Life Lately

Whoa.

Life has been a little crazy lately.

Last week, my husband's grandfather went in for an aortic valve replacement surgery. Up until two weeks before the surgery, no one even knew he had heart problems. He survived the surgery, which is a major feat for a seventy nine year old, but unfortunately, his heart was too weak to maintain the new valve and operate the other. He passed away peacefully last Wednesday evening.

There are very little family members on that side of the family who were able to help with funeral arrangements, so my husband and I stepped up to the plate and pretty much handled everything. We were non-stop until Saturday afternoon, when everything was finished.

Because of timing, we decided to postpone Mother's Day to the next Sunday, which is this weekend. We were originally planning to do a cook-out, inviting my parents and the in-laws. With all of the week's chaos, postponing was the most logical option. Not to mention, nobody really felt like celebrating anything.

Although I did get a little pampering the morning of Mother's Day with an amazing breakfast, and snuggles on the sofa with a sleeping SEVEN MONTH OLD and hubby.

So, this Sunday will be my first Mother's Day celebration (We are calling it Mother's Day 2.0). I am very excited about it! I have to admit, the husband and baby have really stepped it up this week. Each day, I've received a little gift. It's so sweet. Monday was ice cream, Tuesday was a cute magnetic dry erase board for the fridge to put our weekly menu on, and today was some of my favorite chocolates. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store, although I admittedly already know what my "big gift" will be on Sunday. (Shhhh.. it's a sewing machine!).

So, that's life lately. I had a few blog posts planned for Mother's Day weekend, but those will wait until this weekend, when I truly celebrate my new motherhood gig.



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The time my black thumb turned green (AKA DIY Tiered Planter).

 



 

Confession: I have had a black thumb.

 

So, when I approached my husband with the line, "I found this on Pinterest and..." I'm sure he was shocked to realize I was talking about a planter. The only foliage I've ever managed to keep alive (before this tiered planter) is one of those bamboo plant things. You seriously only have to water those once a lifetime and they're set.

 

Being the supportive guy that he is, my husband chauffeured me to the plant store to pick out some different flowers for the project, as well as the terracotta pots needed. Then, we went to various craft stores and gathered supplies need to make it cute and such.

 

I would be lying if I told you the all of the flowers I used, because frankly, I picked them out based on their "prettiness" factor. My husband went behind me to make sure I wasn't buying winter or shade plants. He's such a team player. ;)

 

I do, however, know that the bright green vine is called a "Sweet Potato Vine" It's absolutely gorgeous.



 



Day one versus day twelve. (And day twelve was over a month ago! It's even more beautiful now, I just haven't had the chance to take another picture.) The proof is in the metaphorical pudding, ya'll. I can keep flowers alive if they are in a cute planter that I care about.

 

Want to make one of these for your front steps? It's really easy (seriously, I did it), and it's also a pretty affordable project.

 

You'll need:

• 3 terracotta pots (One large, one medium, one small)
• potting soil (I believe we used 3/4 of a large bag)
• Flowers (I tried to pick a variety, and made sure I had one that was a vine)
• Paint (A few tutorials on similar projects said to use spray paint. I tried it, and it was a drastic fail. Regular outdoor paint seemed to be the best bet.)
• Thompson Water Seal spray
• bricks

How to assemble:

• Spray all of the pots with Thompson Water Seal. This will help preserve the terracotta from numerous waterings and rain.
• After the water seal has dried (about 30 minutes or so), it's time to decorate your pots! I chose a mint/yellow/white color scheme, because I wanted something to pop against our beige house. I originally tried to use a stencil I had to put our initial "A" on it, but it didn't work out how I imagined, so I just used a brush to freehand it. It doesn't look amazing, but it serves its purpose. The polka dots were a last minute decision because I decided the pots needed a little extra "umph." I used the end of a paint roller. (How's that for ingenuity?)
• Move all of your pots to around the area the planter will stay. It's important to assemble where you'll keep it, because the end product will be very heavy to carry.
• To start the tier, place a few bricks in the largest pot. This will elevate your second pot without having to use an enormous about of soil. Place the medium pot on the bricks and pour the soil in the larger pot around the medium one. Fill the medium pot halfway with soil, place the smallest one in the medium, and put the remainder of soil in the medium pot, then the smallest one.
• Begin planting! Make sure you loosen the roots up and water really well after they are situated in your new tiered planter! (We use Miracle Grow about once a week, and regularly water another day in the week.)

And that's it! I've got to admit, I was nervous my plants would die. Every day, I'd check on them to make sure they weren't wilting, etc. It just seemed like they didn't have enough room to grow. I guess I was wrong, because they are doing so well!

 

Take THAT, black thumb.

 

Disconnecting and Connecting

I've been disconnected for nearly 24 hours, and it feels great.

Wednesday evening, I had a life changing (yes, it's that serious) moment. I was driving home, reeling from a stressful work day, a few personal issues and feeling not-so-great because of allergies. And I had a thought. What if I disconnected?

What would happen if I deleted my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram apps? At a red light, in horrible traffic, I did it. I made those little icons wobble, and I pressed the X. BOOM.

Afterwards? I felt marvelous. I felt lighter.

It's not that I was obsessed with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, but I felt like they were huge time-sucks in my life.

For instance, today, when I've had some down time, I've had the tendency to pick up my phone and check into Instagram to see what's going on. Instead, I do something productive, like organize work e-mails, or write this post. ;)

For me, deleting Facebook was the biggest relief. Unintentionally, I felt involved in other people's lives, problems, etc. It was really stressing me out. The thought of not knowing what everyone is doing every second of the day is liberating.

I found on Instagram, I was constantly comparing my life to others. Numerous times, I thought "I wish I was a stay at home mom, too." "I wish I had ____" "It would be nice if..blah blah blah." You get it. I was in constant comparison mode. My real life is not sitting in a million dollar home all day, my baby wearing designer clothes, sipping wine and blogging. It's just not. I know it's because we only like to share the positive in our lives, and I was seeing everyone else's positives and only my negatives. That's a scary place to be in, and I'm glad I walked away from that.

I'm hoping this disconnection helps connect with other things I've been wanting to be closer to. Ady is growing up SO.FAST. I need to soak in those moments. When I'm on the sofa connected to some social media outlet, I'm missing something. I want to learn how to sew. I want to organize my ten million cookbooks. I want to create a craft room. I want to do more crafts in general. Disconnecting from social media will help me prioritize my time more efficiently.

I'm not deleting any of my accounts, because I still plan on popping in once a week or so. But I don't see myself going back to having these social mediums on my phone.

Of course, I'll still be blogging. My mommy brain forgets things very easily. Documenting memories on this blog helps preserve them.

If you'd like to keep in touch another way, my e-mail is celeste@themotherhoodchronicles.com.

Working on Myself

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I've had an inner struggle with my weight. One week, I'm counting calories, going to the gym every day, doing great. The next week? I'm first in line at McDonalds at 11am.

Recently, I've really begun to own my body. Those stretch marks on my stomach? They are proof of the life I supported and grew. That flab on my stomach? Well, it's there. Double chin? Would be great if it was gone, but my life of being a wife and mom moves on with or without. I know my husband loves me no matter how I look, and I've managed to pull off a few outfits that make me feel fabulous. All 197.3 of me.

But, I want to be healthy. I need to shed some pounds not for cosmetic reasons. I want to be at a healthy weight for my height, which is about 140lbs. That means I have about 60 pounds to shed.

I will get there, and I won't be using any "Get Skinny Quick" schemes. I'm not in it to get skinny, and I've been around the weight loss block log enough to know that anything that gets you there quick will bring you back just as quick, or even faster.

I've tried Weight Watchers before (right after I had Ady), and I was able to bring myself to below my pre-pregnancy weight. Then, I stopped using it after 3 months and gained most of it back. Currently, I am 8 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight. Not, that my pre-pregnant self was a shining image of health. Far from it, actually.

When I was pregnant, I was tired (duh). But, more tired than I should have been. I ached A LOT, starting in the first trimester, which I'm pretty sure is not normal. I had high blood pressure my entire pregnancy. I failed my one hour glucose screening, but somehow passed the three hour. However, Ady was born with transient hypoglycemia, so obviously I had gestational diabetes that was undiagnosed late in the third trimester.

I say all of this because it's a direct effect of my weight and my unhealthy lifestyle. I like chips. And fries. And brownies. And diet coke. And Reese's. And cheeseburgers.

So, I'm working on myself. I'm making an honest effort and tracking the food I eat. I'm trying to stay within my calorie budget. To eat more whole foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains). I'm trying to cut out fried foods. Be more conscious of the processed foods that have proven to be nearly impossible to cut out of our diet.

I'm going to make it to the gym at least three times a week.  Get in a healthy burn. Break a sweat. I always feel amazing after that.

All of this, over time, should get me where I need to be in order to be a healthy mom. Before we start trying for Number Two, I want to be at 140 pounds. I want to have a healthy pregnancy. A healthy life.

I'll be updating my progress on the blog in some form or fashion. I haven't figured it out yet. But, if you want to follow along on my day-to-day journey, you find me on My Fitness Pal and Instagram.

Ady's Favorite Things (0-6 Months)

1. Boppy. The Boppy was a purchase the husband made while I was still in the hospital to aid with breastfeeding, but it morphed into a stomach pillow for me (post C-section recovery) and a propping pillow for Ady. We would put it on the floor and lay her on it. When she got older, I propped her in it to help her sit on her own. Now, she uses it to chill out on, crawl over, spit up on (no joke.. but you can wash the cover, which is another reason why this is also one of momma's favorite things, too!). 

2. Nuby Teether. Ady has several teething toys, but this Nuby Silicone Teether seems to be her favorite. She will chew on it for hours, and it even keeps her content in the car (which is amazing, because she otherwise hates the car.) If you're a momma to a teething baby looking for some relief, pick this teether up. I think the little bristles are key. I've noticed that's the part Ady likes the most. I love it because it comes in a case, which makes packing it in a diaper bag easier and more sanitary. 

3. Earth's Best Baby Food. Ok, ok, so I know Ady is too young to have brand preference on food (or maybe she isn't?) but she sure does love baby food. And momma loves this brand! We originally set out to introduce solids to Ady via Baby Led Weaning (BLW) but we didn't receive our pediatrician's blessing, so we incorporated Earth's Best Baby food with some BLW techniques. I feel confident in the quality of Earth's Best. I love that it's organic, and Ady loves it, because she "mmmmm's" at the very sight of one of these jars. 

4. Playskool Poppin' Park Giraffalaff Tumble Top Toy. Phew, say that five times fast. And then get it for your baby to help him or her sit up on their own! Along with the Boppy, this toy really helped Ady learn to sit on her own. I would prop her up, put this between her knees and press it. The moving balls kept her focus, and she would hold onto the dome to help control her balance. 

5. Playtex Ventaire bottles. We were fortunate enough to start with one type bottle in the beginning and stick with it through the end (because I don't foresee a switch anytime soon). I'm sure if Ady were asked to compose this list, she wouldn't include bottles (because, let's face it, it's a lame choice) but I wanted to share the fact that these bottles never steered us wrong. They helped with gas, they've withstood the test of time (we are still on our originals, six months later), and they are so easy to clean. I guess you could say this is another momma favorite. 

6. Super Why. Yep. I let my baby watch TV. And of course, she loves it. However, I only let her watch what I consider "educational." No mindless garbage. Pretty much anything on Sprout is fair game. She loves Super Why. Seriously. LOVES IT. When the theme song comes on, she stops whatever she is doing to watch. We joke that Wyatt is her boyfriend, although that really makes me want to ball up and cry in the corner, because seriously. If you're a girl mom, I think you know what I mean.

7. Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Gel. I don't think I need to explain why this is a favorite for both Ady and momma. Pair this gel with a Nuby teether and you can say bye-bye to teething baby drama for at least 30 minutes. ;)

All of these opinions are my own, and I wasn't compensated by any of the above companies for my thoughts. 

Happiness

When the world seems like a really dark place, it helps to remind myself of the little (and big) things that are happiness to me.

Happiness is going to bed next to an amazing, supportive and handsome husband, and waking up beside him the next morning. No matter what happens in the world, I know that's one constant in my life.

Happiness is my baby girl smiling for no reason what so ever. Bringing her joy into this world will always be my biggest accomplishment.

Happiness is a cold glass of iced coffee on a hot, humid Louisiana day.

It's the smell of onions sautéing, which is the same smell I experienced while sitting at the table in my grandmother's kitchen, watching her cook.

Happiness to me is the sound of rebirth jazz, the French Quarter and hot beignets.

It's the singing of unison praises to Him who saved us. It's the quiet times of prayer.

Happiness is a stack of chocolate chip cookies and a very large glass of milk. (Find me someone who doesn't find happiness in that.)

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling." 

Ady: 6 Months