Slacker! Confession time

So, I don't know if it's part of the ending nesting/organizing/cleaning out stage of pregnancy, or just time itself. But I've been thinking about things I've really let slide in the past year.

What have I let slide?
-My eating habits have gone downhill, I've allowed white flour and sugar into my diet.
-I haven't been eating as many nutritious raw fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
-I've started using shampoo and conditioner again, even though it's only 2-3 times a week.
-I've used pregnancy as a way to indulge in more food than I should, larger portions (even for being pregnant). That's probably why I've gained so much weight in past nine months. (50 lbs) Plus I've been eating bread.
-I haven't been exercising as much. We can blame that one on the last month of being on bed rest. But I had no good excuse prior to bed rest. It sure is nice to be able to move around again, even if it's still limited because of my growing baby belly. (we're at 38 weeks today)
-I've been eating more meat since I've been pregnant, whereas I ate very little before.

So what do I plan to do?
-Start with cutting out white flour, and soon to cut out all processed starches.
-Cut out cane sugar
-Push my hair shampooing back to once a week with baking soda/vinegar washings in between.
-Start moving more. That will increase after I deliver and then recover from birth. Thank goodness it will be summer still and easier to get outside and move.
-Eat more vegetables, especially green veggies. Which I've already been doing, as the garden is plentiful this summer.
-Eat less meat, but still get adequate protein in my diet, about 50 grams per day, which is about 17 g per meal. Wow, that seems like a lot. I think I need to focus on this goal more!

Those are my starting points. Of course I'll soon have a newborn to welcome into the world, and a new rhythem for the family, but it's all doable with time and patience.

Other health goals.
-Get my kids to eat organic peanutbutter
-Get the whole family off of white flour. We actually don't use it that much, but we still do some baking with white flour. We converted to sprouted grain bread a few years ago and it's helped with gluten sensitivities.
-Eventually convert to all glass storage dishes instead of plastic tupperware.
-Make our own medicinal tinctures for the cold/flu and immune support, rather than store bought medications. Half our family rarely takes medicines, the other half thinks over the counter drugs work.
-Get a new water filtration system.

Fourth of July update

Well, we were hoping to have the baby this weekend, but it hasn't happened so far. I think the baby is making us wait now, since we made it wait by being on bed rest. But the great news, I'm off bed rest and off the medicine to stop contractions. This are progressing, but slowly now. I can have as much patience as needed, as long as I'm able to move and be off bed rest. So we spent the weekend tinkering in the garden. The weather has been great and my wonderful husband has kept all of the garden growing while I was on bed rest for the past month. Now I'm able to get outside and do what I enjoy doing. Although I'm a bit slower and heavier then normal.

Watering my strawberries in the raised strawberry bed.

Garlic and onions. You can see the tips of the garlic turning brown, they are almost ready to pull up and cure.


Here are our 6 week old chicks, these are a top hat breed.

Top hats with a few americaunas on the left

This one still needs a good name.

Watering the other strawberry bed with the meat chickens under it in white.

The new herb bed that was put in this spring. In the background you can see the temporary/movable fencing we purchased this year for the chickens so they don't get into all the gardens. They will only have to be confined to this area until the gardens are finished producing, then they get free range of the yard again.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Third Grade Graduation!

We had an official Third Grade graduation ceremony today. Here are the kids receiving their third grade diplomas. Now onto summer break!!

I hope we'll still be home schooling next year. Things are really up in the air right now for the schedule for next year. It's all pending cooperation from their biological dad.

We hope and pray we'll be able to continue on the home schooling path we've been following for the past few years.

6/14/11 update

I'm bored out of my mind on bed rest, especially on Tuesdays when the kids are gone and we aren't home schooling. The kids have adapted well to home schooling in the living room with me reclined way back on the recliner, and the little white boards are really coming in handy.

There is so much I want to do, but I can't. My hubby has adjusted now and isn't quite as stressed about having to take on the world solo right now. He's sleeping more and doing a wonderful job, I'm so proud of him. And our friends and church family have been so supportive and helpful in running the kids to and from their activities, and helping out with meals and visiting me to curb my boredom.

The baby chicks are getting big, the top hats are getting their head feathers. The garden looks ok, although we wish it were growing better. I look out there and see all the transplanting and thinning that needs to be done, but alas, I can just look.

Baby in the oven is doing well. We're at 35 weeks this week. The plan as far as I know is that I'll get to go off bed rest and the terbutaline medicine that's holding my contractions at bay, on July 1st. And if my body reacts the way it did last round (10 years ago with the twins) then the baby will be arriving soon after going off the medication. So it looks like we'll be having a 4th of July weekend baby. We're excited! The reality of it is that we're only 17 days from going off the medicine. Which is very soon! Except for a few minor essentials like a padded changing pad for the changing table and some nursing pads, we're ready for the baby's arrival!!

What's complete torture?

Nesting in the last stages of pregnancy and being on bed rest for 4 weeks!
Uggg!
We're all holding on here, thank God we have wonderful friends and a supportive church family to help us out.

Bluegrass Festival May 2011

Here are some pictures from the Bluegrass Festival last weekend. The on stage pictures didn't turn out very well, as I was zoomed in a lot, the lighting was hard, and people were moving around. The video should be ok. The kids had a wonderful time learning to play with different musicians and having lessons. The performance was held in front of 150-200 people.

My wonderful Birthday

I had a wonderfully relaxing birthday yesterday. The kids and I went to Olympia to play in the park and do some errands. Then the whole family planted seeds in the garden, my wonderful hubby made me a yummy dinner, and the kids topped off the evening by making strawberry shortcake for dessert.

And to make my day even better, I had three people tell me while we were out and about that I was a beautiful pregnant woman. I think any mom knows that sometimes, expecially at the end of pregnancy, you don't always feel so beautiful. Women take care of other women by letting them know that they are beautiful, even when they're plum and uncomfortable. What a blessing!

Belly pics to come soon, I need to clean up my pictures on my camera and get them downloaded. Week 31 this week, and time is ticking!