Baby Update: Week 30

30 weeks.... seems like forever since I announced it and yet 10 weeks still seems so far away.  I'm trying really hard to enjoy this since this is more than likely our last pregnancy. But yet I am still wishing away the days.
I would love to:

• be able to bend down without groaning
• sleep all night without getting up to pee or having crazy leg cramps
• eat whatever I want
• drink whatever I want

Not that I don't want this pregnancy but I just want it to be over. I'm done already and I still have 10 more weeks.  I have lots to keep me busy in the next 2 1/2 months but that's even more of the problem. I just can't go at the same speed I have been. I pay for it the next day for sure.  So at this point I'm just tired. I need to do some major revamping of our lives and simplifying even more.  My Lilla Rose business is taking off and while I'm excited it is tiring.... hoping to push now and then spend some down time once the baby comes.

Mr Micah is super active... for those who have had boys and girls - do you remember a difference in their activity level while in the womb? I sure do. Boys are WAY more active then girls.... and they hurt a lot more - just stronger with their kicks and punches... I'm pretty sure I'm bruised in one spot already.  I passed my glucose testing which I almost always do but am still having some blood issues - my platelet numbers are jumping all over the place so that's annoying and frustrating.... researching ways to bring them back up naturally so that I don't have to have steroids or be induced. Two things I really detest!

I have to give a huge shout-out to my hubby though - we make such an awesome team and in his words 'we'd be screwed without each other'. :)

So we're plugging on and focusing on the end prize.... a sweet baby boy. How do I not wish these days away right now?

What Day Is It?

Really. I haven't posted in forever. I do apologize. How does life get so busy.... or I get so lazy.... or tired. Oh yeah... I'm expecting baby #4. sigh.

I do feel bad for not keeping up with this blog. I really enjoy it but I need to admit to myself and you that I'm just never going to be a MSM or SarahMae. It just isn't going to happen, not at this stage of my life.

But enough of that.... I have to just give a short shout-out to some of my favorite prayer warrior sisters out there.  Nathan's grandfather passed away last week so we had a last minute out of town trip to make.  It included 2 nights in a hotel.... which never ends well with my children. But they are getting a bit older and I think that helps.   It ended up being a very nice weekend.  Bop was a believer so there was much rejoicing that he is no longer suffering.  And we got to see Aunts and Uncles, cousins from out of town - lots of catching up and enjoying family.  And while we all had our moments my little ones did pretty darn great if I do say so.  The only really bad episode was our dinner out on Saturday and that's only cause we waited until 8:00 to eat.... I was starting to get cranky too. ;)

But I know the weekend went so well because we had so many covering us in prayer..... and I am truly thankful for that.

Now we must get through this week.... so keep the prayers coming. ha!

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

You know you love your husband when after he leaves for work you spend the next half hour crying ..... cause you're slicing onions for his favorite soup!

I've been in a slump lately regarding dinner.  I love to cook and create new things but by 3 or 4 in the afternoon when I should be starting dinner prep I'm so tired and worn out I can't even think about what I want to make. But that also doesn't mean I want to eat frozen casseroles for the next three months.  So when I stumbled upon this gem in my email yesterday from Pillsbury I knew I had to make it.  Almost all the prep is done in the morning (when I have some energy) and then left to cook all day in the crock-pot!

So here it is a new one for us, I'll be sure to let you know how it turned out!

Slow-Cooker Rustic French Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 6 large onions, cut in half, then thinly sliced (14 cups)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso® beef-flavored broth (4 cups)
• 20 slices (1/2 inch thick) baguette (about 10 oz)
• 6 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups) (Store didn't have this, bought Swiss instead)

Steps

• 1 Spray 6- to 7-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, place onions, butter, salt, pepper and dried thyme. In medium bowl, mix flour, sherry and water with wire whisk until blended. Stir into onion mixture.
• 2 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 9 to 10 hours or until onions are softened and deep brown.
• 3 Stir broth into slow cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 minutes or until hot.
• 4 Meanwhile, set oven control to broil. Line cookie sheet with foil. Arrange baguette slices in single layer on cookie sheet. Broil with tops 3 inches from heat 2 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Sprinkle cheese evenly over slices; broil 1 minute longer or until cheese is bubbly. Top each bowl of soup with 2 cheese toasts. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.
   
   
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When you've been had

I wasn't planning on posting today.  This cold has been taking a toll on our house and this mama is struggling in more ways then one. 

Every since Christmas when we took a full two-weeks off from school and Lydia's program it's been hard... oh so hard getting back in to the rhythm of things.  And when it gets hard the easiest thing is to just give in and give up.... plug a movie in for the kids, make a cup of tea and surf the net....

or is it?

Because the same problems are going to come up again shortly... probably even before the movie is over and then what.

This morning I struggled greatly with my little ones - they don't feel good (so I do try to extend a bit of extra grace), I don't feel good (where's my grace), and we are all tired.  I had a math sheet for Lydia to do and she started to fuss that she didn't want to do it, I told her no she had to do it. So she picked it up and looked at the other side and said 'can I do this one'..... sure I answered... hey at least she was doing something.

but wait.

She still got her way. She did not have to do what I asked her to do. oh man... She still 'had' me and ended up not having to do what I asked.  boo

I just sat on the floor and teared up. I realized that so often even though I didn't realize or mean to do it I was still giving in to my children just so we could get the work done, so we could 'check' off the box and move on.  But they were not obeying with the right heart or attitude.

It's not going to be easy, and the easy way is never really the easy way in the end.... but oh how I'd love to plug a movie in and make a cup of tea right now. I won't... I can't.... I sit here listening to the fighting and yelling (Josiah is singing and Lydia is NOT happy about that), Naomi is calling out to me and not napping because well that's just her.  I am struggling particularly with Josiah because he's too big now and I can't easily carry him upstairs and put him in his room.

Oh how he can make my blood boil.  It makes me so sad and angry at myself.

Just keeping it real.... life is hard right now and even harder when you realize you've been being 'had' by your children even when you were trying so hard not to. blah

Baby Update: Week 26

How time flies... it seems like just yesterday I was announcing.  It's the first Tuesday of the month so time for a quick update.

Even though 26 weeks still seems so far away from 40 weeks. And then I say - 14 weeks left and suddenly 14 is a whole lot less than 26 so it seems pretty close.

14 sundays... 7 more pay days....oh my goodness.... even though 3 months seems so far away. When you break it down it really doesn't seem that long.

Lydia has a calendar she marks off each night - last night it read 99 days... we are less than 100 days away!

I'm still in my pregnancy prime as Nathan calls it.  So I am really enjoying this time. Although my leg cramps and heart burn make some evenings less enjoyable then other.  I am also suffering from horrible ligament pains... in the middle of the night. I get awake crying from them and there isn't a darn thing to do except wait them out.

The kids are so excited and have been trying to feel him move whenever they can.  Of course he doesn't obey timley so they get bored easily. It's pretty cute when Naomi calls him Bicah, She also just learned to say 'Siah' and screams this constantly until her brother responds to her.

So all in all, we're just plugging away and keeping up with doctor appointments.  As tiring as this is I also feel in pretty good shape because well I have three other ones at home..... I am staying pretty active. But I will say Thank Goodness for computers.... I really need a mid-afternoon snooze to get me through the evening so that has been a life saver for me ;) 

Just a day in our life....

So here I sit at 10:05pm with one very awake little girl.  But let me tell you how our day started.

It was 8:25am this morning and we were running around like crazy trying to get out of the house by 8:30 for Sunday school.  I was multi-tasking and brushing my teeth and decided to try and put Naomi's socks on at the same time.  Pulled her up into my lap.

She was holding a small plastic hair dryer.

Josiah went to grab it off of her.

She reared back and smacked me square in the nose with the toy.

I yelled. loud. and pushed her off of my lap on to the floor.

And yelled again (with a toothbrush still in my mouth).

The look of pure terror on my son's face quickly arose and I broke.

Naomi was laying on the floor crying, Josiah was standing there in terror of his own mother, and I was running for the sick because I was dripping gunk all over the place.  Started to tear up and just about was completely bawling.

Nathan came down stairs to find all three of us crying, and when he picked Naomi up found her lip was split from hitting the toy and that really sent me over the edge! I was sobbing by then. I hurt my daughter and my poor son was terrified of me. 

Gathered everyone in to the car and headed out to church. On the way my sweet son called my name and when I answered he responded 'I love you'.  fresh tears.

Church.  Fellowship lunch. Afternoon service.

Then a wonderful and amazing bible study with a sweet group of girls.  Called home when I left and found out that Lydia had just woken up from a very long afternoon nap. NOT normal.  Arrived home and found out she was in bed again.  Oh boy.  She woke up about 6:30ish and we got some Tylenol and toast into one very warm little girl.  We both fell back asleep about 7:30ish, and she just woke me up about 9:30... and she's WIDE awake now.  She literally had been sleeping off and on all day. 

Anyone want to guess when we'll get to go back to sleep??? :)

New focus

Some of you may follow me on facebook and saw my message about blowing our budget last month.  I am a numbers girl and when I sat down to balance everything out I was shocked (and saddened) to see how bad things were.

The month before we had a big financial thing happen.... we paid off our house.  It wasn't something that was easy but had been a goal for us for awhile.  Before I quit working, during that year of 'trying' to see if we could make it on one salary we put my entire paychecks (minus giving) towards our mortgage and quickly whittled it down.  So for a solid year we made probably three extra payments each month.  It made a HUGE difference.  It wasn't easy but our house is OURS now.  It's a good feeling to know that if something would happen to Nathan or our income, we are not threatened with a payment hanging over our heads to keep the house... we should always have a roof over us now.... heating it may be another question. ha

But because of that I knew coming into December that we had some 'extra' wiggle room and didn't pay as close attention as I would have before.  It really wasn't a good idea. I overspent.  I made a mistake.  But I only did it for one month, I've realized it, and now we are re-focusing for the new year.  I honestly believe that every so often making mistakes are good and teachable moments - they help you to refocus and gain new traction in meeting your goals. 

This year our goal is to pay off my student loans. To easily do that we would need to put each mortgage payment towards my loans each month.  I said to 'easily' do that.....  we also have a couple large expenses we are looking at that isn't going to make it easy.  So I'm going to being pinching pennies... planning ahead better, and really watching every dollar that comes in and goes out.  And I hope to blog soon on our budget and how that works in our house.

I hope and plan to blog more intensely on this and how we are doing each month.  What are your goals for the coming year? Do you have big ones or small ones? Having a goal (no matter how big or small) is the first step towards making a change. :)

***My dear friend who tried to contact me in a comment the other day, because my blog is so basic I wasn't notified and not sure you were notified that I responded......  email me at njbish5 @ gmail (dot) com