Weekly Menu Plan- September 25th, 2011

Can you believe that this is the last week of September?  It feels like we just started the month.  This has truly been the FASTEST month!  Geesh!  Time must slow down!  Busy week again this week but a fun week planned!  Plus we'll be apple picking this week {family tradition since 1992? 1993?} which is always exciting!

Sunday-  Chicken pot pie

Monday-  Macaroni and Beef with Cheese with salad

Tuesday-  Leftover Chicken pot pie

Wednesday-  Leftover Mac with green beans

Thursday-  Out {apple picking}

Friday-  Out

Saturday-  Patty Melts

Hope everyone has a great week!  

Counting the Dreaded Calories....

Last Friday I started to track my calorie intake for the day.  I was amazed to see how "few" calories I get { according to mydailyplate for my age, weight and height and weight I want lost}.  I then realized how MANY calories I had been eating all summer.  This summer really got to me and Hubbie.  The stresses of finding a new house, moving, adding another little one, recovering from a c-section, adjusting to home ownership, etc. really took a toll on our eating.  To make things easier on me, I bought a lot more boxed items, that I would normally baked.  We ate desserts WAY more than we ever have before {those stupid cravings!} and take out was the way to simplify our life.  I am thankful to say that take out and junk food has been swapped out for healthier options and more home cooked meals, but it still doesn't mean I was always CHOOSING the healthier options or watching my portions.

Last Friday, I started to count calories and boy! how hard it can be!  It was very difficult the first 3 or 4 {or 5} days.  I went over just about every one of those days, but I tried not to stress, because I'm exclusively nursing and nursing takes calories.  A lot of those days, I was famished! and needed a snack! but I chose a healthy one.  A piece of fruit or a low calorie, rich in fiber granola bar, etc.  I have made sure to get my dairy intake, which is so important for women, especially nursing Mamas and we've been eating TONS of healthy salads!  I'm proud to say that after 7 days of doing this, its finally becoming "the norm".  Poor Bubbie must have been tired of me asking Hubbie so many questions, because he said "Why is it that all we talk about is calories?!"  Bless his heart!  All he wants to do is talk about CARS! CARS! and MORE CARS! But anyway, I've still been able to eat at restaurants and even indulge on french fries! (yummy!) but my love for Cokes have had to go!  Too many calories just wasted on a drink!  My love for baking has had to be curbed as well.  That one has been especially hard as well.  So, I've been looking for healthier treats to make that are a little less calories!  Once I get to finding time to exercise consistently, I think I'll be able to indulge on favorites a little more regularly, but for now, I need to be aware of what is going in my body!

For me, its been all about making healthier choices.  I know I'm already eating a few 1000 calories LESS than I was and I need to just be aware of what goes into my body!  Eating at home has proved to make the calorie counting way easier for me.

I'm proud that after a week, I've lost a few pounds and counting and knowing what I can and how much I can eat is getting a bit easier.  :o)  I still miss my cokes and desserts LIKE CRAZY but I'm gonna try to be strong and indulge in the coke every few weeks instead of an every day treat!  :o)

For my daily calorie tracking, I am using Live Strong's website "My Plate".  I had thought about doing Weight Watchers again, but their online system was a bit pricey for me!

If you have any low calorie dinner or treat recipes or tips, let me know!!  :o)

Buggy's 2nd Birthday Celebrating

Buggy had a great birthday!  He awoke to balloons, toys, special birthday pancakes, birthday outfit and lots of love and attention!  

After breakfast, we got cleaned up, sent Daddy off to work and the kids and I had to go run errands and head to swim lessons!  After swim lessons and before we had to pick up milk from co-op, we went out to lunch!  What a treat!  :o)  

Every birthday boy needs a nap!  It was a good, long nap and afterwards we had yummy dinner, provided by Nana and Pops and cake!  The cake wasn't exactly what I wanted to do for my special 2 yr old boy, but it worked.  Buggy was extra happy to see his favorite characters on the cake, his Nana and Pops and their gift.......

Which was a hit!  So cute!  A giraffe chair WITH a tag!  Very important!  Buggy loves it!

We had a great day celebrating our special baby boy!

11 Weeks Old, Baby Girl!

Most precious angel...love the way she's sleeping!

Pretty girl, ready for church in one of Mama's dresses!

Talking with her Daddy!

Enough hair for a bow....just barely!

If you're happy and you know it!  

Miss Smiley!  

Precious one's tummy time!

Hanging out while we celebrate her big brother's 2nd birthday!

Pretty baby!  Lovin' the bows!

All ready for church on Sunday!  Gotta have a matching bow!

Baby Girl's eyelashes are fabulous!  

Her brothers are never far away! 

Yesterday Baby Girl turned 11 weeks old!  Its amazing how much she changes every week!

She has better head control and even tested out her "bumbo" on her special day!  Still has some more growing and strengthening to do!

Her eye lashes have grown in and boy! she has long ones just like her brothers, Mama and Daddy!  :o) Must be a family trait!  Thank goodness!  Hubbie and I always joked that after three boys with tremendously long and dark eye lashes, we'd have a girl with short stubby ones!

Baby Girl has been great with all of our school activities!  She usually just goes with the flow as long as she has been fed and cuddled with!

She loves her aquarium bouncer and she usually sleeps in her swing beside our bed.  She has gotten into a good routine the past two weeks and will go to bed anywhere between 10 and 11 and usually will go until 6 or 7 am to nurse!  :o)  She's such a chunky monkey, I'm not worrying about whether she's getting enough to eat!  She has a set of lungs and we know when she's hungry!!

Baby Girl is one smiley and happy baby!  At co-op on Monday, one of the other Mama's changed her diaper for me and Baby Girl was flirting and trying to talk with the lady!  It was the cutest thing!

Baby Girl definitely has eyes for her daddy and she will try to talk and coo with him in the evenings when the boys have gone to bed.  Warms my heart, its just so precious!

We are so very thankful for this little one in our lives!

Down To The River, September 2011

This past weekend was suppose to be gorgeous with Fall like temperatures, so I told Hubbie that we should get away for the day and do some walking around and sightseeing.  Hubbie and I couldn't come up with a place that we wanted to drag take the kiddos.  Every place we want to go is about four hours away and we really didn't want to be gone over night {be in one hotel room with four kiddos to settle down, etc} so we began to discuss things to do in town.  Hubbie had the great idea to explore our "back yard".

We headed out on Saturday morning for a leisurely walk to the river.  We packed up a picnic and the kids did a great job walking so far.  I found a fantastic price on a back pack carrier so that Buggy could ride along.  Baby Girl rode in my sleepy wrap and enjoyed her snooze!

Once we got to the River, we ate our lunch, fed the ducks, tried to skip rocks and explored!  It was really cold down by the River and Baby Girl was not a happy camper!  I had forgotten socks and I had to get Buggy's jacket to bundle her up!

One the way back we had a few "come to Jesus" talks and quite a few bribes of dinner out.  To entertain the "troops" I sang a bunch of silly songs from our childhood!  It kept us laughing when all of us were tired and just wanted to take a nap!

The walk there and back was about 3 miles and boy!  I felt the walk!  I was walking like a crazy person for the rest of the day!  The kids were tuckered too because everyone collapsed that afternoon for a wonderfully relaxing afternoon nap and rest time!

So thankful that we are able to find free things to do to explore in our own small town on such a gorgeous day!  Thanks Hubbie!  :o)