Life With 3 Kids.

Also known as (organized) chaos.

Organized is in parentheses because quite frankly, sometimes it's just chaos.

Motherhood has always been quite easy for me, and that's not bragging, it's just the truth. I found it comes very naturally and I truly enjoy it. When Troy, our oldest was born, there were moments that were really challenging, but we adjusted really quickly to life as parents. I do remember though, around the time Troy was four months old, Chad asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I was like, to go to a hotel room BY MYSELF and SLEEP.  (In case you're wondering, that didn't happen.)

During my pregnancy with Archer I had times where I worried how it would be possible to love another child the way that I love Troy, but I found that loving Archer came naturally too. It's amazing to me how motherhood increases your heart's capacity to love. Adjusting to life with two children was honestly easier than going from none to one, so during my pregnancy with Rex I didn't think for a second that things might be different.

Let me tell you this, I was naive. So, so, so naive. I thought I'd spend my maternity leave baking fresh bread, and canning, and doing other little projects. (No, I'm not kidding.) Let's just say this, the only "little projects" I've completed since the birth of my third child have been getting really acquainted with the cast of Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta and watching the entire first season of Hit the Floor, another awesome VH1 creation. And napping. #Duh.

Rex is a dream baby. He sleeps at night, he only fusses when he's hungry or needs to be changed, and he is just precious to boot. Rex is easy. What's been difficult is having an almost two year old who literally gets into everything and never stops moving. I love his wild and free spirit; it's just much more difficult when I have to keep my eyes on an infant. I also have a 4 year old who's going on 20, and even though he is a huge help, he can be an instigator. If I hadn't discovered the wonders of baby wearing, my kids would probably still be eating microwave chicken nuggets for dinner every night.

Add to those things that I had another C-Section, we have next to no family nearby who can help us, and Chad's crazy work schedule over the past few weeks, and you have a recipe for difficulty. I only had a few (2) days after coming home from the hospital before I was home all day by myself with the boys. There was a lot of crying (me). I was totally overwhelmed and surprised.

I reminded myself that I was extremely hormonal, that I had just had major surgery, and that the way I was feeling was normal. I reminded myself of this frequently and slowly I started feeling like things were under control.

Within the last two weeks, I've started to feel like myself again, and less like a deer in headlights when Chad leaves to go to work. I've taken all three kids out by myself; Target was our first trip, obviously.

We have a new normal. And it's louder and messier than ever, but I love it.

xx,

Amanda

5 Days and A Dream

OMG Ya'll! In just FIVE days Baby Boy #3 will be here, and I can't even believe it. This pregnancy has gone by so quickly, which is the opposite of how my other pregnancies felt. Part of this is probably because this time around I'm having a scheduled C-Section at 39 weeks, so I know that there is an end in sight and it's much closer than if I had to wait another 2 or 3 weeks. The other part is that I've already got two little wild-men at home, so they have kept me busier than I was the first or second time around.

I'm so grateful that I've had an easy, healthy pregnancy. I'm grateful for a practice of doctors who are progressive, friendly, and capable. I'm grateful to have employment at a company that has allowed me to earn enough PTO and SHCL to earn a paycheck while I'm out on maternity leave.I'm grateful for Troy who has been the best helper ever, always offering to rub lotion on my belly or rub my feet. I'm grateful for Archer's mischievous little grin that has made me laugh so many times this pregnancy, and his sweet little baby smell that still lingers and reminds me of what I have to look forward to all over again. I'm grateful for a husband who is my rock and has been so good about plying me with milkshakes or Blizzards from DQ when requested. I'm grateful for a group of women I consider my best friends, both near and far. I'm grateful for an aunt who has been like a mother to me. And I'm grateful for my mother, who despite her absence, is ever present and whom I credit much of what I know about being a mother to.

I've felt my mom's absence the most this pregnancy. There have been many more days this time around where I wished she was here, and when the actions of other people in our lives have reminded me of just what exactly my children, husband, and myself are missing out on by not having her here.

A few weeks ago I had a dream about her, which is a rare thing for me. Since her death eight years ago, I can count on one hand how many dreams I've had about her. The dreams are never about her, but I know she is present, and the second I acknowledge that she is there and acknowledge that it can't be real because she is dead, she disappears.

This dream was different. Chad and I are in the recovery room at the hospital, following the birth of this baby. I'm sitting up holding him, and in walks my mom, just the way she used to, smelling and looking the way she used to, like Elizabeth Arden Green Tear perfume and smiling and happy. I look directly at her and say, "You can't be here, you're dead. What are you doing here?" She responds "I"m just visiting."

And I think she was.

xx.

Amanda

Lessons in the Kitchen

One of my goals for the New Year was to bake more, and to include the boys (mostly Troy) in cooking and other kitchen projects. So far, it’s been going well, though we’ve mostly stuck to baking things like muffins and brownies.

Last Saturday I decided to branch out and make our own pizza dough for pizza night. Troy hopped up onto his little wooden stool and helped measure and knead the dough, excited at the chance to get messy and play with food. After the dough was properly mixed I explained to him that we now had to wait for it to rise, and he set the timer for 30 minutes.

I started to get nervous around the 15 minute mark, when the dough had not risen at all. When the timer went off, Troy excitedly ran to see the dough, only to discover that it looked absolutely the same as it had 30 minutes ago. I explained to him that it didn’t work, we looked up some troubleshooting options online, and set about making another batch, which didn’t rise either.

By this point it was almost 8 o’clock and everyone was hungry, dare I say, hangry! (Hungry+Angry) We decided to order a pizza instead, and Troy ran out with his daddy to pick it up and bring it home. We ate quietly, which in our household, is how you can tell that the food is good and the people are hungry. I think I was the only one disappointed that the dough didn’t turn out right.

Laying in bed that night I reflected on what might have gone wrong and on the experience as a whole. I decided that I was grateful that the dough didn’t rise. I was grateful to have the opportunity to show my son that sometimes, though you do everything right; things just don’t work out the way you want them to. I was grateful that I was able to show him that when things don’t turn out according to plan you just move on to the next plan, in this case, take out. It doesn’t mean you give up forever, just that sometimes it’s best to walk away and try again later.

As for us, we’ll be attempting pizza crust again this weekend.

Xo, 

Amanda 

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Let's Recap...

Happy Monday! 

Let me bring you up to speed on life around here lately...

In exactly 29 days we will welcome Baby Boy #3. I absolutely cannot believe it. My attitude this pregnancy has been extremely laid back, and now I’m like, Hmm, maybe I should finish up buying things like, ya know, clothes, but I’m still not feeling the pressure. Blessings of third time motherhood. 

 I’m overjoyed and excited to share my new business venture with ya’ll! Rodan+Fields is a company that is leading the way in skin care, and their business model will drop your jaw. I could not resist the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this business, which was started by the same women who created Proactiv. If you’re interested in great skin, or in the business opportunity then comment below with your email, or shoot me an email.

                  St.Patrick's Day

Dressed these nuggets in green. I picked up a pack of chocolate, gold-coins at Fresh Market and spread them out on our entrance table on my lunch break. When I picked Troy up from school I told him that I thought a leprechaun had come by and left something for him and Archer. Seeing the look on his face was priceless, and this will definitely be a tradition in our household moving forward.

We went to an awesome Farm to Table event at Greenbrier Nurseries over the weekend, and I was beyond impressed. There were roughly a billion people there and my stroller was giving me problems (and so was the child trying to climb out of it) but it was worth it.

          

 

                  #plantsnotpets

It's our family motto. Kidding/not kidding.

Hope everyone had a FAB Monday!

 

    

On turning 27.

I turned 27 yesterday, or, as I jokingly like to say “I celebrated the 2^ndanniversary of my 25^th birthday.” Really though, the number doesn’t bother me. I’m not upset about getting closer to thirty. In fact, I’m excited about what’s to come.

If you asked me to sum up the last year in one sentence I’d say “It was the year I began to embrace womanhood over girlhood.” Of course, technically I’ve been a woman for some time now, but women are powerful, little girls are not, and; I’m finding that every day I get more and more comfortable with my power and subsequently my womanhood.

This past year, particularly the past six months, I’ve faced a number of personal challenges. I’ve had to face some hard truths about people and situations in my life, and I’ve had to make some decisions, some of them very hard, some of them decisions that I must make over and over again. I have been tested and I have grown. I’ve seen some things about myself that I want to change, and I’ve also been proud of the choices I’ve made and the strength that I’ve shown myself and others.

To sum up the last year in one word: Grateful. I’m grateful for growth, for the challenges that pushed me to jump off a proverbial cliff, and  that forced me to trust myself and let myself be lifted up by my own wings. I’m grateful for the clarity and vision I’ve developed for the future and I'm excited for what's to come.

I’m grateful for a truly supportive and loving husband, my two, soon to be three little boys, some really great girlfriends, and renewed relationships with my aunt and two cousins. I’m grateful for the adventures that lay ahead, for the breath and energy to live each day, and for the grace and mercy of a God who never fails me.

And I’m grateful for each and every one of you who reads this blog and gives me the opportunity to connect with you.

Stay fierce.

xx.

Weekend Recap

We Got the Snow...

I couldn’t believe it, but we did. By Friday morning we had about 20 inches. The boys had a great time; Troy is a lover of snowballs and Archer was happy to just to be eating it, bless his teething little heart.

I enjoyed my mini-snowcation and being snowed in with the boys and husband, but by Friday afternoon I was itching to get out of our apartment. Fortunately we had dinner reservations and childcare already set up for Valentine's Day. 

Our view from dinner. 

                    

Arctrainers! Did you know that they are now interactive and ask you questions? Evidence: this is what popped up when I hopped off of the machine for a second to tie my shoe.

Yes, I am. 

We made brownies.  Troy helped out and I got this amazing picture of him stirring batter and wearing a cape. 

Time. Slow.Down.

I’m excited because I’ve completed the rough draft of my post-baby workout plan! It’s a body part split, and it’s what I’ll stick with for at least the first 12 weeks. I already know that my biggest challenges will come from dietary compliance and that dietary compliance is the biggest indicator of fat loss. I’m working on coming up with the basics of a nutrition plan to use post-partum, but I won’t be able to fill it out completely until I know my post-baby weight, which will be the number I use to determine caloric intake. I’ll share more in the future  about that though. 

Did you have a good weekend? What did you do for wellness? 

Baking Fail.

We are promised snow, and lots of it, starting tomorrow afternoon and continuing into Thursday. I think the current prediction is 12 inches, but I’m predicting we’ll get nothing. I define nothing as “not enough for the agency I work for to shut down.”  So in the meantime,  I decided to make some muffins.

One of my private, personal resolutions for 2014 is to bake more often and for no reason. Growing up, my mom cooked often and there was always something sweet to eat lying around, and many of my fondest memories center around conversations we had in the kitchen. I want my boys to develop an appreciation for the hard work that goes into preparing a meal or baked goods; I want them to know how to fend for themselves or even excel in the kitchen, and I want them to be able to reflect back and have their own fond memories of time shared with their parents cooking or baking. With that said, though I appreciate a gooey brownie or slice of cheesecake as much as the next person, I’m trying to take a more balanced approach to baking.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give a whirl. I'm always looking for something easy and nutritious for the boys in the morning, and these muffins, which are sweetened with applesauce and honey instead of traditional sugar, seemed the perfect fit. They are also gluten-free, made with oatmeal instead of regular flour. I added 2 teaspoons of lemon extract to the batter and I think it really makes the flavors pop. The bag of berries I used had some larger pieces and it made more sense to make a loaf than individual muffins. 

I topped it off with some more berries and added a little bit of shredded, unsweetened coconut to make things more interesting texturally. And also because I love coconut. 

*The recipe for muffins says to bake for 20 minutes, but in the loaf pan it took 35.

Truthfully, I was really disappointed. The bread isn't bad, but it's not everything I was hoping for either. My recent experiences with oat flour leave me to believe that I need to combine it with a flour such as coconut, to reduce the gumminess factor of the finished product. 

Ya win some, ya lose some! Have you used other types of flour before? Which do you prefer?  

 

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a quick one. Friday night the boys and I went to the gym where I ran (jogged) for 15 minutes, no stopping, and then did a few shoulder exercises. I couldn’t believe that I jogged the entire time, but this totally kick-butt reggaeton song was on and ended up being about 8 minutes long; when it started I was like, okay I’ll run through this song, not realizing that it was going to be as long as it was. I worked shoulders with lateral and front raises as a superset,and finished with shoulder presses on the Smith machine. Shoulders are probably my favorite muscle group to work, with legs coming in a close second. I have maintained some shoulder mass and definition despite not lifting as frequently or as heavily as I did pre-pregnancy, and I want to do my best to maintain what I’ve got through the end of my pregnancy and post-partum period, until I can get back to lifting the way I like.

Saturday I ran and did legs, and I felt exhausted afterwards.  I am getting to the point in my pregnancy where I really just need to slow down and pay more attention to recovery, which is a challenge for me. I finished my workout before Chad and while waiting for him I ran into one of my friends, Debbie, who just finished up a Power class. For anyone unfamiliar, Power is very similar to Les Mills’ Body Pump. Debbie went up in the amount of weights she used in class again; go girl!

I love it when women test their limits and show their strength, and I especially love when women are able to do this together. Empowering each other is so important, and that’s why I am so excited to participate in the Muderella event in Mineral, Virginia this September! The Muderella is a 5-7 mile, untimed obstacle course, geared towards women. They are popping up all over the country, but if you want to join our team, please let me know!  Yeah Team Pretty Dirty!

How was your weekend? What did you do for the sake of your wellness?

The Best Thing About Pregnancy is Gaining Weight…

Said no one ever.

I’ve mentioned before in previous posts that I am a big gainer when I’m pregnant. Sure, some of this has to do with choices I make, but I also think that some of it is genetic and also has to do with how big my babies are (10 and 11 pounds). This is my first pregnancy where I have worked out the entire time and feel that I have been mindful about my eating habits overall. Of course, around Christmas time I did get a God-awful sweet tooth that I feared would never abate, but other than that I’ve felt that my eating habits have been relatively balanced. That said, ever since about week 15 I have stopped weighing myself and have requested they not tell me the number on the scale when I weigh at the doctor’s office. I know myself well enough to know that it’s not information I need to have because I will have some feelings about it that I can do without; even though I work very hard not to tie my feelings about myself to what I look like or weigh, there are times that I find it difficult not to do this.

Well, today I found out exactly how much weight I’ve gained: 27 pounds. My doctor was like, “Okay, so at this point you’ve gained 27 pounds and we want to encourage you to do your best to only gain about 1 pound a week from here on out.” When she said that number at first I was like, OMG 27 POUNDS!!! And felt a moment of panic. But then I was like, OMG 27 POUNDS! That means that if I stick to the 1 pound a week recommendation then I will have gained 38 pounds, which is 12 POUNDS LESS than I gained with Archer and 22 POUNDS LESS than I gained with Troy. I was like HELL YEAH! I’m doing great. And If I gain more than that, I’ll be okay with that too. I’m trying my best to take it day by day and to be realistic and reasonable; I’m not going to change anything that I’ve been doing and I’m going to try not to  stress or worry about it. 

Then this conversation happened with my friend who is also a Nurse Practitioner:

Thank God for friends who make you laugh!

Here are my three goals that I’m going to continue to work towards for the rest of my pregnancy:

1.       A gallon a day. Most days I get pretty close, but there are days that I struggle.

2.       Gym 3x week.  Even if it’s just for half an hour.

3.       Eating mindfully.

Stick around to see how this goes! 

Friday Five

It was a balmy 52 degrees here today, and tomorrow it's going to be 55, so maybe I'll lay out and tan. Just kidding. Honestly though, with the temperature creeping up past frigid, I’m getting itchy for spring. Also,  I’ve decided to introduce a new, monthly segment: Friday Five. Without further ado, here are my first Friday Five...

1.       Recharge. It’s basically a healthier alternative to Gatorade. During my Power class last night I apparently went ghost-white, and even though I felt okay, I decided to take it easy on weights the rest of the class. Reflecting back on it, I think I didn’t eat enough/drink enough before class, and a friend suggested I bring Gatorade with me to the gym to help stay hydrated. I've been really tired today too, so I figured it would be a good idea to get in some extra electrolytes. Recharge tastes like watered down Gatorade, and I actually really like it. It is significantly more expensive than a Gatorade of comparable size though, so I'll probably rotate the two. 

2.       Punxatawney Phil. He’s a creepy little thing and I’m hoping he doesn’t see his shadow. 

3.       The 90s station on Pandora.  Pushed me through my mountain of paperwork today. The first song to play was TLC’s “No Scrubs”, followed up by some Destiny’s Child. Perfect.

4.       Soba noodles. These noodles are made out of buckwheat and are very versatile; I highly recommend trying these if you haven’t already. Fabulous recipe over at Alexandra Cooks, which you can find here. The sauce complements the noodles perfectly. I added more than a few extra squirts of Sriracha because I love the heat, and if you like heat then you might consider doing the same. 

5.       This quote: “Don’t try to win over the haters…you are not a jackass whisperer.” – Brene Brown, seriously I love her.

Have a fierce and fabulous weekend!

That Time I Poached Chicken

Sometimes I'm weird. Some of y'all are probably like, #duh, we know, but bear with me. One thing that I’m weird about is meat. I don’t like to touch raw meat. I especially don’t like to touch raw chicken. In fact, I don’ t really like chicken that much in general, cooked or not. I am very, very picky about the type of texture it must (or must not!) have, and about how it must look. Usually, I just have my husband cook chicken when we do have it, or I dump it into the crockpot and let it cook until it’s extremely dry, thereby, in my mind, killing all bacteria and creating the perfect texture.

The other night I needed chicken for a recipe and had forgotten to put it in the crockpot to cook while I was at work. In an effort to stick to one of my resolutions, I decided to get outside of my comfort zone and try something new. Enter: Poaching!

OMG Y’ALL! How am I so late to the poaching party? I had heard of poaching but I just could not bring myself to believe that poaching chicken was really as simple as boiling it, so I had always avoided it. Plus it just seemed gross. I was so wrong. I literally just plopped the chicken into a large pot of boiling water, and fifteen minutes later had perfectly cooked chicken breasts. It was easy to slice, didn’t gross me out, and was actually not as dry as cardboard!

I used some of that chicken in a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Soup from Skinnytaste, and let me tell you, it was on point! Archer ate three helpings and Troy cleaned his bowl too, plus it made enough for two nights of dinner and one day of lunch. I paired it with some biscuits made with Bisquick heart healthy mix that I topped with a sprinkle of garlic powder and grated parmesan. The biscuits aren’t required, but you should just go ahead and get something to lap up every last bit with, because you will want to. I promise.

Anyone else weird about meat or other foods? Tell me it’s not just me!

 

 

New Gym and Beastie Balls

We changed gyms on Saturday and I am so glad. We re-joined the YMCA, after leaving to become members of Gold’s for about the past 15 months. We joined Gold’s when they were running a special and because they were closer to our old apartment, and decided to switch back because the Y is closer to our apartment and work, and because they have a pool. I’m excited because they have a wider variety of group exercise classes to choose from, which will be perfect for helping me keep fitness fun and giving me options when I don’t feel like lifting.

Saturday was actually my first day back in the gym in a few weeks. Between moving and Christmas, I didn’t make it to the gym, and I was starting to get a little antsy. I definitely could have made it, but it honestly did not make it to the top of my priority list, and I’m okay with that. I focused primarily on legs on Saturday, and let me tell you, yesterday I was feeling it. I was actually having trouble walking up and down the stairs on Saturday after my workout, which is not a fun problem when you live on the 3^rd floor. On Sunday though, I felt like someone had beat my legs with pillowcases full of bars of soap, so I decided to take some action.

Beastie Balls!

I got these little bad boys for Chad as one of his birthday gifts. I highly recommend buying your spouse presents that you can use too. Just Kidding. Sort of. They are made by the same company who manufactures the Rumble Roller foam roller. The little knobs really work those sore and tight muscle fibers, and they are handheld, giving you more direct control over pressure and the area worked. They make fun attachments for the Beastie Balls, allowing you to use them in a wider variety of ways, but I have yet to purchase those (I’m Balling on a Budget, ya’ll! Get it Balling?! ). The clear is the original, and the green is the extra firm, or as I like to call them, Hurts So Good and This Just Freaking Hurts.

I spent some time using the green one on my IT bands and trying not to vomit, and overall I would say that my DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) was much less than it normally would be had I not worked the muscles with a little myofascial self- release ( the technical term for what I was doing).  My in-laws gave me a foam roller for my birthday a few years back, and I do use that when I’m sore, but I find it to be too much/too intense for my IT band; it actually feels like I imagine getting kicked in the groin feels, so I can say that I prefer the Beastie Balls for areas that are extremely tender.

What do you do for sore muscles?

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone! Happy first full week of January!

It has been freezing cold here, but I really can’t complain, because there are plenty of other places all around the country that have been hit much, much harder with cold weather. I will just suck it up and be grateful to have warm food and a warm bed to sustain me.

So, the talk all around the web (and in real life) has been all about New Year’s Resolutions. Are you someone who makes them? I usually make a list and then it gets lost somewhere, but I wanted this year to be different. I’ve come up with a number of goals for 2014, some fitness related, some more personal, and I have decided to be intentional about working on them. In order to help me complete this, I’ve signed up for Chalene Johnson’s FREE 30 Day Push program!

I’m really excited about this program because Chalene is someone whom I aspire to be like. She is a very successful entrepreneuress with a background in fitness. She has really branched out into the world of personal development, and I’m excited to see what I can do using the tools she provides through this program. I’ll let you know what I think of it and where I am after the 30 days.

In the meantime, here are a few of my health and fitness goals for 2014.

1.       Do not engage in negative body talk about other women.

This means not commenting on other women’s weights, hairstyles, clothing choices, make up choices or lack thereof, etc. In general I am really good about this, especially not commenting on other women’s bodies, but I have room for improvement where the other things are concerned. I rarely initiate these types of comments, but not initiating them isn’t good enough for me. I want to make it clear to my friends and loved ones that I will absolutely not participate in this type of talk about other women.

2.       Squat my bodyweight on the bar.  This one’s self explanatory.

3.       Run a 10k. So is this one.

4.       Become less rigid about my workout schedule.

At times in 2013 I was pretty strict with my dedication to weight lifting, even if there were moments when I wasn’t really enjoying it. I think that there is a time and place for this, for example, if you are training for a competition, but for the purpose of training just to train, this really will not work for me. I do hope to one day compete, but 2014 will not be the year for that. Instead, I’d rather focus on trying new things and having fun with fitness.

5.       Stop micromanaging my diet.

 There were times during 2013 where I would feel like, OMG I can’t eat that, it’s not clean. There were other times when I would just eat whatever, justifying it with the fact that I work out. In 2014 I want to work towards nutritional balance. I actually started working on this the latter part of 2013, in large part to Lean Bodies Consulting.

6.       Prepare my meals weekly.

I would go through periods of time in 2013 where I was really good about meal prepping for the week, but then at other times I would just completely fall off.  For 2014, I plan to make it happen on a weekly basis.

 

So, what goals do you have for 2014? How are you going to reach them?