Thursday, October 27, 2016

Dressing Bump 2: Weeks 29-33

I keep forgetting to take outfit pictures. Our last house had great full length mirrors and at work we had a full length mirror. In our new house, there aren't many full length mirrors and those that exist are awkwardly placed for photos. I'm trying to get better at documenting my maternity style, because I actually love looking back at my old photos to help get ideas for now. So this is my attempt - but also explains why there has been a month since I last posted but only have a few pictures to show for it!

Basically, my maternity style is somewhat similar to my regular style except for one major glaring difference - when I'm not pregnant I favor loose fitting t shirts that flow over my mid section, but when I'm pregnant I get to wear tighter t shirts - I like highlighting the baby bump. I know some people like to continue to wear flowy shirts once pregnant (my sister is one of those people) but I so rarely get to highlight my belly, so I love the chance. Plus I just like the look.

It's fall, so my "uniform" is booties, skinnies with a roll cuff, maternity t-shirt, warm layer (button up, sweater or cardigan), and a vest or denim jacket. It's easy and makes me feel great. One of my favorite things to wear when pregnant is the black sweatshirt in the middle photo (my twins photo with Avie). It has a nice cowl neck and wears more like a nice shirt, but feels like a hoodie. I have it in grey and black and it's definitely my go to, especially as it looks great under a vest.


My other go to outfit is loungewear that looks pulled together. Since I started understanding what looks good on my body and how to look pulled together, I haven't been able to go back to wearing baggy ill-fitting clothes. I spent years like that and now I just can't. So when I want to wear sweats or something super comfy, I've been so thankful to find that loungewear has kept up with the trends. I have a few pairs of sweatpants that are comfy but also pulled together - skinny joggers, sweats with some style, etc. And this is the one time I will also wear leggings with a baggier t shirt - my #thesnuggleisreal t shirt goes perfectly over leggings, when I want to be comfortable but still look nice for around the house.


Oh! The other time I'm ok with loose is with a dress - a dress with boots or booties or heels? I like dresses for church - unless I feel lazy, then I go for nice jeans.


And there you have it - ground breaking moments from my closet :)

Monday, October 24, 2016

Meal Plan Monday, October 24th

I'm trying to get back into Meal Planning. Every week I used to post my meals for the week, and then review the meals from the previous week. I found that posting about it helped keep me accountable to my meal plan (and helped me when I was making meal plans in the future, to remember what we'd like and what we didn't like, or what was too tricky to make on a week day, or just right). I started slowing down sometime a couple years ago and never picked up on it. I've still kept some meal planning going but once I was on Mat leave I found that I really let that go, since I was more able to wing it. But that meant I started facing the problem so many people face; not knowing what to cook, not planning well for the meals, and therefore, spending more on groceries than I needed to. So my goal is to get back into it!

I've switched my system slightly from before. I wrote a post about my old meal planning system here. This system worked perfectly when I was at an office for most of the day - I needed something that was held in the cloud, rather than a concrete place, so that I could access it from anywhere (work or home or the grocery store). I used this system for over two years, and actually, used it during the beginning stages of having a newborn when it was often easier to look things up on my phone (while breastfeeding, etc) than write things out. When we had a new little baby, I could also enter into the calendar in the meal space if someone was bringing a meal and what they would be bringing (and when they would be bringing it), which was really helpful to keep that space clear.

But I find that I have naturally switched my planning since working from home and being on the go so much. I always have my planner with my and I like having the meals there. I also still have my whole calendar online; there's something about having everything twice (once online and once written) that helps keep me extra organized. So now my menu planning is mostly done during times where I'm mostly occupied but have spare brain cells that need focusing to help keep me organized (watching TV or a movie, sitting in a meeting or church, etc). I've learned with my ADD that I focus more if I can keep a small portion of my brain active doing something.

I keep a list of meals I like making or want to try (similar to my system before) written on flags on the front inside of my planner. Then I look at what I need on a particular day (ie. we have guests coming over who don't eat red meat and I'll have a bit of time to make something nice - so I'll pick a nicer meal that's more involved and is a chicken or fish dish, or we have meetings that evening and I'm working most of the day, so I'll do an easy crockpot meal) and place a meal flag on that day. It's simple, takes less than 5 minutes and I have the whole week planned. Because we have a house full of students, I'll often write out the list on a little meal planner I found at a cute little stationary store, and put that up on the fridge. It lists who will be home and who will be out, as well as what we'll eat.



It's a simpler and more complicated system, in different ways. But it's working for me, and so there you go. I'm excited to really get back to Menu Planning more though - you guys can be my accountability!

Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie

Upcoming week: 

Tonight we have a family coming over for dinner that we haven't spent any time with. Paul and I met the husband at our old street's block party - this family moved there a month after we moved out. We liked the husband right away, so we had invited them to come over once his wife and kid had joined him in Vancouver. It's always a little nerve wracking having a new family over (who knows how we'll click!) but also just exciting enough that I keep trying (so often it goes way better than expected and is just pure joy).

TuesdayIndonesian Chicken with Peanut Sauce, Rice & Veggies
We have friends coming over for dinner - they are always happy to eat anything but are both Philipino (he's 1/4 and she's full) so I thought making rice for them was loving :) This is one of my favorite recipes and I'll be honest, I don't follow the recipe I linked to above - I use an Indonesian Satay Package for the chicken, and then a jar of peanut sauce (and I add more peanut butter to it). Easy and super tasty.

WednesdayThai Coconut Chicken Curry Soup (recipe from Paul's cousin Janice)
Janice brought this soup over a week after Avie was born. It was so amazingly tasty, and she said it was easy! I've made it a bunch of times since - though it's never quite as good as when she makes it. My goal is to go over to her place and watch her make it, then I can write about it here. Because man, it's good. 

Wednesdays are my long day - Paul volunteers downtown as a chaplain at the Salvation Army Belkin House. I love that he does this - and he loves doing it - but it also means he goes there straight after work and isn't home until after Avie goes to bed. So dinner, cleanup and bedtime are up to me. I try to make easy meals that are easy to clean as well. Plus somehow we don't end up having many students home Wednesdays - but the week I don't plan a meal for a Wednesday assuming they will all be out, will inevitably be the week they are all home. So I always make up a meal, and then use any leftovers for lunches. Which is a win win. 

Thursday I have a phone call with a dear friend at 4:30, and then am meeting with two of my best girlfriends for our bi-weekly discipleship group at 8pm, so I try to make something easy and simple. Everyone in my house loves breakfast for dinner, and when I've made this dish it's been super popular every time (even when I've waaay over cooked the eggs). 

Friday: Costco Dry Ribs with potatoes and veggies
Paul will be hunting all weekend so I can make these Dry Ribs that he doesn't usually love but are a house favorite. I am hoping to have a girlfriend over for dinner, so it doesn't feel so lonely with Paul away. I guess I should invite someone soon, or it won't happen, haha.

Saturday/Sunday: YOYO (You're On Your Own)
Avie and I will try to keep ourselves busy all weekend and hopefully visit someone Saturday night, then church sunday is at dinner time so we normally snack a bit before and after. Our students are on their own for meals all weekend. 
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Saturday, October 22, 2016

Bump 2: another little lady!

Wel, it's the middle of the night (or now the early morning hours) and I've been awake for most of the night with Avie. She just wants to play. I'm not entirely sure what to do about this anymore. She's been waking up, roughly, 5 out of 7 nights for the past 4 months and I just don't know what to do. She was a perfect sleeper before that. Then we moved and BAM. It all went to pot. So I try to be positive, I try to nap, but now that I work that's not always an option. Because of course, she stopped sleeping through the night the same month I started working. Of course. Thankfully she's cute. Even in the middle of the night. And Paul's helpful. Especially in the middle of the night. If you've got to be up at 3am, it's nice to know there's someone by your side! Plus this other smaller baby inside of me, she's definitely awake. 


Noodle Baby


Swinging is her favorite

That's right, SHE. We're having another baby girl. I'm ecstatic. Someday I would love to have boys (or, if I'm honest, I'm open to having boys - I'd love to have all girls) but I really wanted Avie to have a sister best friend, like I do. Having a sister 2 years younger than me (close enough in age that, once you become adults, it's basically like being the same age) has been such a blessing. Even when we were younger and great at fighting, I still knew I was lucky. As we've grown up and become friends and mothers and adults, it's been SUCH a blessing. I always have my best friend around. I'm always so curious if we'd be as close if we weren't sisters - would we have much in common? I like to think so, since we share many of the same friends, but who knows! Anyways. Back to the point. Paul was hoping this would be a boy since he wants to make sure we get once of each in this whole process, but we are planning to try for 4 kids (at least that's the plan now, ha!) so he's now just hoping the next is a boy, and is very happy that the girls can be friends. 



Me and my sister-best-friend (due just two weeks apart)

Edited to add. Avie is mostly sleeping through the night! We had to let her cry two nights but that only lasted 25 minutes and then went straight to sleep - she's a tired little love. The doctor recommended this and suggested we try putting her down even earlier. We'd been doing 7:30pm but moved it to 7pm, which has also made a big difference. 



Getting ready for sleep

Baby #2 - this pregnancy is pretty similar to the last one. My symptoms started sooner with this pregnancy but have been pretty similar. Heartburn - yup, Pregnancy Insomnia - yup, Restless Legs - yup, etc. One of the biggest similarities is space - or lack of it. Both Avie and Baby #2 sit the same inside of me - head down, butt up. The head is towards the bottom left of me, and the butt is towards the top right of my tummy. Or at least what I assume is the head and butt - since I know that the head is down. But I feel something pressing up on my ribs on the right. It's like when you try to push a beach ball under what but it pops up elsewhere - she shifts around into my ribs, popping up as she sees fit. Lots of movement. Lots. Feels like she's flailing her arms at times, and pumping her legs. She rolls and moves and I love the feel of it. Sometimes it's uncomfortable but mostly it's reassuring; it's like a secret conversation that her and I have. 



32 weeks, walking in Yaletown

I still love being pregnant but I can finally start to see what people mean about being ready to evict the baby. With the last one I only started to feel that way during labour. This time, I'm getting pretty sore. My body is fairly achy and everything feels so much more. I feel sore and uncomfortable. Breath can be hard to come by, my bladder is smooshed and sleep is tricky at night between Avie waking up to cry (she sleeps right away, but the cry still happens), the pregnancy insomnia that then keeps me awake, and then the movement of the baby that further keeps me up. So that's fun. If I don't get woken up at night, at least I sleep super well. So while there are only 7 weeks left, I can understand being ready for it to be over. I also embrace this time with one toddler and no newborn...for newborns change things. We embrace this time as a family - with just one little to keep us busy.



Family breakfast at Bon's

Family walk at Trout Lake


Daddy/Daughter love

5am Mom/Daughter date


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