I remember the days of sleeping in........ they were glorious and relaxing and usually set the tone for a chill day. Now, the concept does not really exist. Not that I would trade or go back. It's just that....
Charlotte slept in today! And she's still sleeping at 10:30. She was up at 6:30 and I had to change her and tuck her back in bed for more milk. But I slept in!! (Poor Tim... he's working again today, putting in windows in the rain.)
Have a wonderful (rainy) weekend everyone!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Menu Plan Nov 23 - 27
We had a wonderful weekend visiting family in Nova Scotia and left at 5:30 am this morning to come home. I am pretty wiped but ready to face a new week. Last week was tough for a few reasons, and I think starting a fresh week helps!Here is the plan for this week:
Monday: left over chili that I had frozen
Tuesday: Baked sweet potato and Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Wednesday: Green Pepper Couscous and meat... maybe drumsticks
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Southwest Layered Salad
I also tried these sweet dinner rolls last week and they were delicious!
Check out Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
our journey to our doula
Every once in a while I find myself reflecting on my birth experience with Charlotte. I have mentionned previously in my blog that we had a doula. A doula is a labour coach and he or she provides support to the whole family before, during and after labour. She is really part of your journey as you go through this life altering experience together.
I had read about doulas in books and online articles early on in my pregnancy. Tim didn't really see the importance of having this type of labour support and thought that that's what the nurses were there for. You also have to pay for doulas yourself and he was nervous about spending the money as we were about to add another person to our family! In the spring, I attended the fredkid fair and spent some time talking with the doula who was working at the infomation table they had, all about the work of doulas. She told me about Emilie, who was working towards getting her certification. (Check out dona.org for more information.) I told Tim all about this, and because Emilie was still working towards certification, she might not cost the full price and money was a big limitation at this point.
In the summer we attended two different prenatal courses. The first was with Kathryn Downtown and it was focused on natural birth. It was fabulous. Kathryn is a doula herself and after this workshop, Tim realized that hiring a doula might not be a bad idea! Kathryn spoke about the role of the doula. They are not meant to take the place of the husband in the process. In fact, they can be a huge support to the husband and allow him to have breaks throughout the process. She talked about the doula as an advocate for the mother's wishes and desires about their birth experience.
The second prenatal class we went to was through the VON and our teacher was Kelly Ebbett. There are a couple of options for this class and we choose meeting one evening a week instead of doing a full weekend course. This class was also very good and Kelly was an amazing teacher. She is also a doula and she trains doulas too! (Check out her website for more information.) I saw Kelly at the global breastfeeding challenge and she said that her doula training class is more popular than she ever thought it would be! I think that is it wonderful that so many women are interested in doula training and hope that the word spreads about the value of having the support of a trained doula during labour.
After many discussions, Tim and I decided to meet with Emilie Patterson and decide after our first meeting if we would hire her to be our doula. Most doula's will allow you to do this without charge so that you can decide if they are the right person to hire. Emilie was wonderful. She was calm and a great listener. We decided to hire her! I think we had two prenatal appointments after the first meeting. She was available for birth two weeks before and two weeks after our due date. She also included a post natal appointment.
Emilie coached me through almost all of my contractions, telling me when they were peaking and receding. She was a calm, steady presence through the whole process. She stayed with me for many, many hours and had to express milk because she was still breastfeeding her son. She walked with us on the trail and spoke encouraging words over me. She must have been exhausted by the end, but was thrilled to meet Charlotte. She also gave us a beautifully written birth story after everything was over.
Tim is now adamant that we have a doula for future children! Full price, or whatever the cost! Having a doula allowed us to have the birthing experience we had only dreamed about. I highly recommend getting the support! Check out the section on prenatal birth options on fredkid.com for doulas in our area. If you are pregnant and interested in a doula, you can contact Emilie at er_patterson@yahoo.ca. Happy birthing!!
I had read about doulas in books and online articles early on in my pregnancy. Tim didn't really see the importance of having this type of labour support and thought that that's what the nurses were there for. You also have to pay for doulas yourself and he was nervous about spending the money as we were about to add another person to our family! In the spring, I attended the fredkid fair and spent some time talking with the doula who was working at the infomation table they had, all about the work of doulas. She told me about Emilie, who was working towards getting her certification. (Check out dona.org for more information.) I told Tim all about this, and because Emilie was still working towards certification, she might not cost the full price and money was a big limitation at this point.
In the summer we attended two different prenatal courses. The first was with Kathryn Downtown and it was focused on natural birth. It was fabulous. Kathryn is a doula herself and after this workshop, Tim realized that hiring a doula might not be a bad idea! Kathryn spoke about the role of the doula. They are not meant to take the place of the husband in the process. In fact, they can be a huge support to the husband and allow him to have breaks throughout the process. She talked about the doula as an advocate for the mother's wishes and desires about their birth experience.
The second prenatal class we went to was through the VON and our teacher was Kelly Ebbett. There are a couple of options for this class and we choose meeting one evening a week instead of doing a full weekend course. This class was also very good and Kelly was an amazing teacher. She is also a doula and she trains doulas too! (Check out her website for more information.) I saw Kelly at the global breastfeeding challenge and she said that her doula training class is more popular than she ever thought it would be! I think that is it wonderful that so many women are interested in doula training and hope that the word spreads about the value of having the support of a trained doula during labour.
After many discussions, Tim and I decided to meet with Emilie Patterson and decide after our first meeting if we would hire her to be our doula. Most doula's will allow you to do this without charge so that you can decide if they are the right person to hire. Emilie was wonderful. She was calm and a great listener. We decided to hire her! I think we had two prenatal appointments after the first meeting. She was available for birth two weeks before and two weeks after our due date. She also included a post natal appointment.
Emilie coached me through almost all of my contractions, telling me when they were peaking and receding. She was a calm, steady presence through the whole process. She stayed with me for many, many hours and had to express milk because she was still breastfeeding her son. She walked with us on the trail and spoke encouraging words over me. She must have been exhausted by the end, but was thrilled to meet Charlotte. She also gave us a beautifully written birth story after everything was over.
Tim is now adamant that we have a doula for future children! Full price, or whatever the cost! Having a doula allowed us to have the birthing experience we had only dreamed about. I highly recommend getting the support! Check out the section on prenatal birth options on fredkid.com for doulas in our area. If you are pregnant and interested in a doula, you can contact Emilie at er_patterson@yahoo.ca. Happy birthing!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Menu Plan - November 9-20th
Last week I actually had my menu plan complete Sunday evening and did my shopping Monday morning! This was my original plan when I started, and many weeks it just doesn't happen like this. The only thing I neglected was posting it. My sister and her husband came for a visit on Wednesday last week and they stayed for a few days and we had so much fun relaxing and visiting. My blog however, was again, neglected!
So here I am, posting two weeks of menu plans in one!
November 9th - 14th
Monday: Stir Fry
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Enchilada Bake (I also made Fettuccine Chicken Alfredo for friend's who just had a baby... and Tim made homemade pretzels!)
Thursday: Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole and Baked Chicken Breasts
Friday: Pizza Party with friends
Saturday: Curry and Basmati Rice
November 16th - 20th
Monday: Chili with rolls
Tuesday: Nachos with chicken and veggies and homemade guac and salsa
Wednesday: Leftover buffet
Thursday: Potato Carrot Soup
Friday: Early Christmas with my family (my sister who was just visiting is moving to South Korea!)
I also baked Apple Sauce Spice Cake for dessert with my aunt and uncle last week, Mom's chocolate chip cookies for my friends with the beautiful baby girl, and Apple Banana Oatmeal muffins which I love and will probably make them again soon! Oh, and Cranberry/Apple Crisp for our Pizza party.
My goal for this week is to make some spinach/potato mix and pears and prunes for Charlotte to freeze in cubes.
Hope everyone has a great week! I need to start getting in the Christmas spirit for the weekend :)
Check our Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Housecleaning with a baby
I came across this great site today on tips for housecleaning with a baby. I feel like our house is a mess most of the time, as we are tripping over our belongings in our tiny space and only a few things have a home... cleaning happens sporadically, here and there. The daily necessities get done (most/some days!) and I try not to stress about it.
These are the ideas on the site....
I have a great sling for wearing Charlotte, but I don't wear her at home very much. I should try it again when she is fussy and crying at my feet! Freezer meals are tricky with our tiny apartment sized fridge with a tiny apartment sized freezer in the top. I can't freeze big batches of things easily, but keep it full all of the time. Lower your standards... well that's not really a problem for me! The problem is when company is coming and I get crazy about having things clean and ready. I totally stress about this and go into perfectionism mode to the detriment of my family! I am starting to use natural cleaners more often and I like using them as opposed to store bought. Accept help...... ah, this is difficult for me. I accepted help when Charlotte was a newborn but I feel like I should have it together by now. Right?
My dream is to have an ORGANIZED house. A house where everything has a home. Where we can pare down our belongings to live in 670 square feet comfortably. I don't want to be so attached to my "stuff". It's not the stuff that matters in the end. My sister is inspiring me as she sold/gave away most of her belongings and her and her husband packed their car with everything they own (except a couple of boxes in storage) and are moving to South Korea. How difficult, and freeing that would be.
I think that organization would lead to easier cleaning and less frustration. Ah, but when do I do this? How do I start? Maybe with one drawer. I think I could handle one drawer..........
I laughed out loud reading this quote on a friend's facebook:
Besides, I think reading books and playing peek-a-boo were more important than vacuuming and baking today!!
These are the ideas on the site....
I have a great sling for wearing Charlotte, but I don't wear her at home very much. I should try it again when she is fussy and crying at my feet! Freezer meals are tricky with our tiny apartment sized fridge with a tiny apartment sized freezer in the top. I can't freeze big batches of things easily, but keep it full all of the time. Lower your standards... well that's not really a problem for me! The problem is when company is coming and I get crazy about having things clean and ready. I totally stress about this and go into perfectionism mode to the detriment of my family! I am starting to use natural cleaners more often and I like using them as opposed to store bought. Accept help...... ah, this is difficult for me. I accepted help when Charlotte was a newborn but I feel like I should have it together by now. Right?
My dream is to have an ORGANIZED house. A house where everything has a home. Where we can pare down our belongings to live in 670 square feet comfortably. I don't want to be so attached to my "stuff". It's not the stuff that matters in the end. My sister is inspiring me as she sold/gave away most of her belongings and her and her husband packed their car with everything they own (except a couple of boxes in storage) and are moving to South Korea. How difficult, and freeing that would be.
I think that organization would lead to easier cleaning and less frustration. Ah, but when do I do this? How do I start? Maybe with one drawer. I think I could handle one drawer..........
I laughed out loud reading this quote on a friend's facebook:
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. - Phyllis Diller
Besides, I think reading books and playing peek-a-boo were more important than vacuuming and baking today!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Decisions
H1N1. Chicken Pox vaccine. Doctor's visits. I should probably be disinfecting my doorknobs, but need to write at the moment!
Charlotte was sick this week. Started with cold symptoms on the weekend, runny nose and cough. Ended with a fever that sky-rocketed at night. Well, I should say ended with a fussy baby that would not stop crying until I carried her around and tried to make supper and do dishes and disinfect doorknobs all at once. She's sleeping, and I should be too, probably, but I had way too much coffee today and feel like my head is spinning!
Anyway, I coped this week by co-sleeping and breastfeeding (pretty much constantly for hours at a time) and a lovely meal that a special auntie made for us.
Every morning I faced the decision of whether to take her to the doctor. Every morning I phoned the wonderful receptionist who wrote down Charlotte's symptoms and consulted with our family doctor. (The nurse was out sick.) She said, "sound's like the flu that's going around"...
Charlotte managed to get over it with some Tylenol, and loads of breastmilk. And lukewarm baths. That helped a lot.
Now I am faced with more decisions. H1N1? I've done so much reading and every time I come to a decision regarding the vaccine, I question it. Someone asks me pointed questions, and I just don't know what to do. Live in a box? Sometimes I feel like it.
Charlotte is scheduled for her deferred chicken pox vaccine on Monday. Again, so much reading and so many questions. I'm really not sure what to do.
I guess being a grown-up and mama means that you are responsible for these decisions. And they directly affect another life. And that's scary. I don't want to mess it up, you know?
Hopefully some rest (who am I kidding........ cleaning the house?!?!) will clear my head.
Charlotte was sick this week. Started with cold symptoms on the weekend, runny nose and cough. Ended with a fever that sky-rocketed at night. Well, I should say ended with a fussy baby that would not stop crying until I carried her around and tried to make supper and do dishes and disinfect doorknobs all at once. She's sleeping, and I should be too, probably, but I had way too much coffee today and feel like my head is spinning!
Anyway, I coped this week by co-sleeping and breastfeeding (pretty much constantly for hours at a time) and a lovely meal that a special auntie made for us.
Every morning I faced the decision of whether to take her to the doctor. Every morning I phoned the wonderful receptionist who wrote down Charlotte's symptoms and consulted with our family doctor. (The nurse was out sick.) She said, "sound's like the flu that's going around"...
Charlotte managed to get over it with some Tylenol, and loads of breastmilk. And lukewarm baths. That helped a lot.
Now I am faced with more decisions. H1N1? I've done so much reading and every time I come to a decision regarding the vaccine, I question it. Someone asks me pointed questions, and I just don't know what to do. Live in a box? Sometimes I feel like it.
Charlotte is scheduled for her deferred chicken pox vaccine on Monday. Again, so much reading and so many questions. I'm really not sure what to do.
I guess being a grown-up and mama means that you are responsible for these decisions. And they directly affect another life. And that's scary. I don't want to mess it up, you know?
Hopefully some rest (who am I kidding........ cleaning the house?!?!) will clear my head.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Menu Plan Nov 2nd
Wow, I am writing a menu plan on my blog, on MONDAY!! This has been a wonderfully productive day, despite the fact that Charlotte has a fever and has been nursing A LOT today. My SIL has generously offered to look after Charlotte for a few hours every week and it started today! It is amazing to have time to work on the business without the interruption of a babe who needs me. Hurray! Plus it forces me to tidy the house every Sunday which starts the week off on such a fresh note.
Here is my menu plan for this week:
Monday: Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches (didn't have last week)
Tuesday: Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
Wednesday: Leftover Buffet
Thursday: Shanie's Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Friday: Pizza (homemade, I think I will dust of the breadmaker. Perhaps use this recipe for the dough.)
I also want to try to bake Apple Sauce Spice Cake and Apple Banana Oatmeal Muffins as well.
Check out Laura's blog for some more great menu planning ideas!
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