from two separate people. 
~The day after my meeting with my new doula client, my OBGYN asked for some of my business cards to pass out in her office for people asking for doulas.  Seriously! 
~The weather is cooler this weekend.
~School starts in a little over a week. (See below in 'boohoo's.)
~I ordered one of these in the blue for Eliza for "school" (if she's walking). I got it for $15!

Boohoo
~I've had to do coupon shopping with 4 kids.  Let me show you how it ended today. Its pretty self-explanatory.

~The reason for coupon shopping??  My kids are making us food poor.  Its a good thing, that they're eating and all, but it seems non.stop.
~I've had a headache all day.  I think from going out with my friends last night.  I don't drink much, and I had some wine and sangria.  I think I'm dehydrated today.  Also, I had trouble falling asleep from socializing.  I know.  I'm weird.
~Isaac has runny poo.  Fun for potty training.  Also, just an FYI, pull-ups do not keep diarrhea in.  at. all.
~My dairy and soy free salted Carmel latte had homemade caramel syrup.  Which didn't turn out the way it was supposed to.  Its not Carmel colored, and it turned into a candy type thing.  This is what the pan looked like after I scraped as much out of it as I could.

~Eliza's still getting up twice a night.  I'm still tired.  Less tired than before.  But, still tired.

~I'm so pumped about my doula stuff, but incredibly nervous at the same time.  I ordered some things online (lavender massage oil and peppermint roll on stick) but I'm not sure what is best to bring. I've got a birth ball, music, those two oils, a messager, but I know I need more.  Not sure what, though.

~ A is having his repeat sleep study tomorrow night. 

~I'm still iffy on whether or not to send Eliza to "school" one day a week with Isaac. I can't decide.  I hate decisions like this.

~Our state recently set a law that schools couldn't start back until after the 20th.  We were supposed to start school Monday.  My kids are suddenly extremely bored and naughty.  I think parents should've been consulted before changing schools schedules to benefit "tourism".  Either that, or they come save my sanity.

~Eliza is growing up.  Too fast.  I can hardly stand it. *sniff*  I'm really boohooing.

Doctor, ain't there nothing I can do?

Eliza had her 9 month check up this week.

She wore her fanciest bow,

Her prettiest cleanest diaper,

Ate a few blocks,

Took a few pictures with her clothes off,

and wore her hair in a faux hawk.

These characters came with us.

They brought their tiger venom,

and a few good smiles.

Turns out, Eliza worked ahead and is in the 90% for height. Take that, short genes!

She's healthy and thriving.

She's taller than all of her other siblings were at her age.

Especially O. (she wasn't this height until 15 months)  Its an accomplishment, in and of itself, that she's even on the chart for weight!  That's a rarity at 9 months in our family, too!

Way to grow baby. Way. To. Grow.

Meet Princess Consuela Banana Book Hammock

Whenever I say/type the word "sling" I think of a speedo. Which makes me think of a banana hammock.  Which makes me think of this episode of Friends. 


Don't you love when you buy a baby product, use it for several years, with multiple children, only to have it recalled for minor issues, you know, like death?  Yeah.  me, too.  I was upset when they did a mass recall of drop-sided cribs.  (Not only had I been using it for 5 years, I used it for 3 children!)

Before we found out we were pregnant with Eliza, we debated on whether or not to buy a new crib, or just move Isaac to a toddler bed.  He was 10 months at the time.  (It would've been a rough go to move him to a big bed.)  Since we knew we wanted at least one more baby, we went ahead and got a new crib.

The crib, however, still has some emotional value.  I mean, it provided habitat space for 3 of my babies.  When they WERE babies.  One railing had teeth impressions from A when he was a baby.  I can still hear the sound of O twisting one of the looser spindles when she was bored/waking up/falling asleep.    All 3 kids peeked out, peered over, when they first learned to pull up. 

I digress.  So, I've been searching and searching for crafty things to do with it.  I wanted it to be semi-functional, but not like laundry room functional.  More like, it does a job, but still looks pretty and can be a conversation piece. 

I scoured Pinterest and found an idea I liked.  But, the person's link/blog gave no real instructions or measurements.  Plus, I didn't have the same kind of crib. Ours had decorative spindles.  Crap. 

I'm not good with power tools (yet!) and E isn't the move envisioned ("really?  That's what you're going to do?  Won't it look cheesy?")  I enlisted my dad's help when they came down to visit in July.  He's kind of awesome with that stuff, so he went along with my craziness and helped me saw/glue/screw it all together. 

Then came the big job.  Filling the holes and sanding the entire thing. 

My little sanding helper

Then I threw two coats of white paint.  The color was, of course, *just* different enough to notice, thus requiring the 2nd coat. Then I sanded some of the edges to give it a distressed look.  (I did this for two reasons. 1.  I'm lazy.  I can hide my imperfections this way. and 2. I did the same deal to the side table in that room, so it "fits".)

The sewing was not complicated.  Basic rectangles with a top stitch and some snaps.  (The one I got the idea from had the snaps going the other way.  I liked it this way better.)  The most complicated that step was the prongy side of the snaps getting bent.  I know.  Tough stuff.

Finished!

In her room, with more age-appropriate books.

The reading/nursing corner. I love the way it looks against the blue wall, that matches the quilt, with the fabrics from Eliza's room as the slings.  

Ta-da! 

It even earned a compliment from my husband.  Which is big, people. Big.

So, when is it a new recipe?

I have a bad habit of changing recipes.  (Mostly due to lack of original ingredients.  aka PLANNING!)  To the point, sometimes, that they are barely recognizable as the original thing.  I contemplate whether or not to keep the recipe and realize that I have to make a ton of edits in order for it to be the same the next time I make it.

I made this amazing pork dish the other day.  Its original name was Barbacoa Beef.  Already I'm sure you can see a major difference in the basic ingredients.  I don't want to take credit away from some one who created the original recipe, but, at the same time, I would like to recommend it the way *I* made it. 

So, here it is:

My recipe for Barbacoa Pork, based loosely off this Barbacoa Beef recipe.

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork loin roast  (really, any hunk of pork)
5-7 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1/2 lemon and its juice
2 Jalapenos
3 tbsp of chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves


Directions:


~Place garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, jalapenos, and cilantro in a blender or food processor.  Blend into a paste (or liquid).


~Place your hunk-a-hunk of burning pork into a sprayed crock pot (I use olive oil in a fancy spritzer thing instead of Pam.) 

~Rub your meat down with your paste.

~Throw in the bay leaves and lemon half (after being juiced, of course)

~Add a dash of S&P.

~Turn that bad boy on high and walk away.  My frozen** hunk of meat took 6 hours on high and 2 on low. It was cooked to perfection. 

~Shred the meat and serve in a nice, warm tortilla with all of your favorite toppings- Chipotle or Moe's style.  Olives, cheese, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, guac, black beans, etc.  OR, do what we did, and serve it up as a salad.  (I did add some more cumin to the top of mine and E's.  I didn't want it to be too spicy for the kids.)

There you have it.  My version of a chipotle beef, but with pork and jalapenos.


**If you know me well, you will understand why my meat was frozen.  I suck at organization and pre-planning that the laying out of the meat necessitates.