Body After Baby: Week 4

This is week 4 of Mama Notes Body After Baby challenge. Last week's challenge was to eat better. I did really good until I went out of town. I actually planned to continue eating great then too but random circumstances kept me from it. For one, we planned on a great dinner at an Italian place Saturday night and when we arrived the wait was about an hour. I was not waiting around with a baby for an hour. We then went to a few other places nearby and they all had a long wait too so we wound up at the only place quick that was nearby and by then, I didn't care what I ate as long as it was food. On the positive side, I did a ton of walking while my husband was in his conference so I think I worked off a lot of the junk I ate. We were in Kansas City and I did The Legends and Crown Center twice each.

Since this challenge began, I've lost 2 pounds. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but I had plateaued for the 3 weeks before so I'm excited to finally see the scale moving again.

This week's challenge is sit ups. I don't think that will be a problem as I can do that while hanging out with my kids. I may wind up with a child jumping all over me, but that is ok.

Body After Baby Challenge: Week Two

This week is the second week of the Body After Baby Challenge from Mama Notes. Last week's challenge was to drink more water. I did good and upped my water intake for the week. I didn't do as well as I hoped in the Diet Coke area but I did decrease it so that counts, right? I've tried to limit myself to one serving per day and I even went two days without one.

This week's challenge is to walk. I love to walk but it will definitely be a challenge this week. I cannot take walks with my preschooler because he runs off and he can climb out of a stroller so that idea is out too. I have a treadmill but he likes to walk on that too which is dangerous. My husband normally watches the kids so I can walk or we go as a family so one can watch the baby and the other can chase the preschooler. Unfortunately, he is working at least 60 hours this week so there is little time for his help. I am committed to losing the weight though so I will try to get in at least 30 minutes 3 days this week. I know it isn't much, but I'm being realistic. I will report back next week on how I did. It really does help that all of my readers are keeping me accountable!

Body After Baby Challenge

The baby weight is not falling off like it did with my first child so when I saw this challenge, I knew I needed to jump on it. For the next 8 weeks, Mama Notes is having a Body After Baby Challenge. I've been working on changing bad habits that have crept in but I think this challenge will help keep me more accountable. For the record, it took me 9 months to lose the weight with my first, but I barely exercised . I know it will take at least 9 months to lose it again since I'm nursing, but I'm actually trying this time and it is still taking its precious time.


This week's challenge is to drink more water. I'm a huge water drinker but since having the second child, my Diet Coke habit has crept back in. I've been trying to curb it but it is a wonderful treat mid-afternoon when I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I'm going to work on limiting the soda to just a few times a week and focusing more on water. I will check back in next week and let you know how it goes, plus give details on the next challenge.


If anyone would like to join the challenge, head on over to Mama Notes for all the details.

Babywearing Week: Sleepy Wrap Review

This is me holding our newest edition while he sleeps in the Sleepy Wrap. Please excuse the strange look, I was caught off guard by the camera.

This week is International Babywearing Week so I thought I would highlight my favorite wrap. I was always intimidated by a wrap because it looks complicated but I finally took the plunge when our newest was only a few weeks old. I bought the Sleepy Wrap because it had good reviews and I could use my SwagBucks to purchase it from Amazon.com. After a few tries, I realized how easy it was to use and I wish I would have had it with our first child.

I had a Snugli with my first child and he hated it. Honestly, I'm not sure he would have liked any carrier because he simply hated being still for more than two seconds (and still does) but I think he would have liked the Sleepy Wrap better simply because there are various ways to hold the baby instead of just upright. With the second child, I bought a sling, thinking it would be the answer to carrying a newborn while chasing an active toddler. Turns out, the sling isn't for me. Our second child wasn't very happy in it but I was uncomfortable too so that may have contributed to it. I pulled out the Snugli and discovered our newborn wasn't big enough for it yet and that is when I set out on a mission to find something we both would like.

By the way, he is now big enough and my husband thinks the Snugli is the best thing ever. We actually have been known to fight over who would wear the baby because we love having him snuggled up next to us.

My favorite part of the Sleepy Wrap is that as long as I tie it tight, I do not have to re-tie it as you have to do with some wraps. The material is stretchy and conforms to your baby. I also like that it is easy to use and comes with a booklet showing you various ways to hold your baby. Once you get the basic wrap down, you do not have to learn more, just how to maneuver the parts to hold your baby in different ways.

Eli has arrived

Our second son decided to come early and was born at 2:36 am today. For being exactly a month early, he is healthy and did not have to spend any time in the NICU. We are praising God for this. We still need a middle name but his first name is Eli. He is 6 lb 2 oz and 18 1/4 inches.

Gotta Have Faith

I've talked to many people lately who are discouraged by the down enconomy and the lifestyle changes they are having to make. I will admit, it can be discouraging, but my faith is what is keeping me going. Usually about the time I feel I've had enough or start to worry how I am going to take care of a need, God comes through.

For instance, I was getting frustrated in the first trimester when none of my clothes fit and my maternity clothes from our first son were huge thanks to this child being born in a different season. I knew I had a little Christmas money to spend but it would not get me through the entire pregnancy. About this time, three different people blessed me with their maternity clothes and said they did not want them back. I went through everything, kept what fit and I liked, and passed on the rest to others who needed clothes too.

This one might seem petty, but another example is my son needed some sandals. We have had a few warm days and he was just too hot in socks and shoes. The only problem is my son will only wear Stride Rite shoes and he can instantly tell you when you put something different on his feet. I can usually find a pair at the outlet for a reasonable price but their selection was pretty sad and they were out of his size in the affordable options. On a whim, I decided to go to Kohl's since they sometimes have Stride Rite or Munchkins (made by Stride Rite). Lo and behold, my son fell in love with a pair of Cars sandals that were on sale for $12. This is literally the first pair of non Stride Rite shoes he has ever agreed to wear. A huge relief came off my shoulders because I wasn't sure where the $50-60 was coming from to buy him a pair of shoes for the summer.

I could go on and on with other non clothing related examples such as food being given to us and random checks or gift cards in the mail, but these are just two that have happened recently and caused me to pause and thank God for his blessings. I leave you with a verse that was posted on the Dave Ramsey site today:

"Blessed is the man who keeps on going when times are hard." James 1:12

Tightwad Tuesday: Preparing for a Baby

It is hard to believe, but my second child will be here in 10 weeks or less. Although I was late with my first child, this one is on the large side and they are not letting me go past my due date with him. Last week my friends told me they decided to throw me a shower so we went and registered last night at Babies r Us. While creating my short registry, I was reminded of how much excess the baby industry tries to sell us. I bought in to some of this with the first child but I tried to keep it minimal. With this one, we need to replace a few things that didn't survive or we simply did not like the version we bought. Most of these items I've already replaced thanks to Craigslist and garage sales.

Here are the essentials for a newborn:

* Diapers (disposable or cloth)
* Wipes
* Bottles
* Crib
* Crib sheets
* Clothes - be careful to not go overboard here
* Diaper bag
* Infant bath soap
* Infant Tylenol

Here are a few of the splurges I want or already have:

* Sling
* Swing
* Bouncy seat
* Boppy
* Stroller of various types
* Electric breast pump (if working and breastfeeding, this becomes a necessity)

While registering, I could have added hundreds of items to this list, but I kept it minimal. With our first, we did not even buy the swing until he was a few months old. Some babies love them, some hate them. When we discovered he really liked it and it was lifesaver for us, we splurged. With this child, my big splurge is a sling. I know it will be hard to chase a toddler around while holding a baby and I think a sling would be handy. I already have a front pack carrier but I like the concept of the sling better.

Another word of warning is to not go overboard on the necessities either. Do you really need the most expensive diaper bag? I wound up using the free one from the hospital because I liked it better than the one I bought. Do you need excessive amounts of bottles? No, a few will be fine and it is ok to only buy the larger ones as the baby will eventually need them anyway.

I see nothing wrong with splurging on a few items as long as there is room in the budget, but my point is to pick and choose wisely.

Food Friday: Baked Spaghetti

This has been a crazy week and next week won't be much better so today's recipe is actually a link. I tried this baked spaghetti recipe this week and it is delicous. My picky husband even liked it. I made it the night before and had my husband stick it in the oven when he got home from work so that it was ready by the time I made it home from work. It was wonderful to come home to a homecooked meal. Money Saving Mom has several of these in the freezer for when her baby comes. Since I know my husband approves of this recipe and it is freezable, I plan on making it again this summer before baby comes and keeping it in the freezer. I love finding new freezer recipes because they take the guesswork out of dinner.

Huggies Sale at Walgreens

Huggies are on sale this week at Walgreens for $10 a pack. When you purchase $25 worth of Huggies products, you receive $10 off your next purchase. Coupons.com currently has $3 and $5 off coupons for Huggies and you can print them twice by using the back button on your computer. To access the coupons, check out the pink banner on the left hand side of my blog, towards the bottom. You can print them right from the blog.

I used this opportunity to stock up on diapers for the new baby. If you do not have a child in diapers, this would make a great baby shower gift or a donation to a women's shelter. I purchased 3 packs yesterday for $16 and some change(I had 3 of the $5 coupons thanks to catching them just before they reset for a new month). I also received the $10 back so that made 3 packs of diapers come to just over $6!

Quick Baby Update

I've tried not to turn this blog into a baby blog but I thought I would give you all a quick update on my pregnancy. We found out Friday afternoon that we are having another boy. This will help us with Living on Less as we can reuse a lot of stuff. I'm not sure how the clothing willl work out though since our son was born in Feb. and the next one is due in July. The oldest was very slow to grow though and sometimes I could make it through several seasons in the same size. I'm looking forward to going through the tubs of things I've saved and reminiscing about when our son was just a baby.

I also bought my first stock up item today - diapers. Dillons had a decent sale on Pampers and we loved Pampers Swaddlers when our son was a baby. I'm planning on stocking up on a few items and having a well stocked kitchen and freezer so that when the baby comes, I don't have to worry about those details for at least a few weeks. It sure helps the budget to buy a few things now instead of waiting until I have to have them.

Morning Sickness Ideas Needed

I'm now dealing with full time morning sickness and I could use some help from my readers. With my last child, as long as I ate once an hour, I was ok. With this one, I'm pretty much sick 24/7 and food sometimes helps. This week I can't stand anything sweet and cooking doesn't go so well. I'm asking you guys for some quick and easy ideas for dinners and snacks. I know many of you have been through this before so feel free to give direct links to your blog.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I made up a few snacks and cooked up several batches of meat anticipating that morning sickness would kick in. Unfortunately, I didn't cook nearly enough as I've just about run out of everything.

I noticed that Money Saving Mom increased her grocery budget during the first trimester to help out with her inability to deal with food. I've had to slightly increase ours too as I'm looking at more quick prep meals and occasional fast food. Any other ideas are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for all of the comments and links - I look forward to them all. I will be back with more money saving articles this week once I figure out how to settle my stomach a little.