1.  Finish planning Christmas!  I’ve been printing off the workpages from my Grocery Shrink Christmas book and am filling them out.  Ther’es not a ton of time left if I want to make gifts by hand.

2.  Make Apple Chips–Thanks to Pinterest I found this tutorial:  (I plan to use my mandolin slicer and apple corer to make it go faster.  I also have some beets that I’m hopin to make into chips–but these are more time consuming since I will need to peel them.)

3.  Make Pumpkin Doughnuts (Maybe I’ll move this to another day, but I have the pumpkin thawing in the fridge from last year’s harvest to make room for cooking and pureeing more this fall.)

4.  Make Pumpkin Bagels–I’m for more grab and go breakfast options!

5.  Start cutting out the boy’s duvet covers.  I think I’ve finally decided on the random duvet, after I had definitely decided to do the patterned one.

6.  Get the main areas of my house all straightened up and clean the floors.  Which will include folding and putting away lots of laundry plus cleaning up the kitchen.

7.  Plan Brandon’s birthday gifts and games and send a list to my mom.  I’ve already grabbed him a really cool motorized ninjago motorcycle at a garage sale for $1 and a batman mask at the thrift store for $3.  I would have thought it was highway robbery for the mask, but I had recently priced them for $10 new.  Brandon loves to dress up in his bathrobe and ascot and say, “Hello, I’m Bruce Wayne.”  So I hope he gets a kick out of the mask.  It is not his year for a party, but I am planning to make homemade pizza with him and then play games as a family that he will enjoy.

Whew!  That’s enough for one day and won’t half get done.  But it’s good to think big.

This is the best month ever!  We are taking a break from life in August.  No ballet lessons, no music lessons.  No sports, no camps, no travelling.  School can wait until September :).  Today we are headed to the pool–even me!  And I get to visit my matron of honor and her children for the afteroon.  After that it’s date night and hubby and I get a few hours to ourselves to make sure our marriage stays strong.  To top it off I have cleaning help this morning before we all go.  Can this day get any better?  No cooking–sitting poolside with great friends–and a clean house when it’s over.  Pinch Me…No, don’t.

…Thought of the projects I had planned for this weekend.

I didn’t get as much painting done as I hoped.  It’s hard to keep a baby close with spray paint in the breeze.  We moved activities indoors and I finished up a new sewing pattern for Craftbits.com  Here’s a sneak peek.

But today, mostly, I just held a baby. Which, to be honest, is my most favorite thing to do.

It’s been a whirlwind. We just got back from our frugal cruise to Mexico (Pictures later) and flew to Norfolk, VA for the filiming of our segment with the 700 club. The hotel we are staying at is gorgeous! It’s all decorated in a colonial style with crystal chandelliers and fireplaces everywhere. The food is amazing and the people are some of the kindest around. Here are some photos of the hotel.

Our room at the Founder’s Inn.  Historical Williamsburg is close by.

This is just part of the lobby at the Inn.

Another room in the Lobby.  The crystal chandeliers, Persian Rugs, and Fireplaces are everywhere!

The View out our hotel room window.   The Inn is made of several buildings including a 2 story fitness center with a heated indoor lane pool.  I wish I had brought my suit!

We started this morning bright and early in makeup and then off to the hair stylist. Before that the wardrobe consultant helped me choose the most flattering pieces of clothing I own for the various shoots we will take. 

All Done!

Setting up for the first shot in Teeters Grocery Store.  The camera man, James, is getting ready to finish medical school as an OB GYN and hopes to use his skills back in the mission field.  Lori is next to him and is producing this segment.  She really has a way of puttng people at ease.  I’m giving my belly a little good luck rub and Nicole Harris is right next to me, staying calm.  She’s amazing!  And I’m so happy I got to be in her space today.

We’re setting up for an outside intro shot here.  This is one of the few belly shot pictures I have, lol.  Little Grant is growing along nicely.  It’s hard to belive we’ll meet him in less than 12 weeks!  I have more shots of the hotel that I’ll post later and cruise shots too, but for now I’m ready to get some rest.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how to have the best prenancy ever.  I’ve thought of it ever since I gave birth to my last baby 3 years ago.  The birth was the best ever, but the pregnancy was tough.  In hindsight there were a lot of things I could have done to make it easier. 

What does it mean to have the best pregnancy ever?  To me, it means that I have energy and strength.  That I eat right and exercise often.  That I minimize the sugar I consume and maximize the fresh fruits and vegetables.  That I stay emotionally strong and keep a positive attitude which includes embracing the changes that take place in my body.  It also means that I have a normal weight gain (not 60-80 pounds like in past pregnancies) and that I have done all I can to insure a normal, easy delivery.

So here’s what I’m doing:

1.  As soon as I find out I’m pregnant (hopefully around 4 weeks, this time 7 weeks–eek!)  start putting dinners in the freezer.  I am most nauseaus when I am tired which can make cooking dinner very difficult.

2.  Plan my meals into 6 small ones eaten every 2-3 hours.  When I’m pregnant I don’t feel hungry, but I will vomit if I go more than 3 hours without eating.  Sometimtes that twinge is the first reminder I have that I’m hungry, so I try to watch the clock.

3.  Be prepared to not feel great betweeen 6 and 12 weeks.  Lighten my schedule if I can.  Have paper plates and made ahead freezer meals on hand.  Go to bed early and wake up a little later.  Smile a lot, it helps.  Take a nap with the toddler and give the older children quiet time.

4.  Continue my exercise routine every day that I can.  There’s no need to make big changes in technique until about 2o weeks when I should minimize the time on my back.  Right now my favorite routine is a Mama wants her body back 20 minute interval workout plus a 10 minute mama wants her abs back workout.  I have stopped jumping and follow the modified versions given for each exercise.  I have prenatal videos waiting for me, but right now they aren’t very challenging.

5.  When the thrift store had it’s half off the whole store on Labor Day, I bought several pairs of designer jeans and skirts (about $5 each) in a size bigger than usual.  I can still wear them at 12 weeks and between 16 and 20 weeks, will cut them up and put a maternity waist in them using these instructions:  http://blog.megannielsen.com/2009/09/diy-maternity-pants/  I have purchased real maternity jeans in the past, but they were very baggy and low in the crotch.  I’m excited to have some maternity jeans that fit like real jeans!

blog.meganneilson.com

6.  I made a Pregnancy calendar in Microsoft Publisher and wrote my starting weight on the day I found out I was pregnant and my ideal delivery weight on my due date.  Then I wrote in the number of each week of my pregnancy and what I should weigh then.  I allowed for a pound a week gain in my 3rd trimester, a pound every other week in the second trimester and 2-5 pounds the first trimeseter.  I weigh daily (what works for me) and type it in on the calendar.  I have a history of gaining way too much weight and having a 9 plus pound baby.   This helps me keep tabs on my food choices and stay motivated to exercise. 

7.  I signed into www.babyfit.sparkpeople.com and keep track of my food choices there.  They figure up my calories and nutrients for me so I can see how my choices add up at the end of the day.  They also give me a place to record my prenatal vitamins and have lots of helpful exercise videos to watch online.

8.  As my shirts feel tight and make me self-conscious, I’ve looked for non-maternity styles that will take me through most of my second trimester and be useful again after baby is born.  There are several knit baby doll style tops that are in style now and give lots of room for my growing bump.    I’ve ordered some of them online and checked the length measurements carefully.  Anything longer than 25 inches should cover the bump for awhile without looking sloppy.  Here are a couple of tops I ordered this weekend from Chadwicks during a half price promotion.  (I’m very small busted so the neckline gathers don’t scare me, but probably not the best chioce for a well endowed mama.)  These were a lot less expensive than buying maternity tops and I had a bigger style selection too.

9.  I’m enjoying sleeping on my back for another 8 weeks at least.  It’s the best posture to keep everything in alignment.  I’m also working on my core and abs while I can.  In the past I adopted maternity sleeping and exercise habits way too early and missed out on some healthful things that I could have been taking part in.  I’ll keep tabs on a diastisis recti and make adjustments when I need too, but until then….

10.  I’m planning my maternity wardrobe with future pieces in mind.  In the past I had very few things to choose from for church or to wear to a wedding or funeral.  That won’t be the case this time.  I’m also thinking about what items made me feel the prettiest.  A lot of pleats and gathers at my empire waist made people tell me I looked like I was about to explode (at only 25 weeks!).  The next day I could wear something sleeker and be told I looked small for my week.   The pregnancy where I gained the least weight, I stitched myself a dress for a wedding out of a darling quilting cotton.  It was cream colored with green ivy lattice and roses printed on it.  In the photos I look like an elephant at only 6 months pregnant.  The lattic looked more like huge diamonds and the short flutter sleeves didn’t help at all.    Lesson learned–choose drapey fabrics, darker colors, and carefully selected prints.  This time I have a plum, rayon/lycra jersey knit that is deliciously soft waiting to be turned into a knotted front dress.

11.  Pregnancy covers 3 seasons!  The first 3 months, maternity clothes aren’t necessary, but larger ones might be which will come in handy after baby is born.  I’m planning my wardrobe with layers in mind, so I can wear the same pieces when it’s warm and when it’s cold I can add a sweater or smart jacket.  This will help too when we take our tropical cruise in January.

12.  I’m saving for a pedicure, for the week before my due date.  That’s when I can’t reach my feet.  Last baby Dh’s work bought one for me, complete with foot massage and it was soooo wonderful that I plan to repeat it.  And as vain as it sounds, having pretty feet really helped during labor.

13.  I’m saving for cleaning help too, even if it’s just once or twice.  Sometimes I need it for my emotional health during the 3rd trimeseter and emotional health of the mother is as essential to the baby as her physical health.

14.  That’s all I can think of until I get to labor.  I’ve done it lots of ways and my favorite is to go into labor slowly at home.  With my water still in tact I can feel the contractions and make decisions on the position of the baby.  Early labor shouldn’t hurt badly in the back and if it does baby needs to move.  With my 5th baby I was able to feel strong back labor early indicating a posterior baby and I did exercises to encourage the baby to flip over.  The rest of the labor went smoothly and no back pain!  Once my water is broken, getting baby to flip over is nearly impossible.  I also always pack a bath pillow in my hospital bag, when there’s no back labor, the water really makes normal labor bearable. 

Also in my hospital bag are 2-4 pairs of depends style underwear.  I put my postpartum pads in them and my jammies always stay clean.  Now I can take my gorgeous nursing gowns with me to the hospital without fear of staining them.

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How would you have the best pregnancy ever?  I’d love to hear your ideas.

Windows are such lovely things.

Imagine what your home would be like without one.

Windows let in light and give us a view of the outside.

I run to my window every morning to see if the sun is shining.  Our loved ones do the same with us.

We are the climate of our home.  When we are happy and smiling the sun is shining.

When we are moody or frustrated a storm rolls in for the whole home.

When people are drawn to your home, it’s you not the decor that brings them. 

It’s like the feeling you get when you sit in your mother’s kitchen.  Even the food tastes better there.

It’s not because the food IS better.  It’s because she is there.

Now it’s your turn.  When we become wives, we become windows.  We are views of the Sonshine, and His light brings a contagious joy.

Let the Sonshine in!