What We Learned: December 15th edition

Always learning. Not a bad thing!! Here's what the Mamas have been up to this week:

Lisa:

1. I learned that after years of hoping and praying, the girls are die-hard Tim Burton fans. They were enthralled watching the Corpse Bride. Yesssssss! Apparently, the bride "kicks ass" and Banshee has declared that the notoriously dark music (Danny Elfman) makes her happy. ;)

2. I am feeling a bit of pressure to get well soon from my third C-section, since Sailor goes back to work this week. So, we ran some errands together yesterday and we were able to get Cubby's birth certificate. I felt like I climbed Everest!! One huge tradition here that didn't quite start as a tradition, is I like to get the kids their passports as soon as they're born or early on, as another form of ID. It started because we had to take a trip to the Philippines when Pixy was 6mos old and it remained as a "thing to do" for us. Not a bad thing to do, especially as a military wife. I hate having to carry a letter of permission from Sailor that states he knows I'm taking the kids on a trip without him for the airport staff, honestly. IDs are good!

3. I learned that I must look a sight because the librarian, who'd been hounding me to return a book I had already returned, took pity on me and removed it from my account. I told her I felt horrible because books are sacred to our house and I had ransacked the whole house looking for it....anyway, since my voice isn't quite back to its strong self due to the CSec...I must have sounded pitiful. Haha! I am STILL looking for that book in case, but man...it feels nice to not worry about it. It was a really nice book.

Liz:

1. I was reminded (didn't really learn it this year) that toddlers and Christmas trees are bad news bears. We put up our tree Friday. Silas was SO EXCITED to see a tree when he came home from school. "DADDY LOOK A CHRISTMAS TREE! OH MY GOODNESS! IT'S SO AWESOME!" That made me smile. But then once we started putting ornaments on Sage was taking them off as fast as we were putting them on, and breaking half of them. Gah! Now we have to constantly be on Tree Watch so Sage doesn't steal ornaments and break them.

Sage and Silas' Christmas tree

2. Tomorrow marks my first day of "break" from work (I'm a college professor remember). I always have all these great aspirations for break: read this book, re-prep this class...blah blah blah. This year I'm being realistic. Read (but not finish) my current book. Prepare all my classes (it's pretty easy, usually takes all of five days). Wrap Christmas presents. Enjoy my kids. Cook some yummy dinners. Done.

3. Last week I started getting back into meal planning and I forgot how much fun I used to have during the summer finding new things to make and seeing how they turned out. This week I've got three beef slow cooker recipes going on and two nights of chicken. I'll let you know what turns out the best!

Robyn:

I've learned that while pumping in the car people stare in like I have 3 heads. Then, they have a shocked look on their face when they see a little side boob. Hey, at least the main parts are covered up! 

 I've learned that the jolliest time of year is the biggest time to be an A-hole in traffic. Is this year's theme to have a 'White knuckle Christmas?' Seriously, shoppers. Calm down. 

From a student standpoint, I've learned that the national poison control number is 1-800-222-1222. It's easy to remember and worth keeping in the back of your headin case if emergency. 

Now it's your turn - tell us one thing you learned, recognized, or thought about this week! Let us know in the Comments.

The Pregnant Woman Random Thought Generator phenomenon

I hate the way my brain doesn't work when I'm pregnant. I forget things, I hyper focus on other things....it's just not a reliable tool. I mean, if the activity isn't on my daily schedule, it just doesn't exist. One thing that I enjoy to do, mainly so I can laugh at myself later, is to jot down the random thoughts that pop into my brain a zillion times a day. The results are very Tina Fey in Baby Mama. Oh, you remember the scene: she's on a date with Greg Kinnear and she says that she dreams about random things, like an electric toilet. Yes....that's exactly what my thoughts are like. For your pleasure, I've even included the exact time I came up with that thought. Feel free to giggle.

-7am Wake-up: why was I dreaming about making grilled cheeses that could sing? I wonder if I ate one, then the baby could hear the sandwich in my stomach.
-7:30am: Huh. I don't remember making the lunches for the girls. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a robot designed to be a Mamas helper? I would soooo invest in one!
-8:30 driving  spawn to school: would you look at that? Someone left half a door on the side of the street. Ooh! Nice sidelights. I wish that door could talk and tell me where it had been. Isn't that a cartoon?
-8:50 having dropped off Pixy: seriously, how do these other moms manage to get dressed in designer duds with makeup on just to drop off their kids?! Ugh, I'm such a slob. At least, I smell good. Not that anyone is going to check.
-9:00 almost to Banshee's school: That cornfield doesn't look right. I think he alpaca farm next door is using up all the good corn and leaving the other stalks to dry up and look ugly. There's enough dry corn here to conceal albino-blonde scary kids in there. Oh God...why did I think of that now?
-9:25 dropped off Banshee: Dude, I seriously hope that the weird mom in her minivan isn't around. Nope. There she is. She isn't pregnant and she just missed driving into the bus by inches. What is going on with her? (By the way, she practically runs someone over daily).
-9:45 in the driveway: this child is bent on killing me. I'm sure he doesn't like me. I mean, dude, relax in there. I pigged out at breakfast. Surely, that will make you be gentle with me. Ugh.
-10am: I soooo don't want to wash all these damn cloth diapers right now. This boy will even wear the pink flowery ones. I am not buying all new ones for him.
-10:30 am while cleaning out the nursery: This baby will be here in a hot minute and nothing is ready. I'm still surrounded by boxes of junk that Goodwill won't want. If I throw everything out and start brand new, that will so solve my problems. Who can I get money from?
-11:15am: this is it!! The second my friendly neighborhood vamp asks me if I want immortality, I'm taking it. I'm getting old. Gonna ask if I can finish breastfeeding first.
-11:45 while picking up Banshee: I'm sure her teacher takes pity on me because she thinks I'm missing a few screws. I don't think any other Mom got a note reminding them there's no school tomorrow.
-12noon: Oh, it's lunch!! I'm so not gonna win the Mama of the year award, but if I make another Nutella sandwich for this child, I will go up in flames. Wasn't there a case of spontaneous combustion in TV just recently?
-12:30: I wonder if I really should write all these thoughts down. They're weird to me, even!! Huh. Will think on it.

What's going on? Sigh.

That's what the first half of my day is like. It's interesting, because I'm so not flaky and all of these thoughts are so unbelievably random. I just don't get it. According to the Sailor, I even talk about things in my sleep, which he has been recording for use later. Sigh..

Have you experienced the "Pregnant Woman Random Thought Generator" phenomenon? What are some of the random thoughts you come up with? Share and laugh...I mean, we know this state won't last forever, right? ;) 

Image courtesy of stock photos at FreeDigitalPhotos.net created by Stockimage

Placenta Encapsulation: Put me in a pill, so I can swallow it

It's true what they say (whoever 'they' are) that every pregnancy is different. With my two boys, I was the three H's: Healthy, Happy and Horny. But, then again not having Aunt Flow come to town for 9 months makes everyone happy! There were no complications with my babies or the births, which was awesome. 9 min of pushing the first time, and 11 min the second time made these boys say hello world!

This time around, the hubs and I did extensive reasearch on how to have a girl. Ovulation times, sex positions and Chinese calendars were all used in the planning process. Then, TA-DA! Baby girl was born 9 months later. Hey we must've done something right! 

Once I found out I was Prego, initially I was ecstatic! We were ecstatic! We knew it was a girl from the start. What was the first clue, you might ask? Morning sickness? Food aversions? No way, my readers. It was the emotional disaster of a psychotic roller coaster at a neurotic theme park. Up, down, upside-down, round and around we go. Every moment of every day. Here I was, a crazy damn ride of hormones. When I was home, nobody knew what to expect. I cried when I burned biscuits for breakfast. I laughed when I saw car accidents on the news. I stared out the window, paranoid when I heard a car door shut in the middle of the night. 

Oooohhhh, dear baby Jesus...please, please, please help me be normal again! Will I be like this forever? What the HELL is wrong with me? I know I'm acting like a psychopath, but I know I can't change it. It's like an inner battle of red vs black. A small battle (like refilling the soap) turns into a fight, and the only thing left to do is cry about it.The tears released the anxiety, and I was left to feel hopeless. Hopeless because I can't change, but am strong enough to know that I should change. My brain says 'it's not a big deal, just ask for help'. But, my emotions say 'the world is ending!' I literally couldn't refill soap! Tears, tears and more tears....the only solution at this point was to get some takeout Chinese food, change into comfy sweats (you know, those ones that are so old and worn and would NEVER be worn in public), watch some Sex and the City and feed my soul

Then, it hit me like a freight train...What is my risk of Post partum depression, if I have this many emotions flowing during pregnancy? I see it as gradual increase of female hormones, times two. Then, after delivery, these hormones are gone at the drop of a hat. After euphoria of having a new baby is gone, I'm going to be left with leveling back out along with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Add sleep deprivation to that equation. Wait a second, there has to be something we can do. 

Put me in a pill, so I can swallow it

I remember hearing from Hollywood that people do all sorts if stuff with their placenta. Placentas have been turned into facial creams, planted under trees (for religious reasons), eaten, and even encapsulated. That being said, I didn't want to rub crazy hormone infected placenta all over my face. Nor plant it. Nor fire up the backyard grill and have myself for dinner. 

So we decided to encapsulate it in hopes to 'wean' myself back to normal from all those whack hormones. First, we contacted Jennifer, the encapsulation specialist. She came to our house the day after we got home from the hospital. I had no idea what to expect, but she came in totally prepared. She brought her own pots, pans, a cutting board, special knives, and even her own dehydrator! After getting set up in the kitchen, I stayed close by to see what exactly was happening. First, she cut off the umbilical cord. Then, boiled the placenta for 20 minutes in water. When it was pulled out of the water, it looked like a big chunk of sirloin! It was transferred to the cutting board, and sliced into thin strips (looking like fajita meat at this point) Jennifer carefully placed the slices in the dehydrator and set it to cook for 24 hours. As soon as she was done cleaning up, she left and said she would return in 24 hours to finish the process. This was turning out to be more complicated than I thought! As 8 pm approached the next evening, Jennifer returned as promised. This time, she brought empty pill shells and a coffee bean grinder. She opened the dehydrator and placed the strips of placenta in the grinder, 3 at a time. Once grinded up, she carefully placed the powdery substance into the pill shells. Although we chose not too, the option was provided of adding other herbs to the mix (echinacea, ginseng, melatonin, etc.) the purpose is to 'maximize' the placenta, but I didn't want to ruin a good thing, if this even worked.

I took two capsules three times a day, for two weeks, and then 1 capsule three times a day for two weeks. I gradually weaned off the pills, and I felt amazing! Still tired, of course, but I felt like I had more energy when I would take them. I have a few left over, and use them on particularly trying days. Thumbs up from this customer! The wierd part for me...Jennifer turned the umbilical cord into a heart. Hmmm....thank you? I think! 

That's my placenta?!

 What have you heard of other people trying and thought it might be something other than 'traditional' remedies? 

What We Learned (October 13, 2013 Edition)

It's Sunday again. Do these weeks seem to fly by for anyone else? It feels as if we just wrote one of these not too long ago... So what did the Mamas learn this week? What did you learn about yourself, the world, or parenting? Be sure to comment below and let us know. Good, bad, or ugly,we want to hear it.

Liz:
- I learned that my blog posts get my Mom to think about her self and her life and email me and tell me all about them (which I appreciate). It's interesting to think that through reading your child's blog you can learn about them and vice versa. Keep the emails coming Mom!

- I'm learning about how to use HootSuite this week. If you're a blogger and you use Hootsuite, what are your suggestions for how to use it effectively?

Big boy, playing elsewhere

- I've found that I'm still uncomfortable with Silas going and playing at the neighbor's house. It's not that I don't trust the neighbors or I don't think they're good people. Not at all. It's that I almost feel guilty that they're watching my son. Now mind you, the kids he's playing with are a year and two years older so it's kind of like the other kids are watching him. And apparently he's a very pleasant, helpful, and well-mannered guest (according to the Dad). But it still feels weird. When did you as a parent feel OK about play dates at other people's houses?





Lisa:
- I learned that prenatal vitamins need to be kept away from my wolves. Kai decided to eat some. Granted, his coat looks shiny but the fact remains the handsome devil shouldn't be messing with my pill bottle. Gonna need to put the bottles even higher now. Siiiigh.

- I'm doing a read along of one of my favorite series until the new book comes out. I forgot how much joy I get from discussing new finds in a book I've read a zillion times. It is a good break from the daily things we do.

- I learned that I need to trust in my parenting. We took the girls to a wedding where they were the only two littles there. I think I worried that they would be naughty through it, they got restless a few times. It felt good to hear another friend say how good they behaved. It helps to ease your fears a bit. You're doing the best you can and it shows. Awesome.

Robyn:

College football is actually good. I hated football with a passion a few years. Professional football that is! I've never learned the rules of the game, and don't understand why there are so many breaks! So, Gig 'em Aggies, I guess! 

I've learned that sometimes I just need to take a back road (just like the country song goes). I like to take a break from everyday 'on-the-go' life with a clear road and the seldom cars passing. Going one speed is good. How do you get there? Interstate, to highway, to rural road, to country road. You're welcome. 

I've learned that doggy siting two dachshunds this week is fun, but work! They come from a house where they get table scraps and are on self feeders. Here, not so much! It was work during their eating times, and bathroom breaks outside. Oh, and separating the dachshund mounting our golden retriever! "Mom, what's Dixie doing to Gunner?" Well, son...

So now it's your turn - what did you learn? You don't have to make a list, you can Comment below with one thing you learned.

What We Learned This Week (Sunday, September 29th Edition)

Where does the time go? It's yet again time for the weekly round up. We hope you enjoy reading these (or at least they entertain you) because we enjoy writing them! So Mamas, what did you learn this week?

Robyn:

I've learned Saturday mornings are Wild when I step back and observe...The kids came in (at 730...c'mon, seriously!) our room, wrestled us outta bed, and proceeded to follow like ducklings. Here we go! Into the bathroom. As the baby is strapped to my hip, I brush my teeth with the other hand, and the boys prep for Sean's haircut. Kasen got the broom and dustpan (riding it like a witch at times), while Dad cut Sean's hair into a Mohawk. "Gawwww, I'm BEAUTIFUL!," Sean says. And yes, picture day is this week folks. 

I've learned just how tacky people can be. Kasen had his opening day of baseball this week. At the game, all sorts of people show up. Classy, sporty, and everything in between. While Kasen was batting, I noticed a grandma with her granddaughter sitting in fold out chairs. The grandma was changing the granddaughter (who was atleast 3). The granddaughter was standing up, and taking off her pull up in plain sight! I was disgusted that the woman didn't know better to atleast cover up that poor child. With all the pervs, pedophiles and molesters out there, you would think that more common sense would be used! SMH.

I've learned that every girl needs 'her girls'. My bestie is in North Carolina, and I miss her everyday. She knows me in and out, as I do her. We don't have to talk everyday, but when we do...it's like nothing has changed between us! I've learned to never trust that girl that doesn't have atleast 1 close girlfriend. There's a reason she can't keep any close confidants. She'll spill your business to get what she wants, destroying everything in the path. Be aware, these women don't change. Just be careful: these girls (mommies too) are PTA members, girlscout moms, home room moms, teachers or anywhere else women go! They are a Red Flag, Ladies! SWIM AWAY, SWIM AWAY :D

Lisa:
1. I was able to get Banshee a medical ID bracelet that is waterproof and little kid proof!! WOOHOO! She keeps it on every day and likes wearing it because it is "pink". It has the basic information on it and I feel better knowing that there is information in there that will help out a first responder. Go me!

2. I learned to give in and buy myself some maternity clothes. I am just not fitting into any of my regular clothes now and I kept putting off going to the store to grab a couple pants. Sigh..why do I make things harder for myself? Happy to report that I am now more comfortable and so is Cubby.

3. I learned that it is good to be teaching again, in any capacity. I volunteered to help out with the girls' Sunday School and it felt nice to be in the classroom again as an assistant. I feel like I take on a lot sometimes because I like to help but I had a blast today. It was cool. :)

Liz:
1) I learned that children's watches aren't necessarily waterproof. Silas got a watch because he used the potty. He wore it in the bath. It's now in a bag of rice on the counter. #Mommyfail

2) I figured out how to do some pretty cool stuff on the blog. Never too old to learn about coding I guess!

3) I heard Roo (Sage) say I love you back to me for the first time this week. Makes a Mommy's heart melt :)

What did you learn this week? Anything fun and amazing? What do you think about our learnings? Tell us about it in the Comments area!