"Pregnancy Brain"

Pregnancy Brain.  It is a strange phenomenon but is it just a myth?  I personally used to think so but since being pregnant this time, I am a believer!

Mostly associated with menory loss, 'pregnancy brain' is also described as a brain fog.  For me, both memory loss and just a general fog have been part of every day life lately.  It's frustrating because I have not been the most dependable person lately but "pregnancy brain" just doesn't seem like a plausible excuse.   I just feel even more stupid telling someone the reason I forgot to return their call was because I'm pregnant.  So, I just resolve myself to letting people think I am an idiot.  I don't return calls, forget to reply to messages/emails, forget about nursery duty, etc...  I literally can't remember anything. 

Then, there's just the 'brain fart' episodes where I make ridiculous mistakes like, not adding butter to the pan when making scrambled eggs (which I quickly remembered as soon as they started sticking to the pan), letting Hayden go to nursery with pee on his shirt instead of taking it off when I noticed he had gotten it on his shirt (I didn't pack an extra) or not using the provided shower cap when getting a spray tan (I guess I was trying to tan my hair as well.)  Or the worst one (and maybe most embarassing), forgetting to pay the credit card bill last month which we have never missed a single payment the entire 6 years we have been married.  I almost cried because I'm somewhat obsessed with making sure we have excellent credit but that's neither here nor there...I'm heading off on a rabbit trail...
  
The things I listed may seem trivial or funny to some, but they're somewhat worrysome to me.  I keep wondering what would happen if I had to administer medicine to Hayden or if I were to completely forget something important.  I just hope this little pregnacy induced brain fog gets better soon so I can't stop being the most scatter-brained person ever! 

I am also beginning to wonder if this whole 'pregnancy brain' can be transferred to spouses?  Jeff is complaining of similar symptoms lately and says that he is forgetting how to play (drums at church) to very familiar songs, etc.  I mean, he did gain weight with me in my last pregnancy, maybe this is what he is joining me in this time around?  ;)

So, what about you?  Do you think pregnacy brain is just a myth?  Or do you have a fun story or examples of how pregnancy brain affected you (or someone you are close to?)  Leave a comment! 



p.s. sorry for the post slacking lately, we have a LOT going on at our house right now and are in the middle of adding a bonus room.  I can't wait to show it to you and show you some decorating ideas I have for the room!


All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!

Today We Found Out...

All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!

Budget-friendly Backsplash

l have wanted to do a backsplash in our kitchen for a while but couldn't decide on what I wanted it to look like.  I was trying to consider things other than tile since that would have been a little expensive.  I thought about the tin-looking stuff but it just didn't fit with the rest of my style.  Beadboard was the perfect inexpensive, yet casual option! 

You can get a sheet of beadboard for around $20 at Home Depot.  We only had to use one sheet since our kitchen is small (waaaaaay cheaper than a tile backsplash, right?!)

Now, you do have to get a few more supplies such as paint (the beadboard comes primed but you will want to fill in the nail holes and any seams, then paint over everything with a couple coats of trim paint.)

Speaking of trim, you will need that as well....

We chose a simple trim to go along all the edges (top, bottom and sides) of the beadboard to give it a finished look.)  The trim cost more than the beadboard at a little over $40.

My hubby installed this pretty quickly with a nail gun and air compressor.  If you don't have one, you could nail it by hand, it would just take a little longer ;) 

He cut the openings for the outlets (which is probably the trickiest part.)  He cut the trim using a simple miter box and hand saw since we don't have a big miter saw. 

This is a pretty easy DIY project that you could easily do in a weekend that adds a lot of character for very little cost!  Depending on the size of your kitchen, you could do this project for under $100 (like we did.) 

I am so happy with the result!

Please ignore my hideous "bathroom" hand towel...my kitchen towels have a tendency of disappearing...

All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!

Two.

Two.  It's the dreaded age.  Hayden has only been two for a few months now and I can honestly say, I think we are full-on into the "terrible two's!" 

(For this post, I should have taken pics of him throwing one of his 3457 fits today because these images are a little deceiving!)

This little guy is stubborn, strong-willed, defiant and independent.  He can be very compliant and sweet one day and then melt down over everything the next.  Today was one of those melt-down days.  Perfect because one of my friends came over with her kids for a playdate (who happens to have a great blog, check her out!)  Anyhoo, she got to see first hand the not-so-nice side of my two year old.  I think her poor kids had to play mostly by themselves since Hayden was being a meanie.  But I could tell she understood and had been there.  It's all part of motherhood :)

Aside from the meanness, Hayden is learning and doing so much.  He has been potty trained for a while and does great with it.  He still wears a diaper when he sleeps but during the day, he goes potty on his own.  He is still learning how to 'aim' so that he doesn't pee everywhere and that is something that we're working on.  Kinda hard when he says adamantly "I do it!!!!!" when he goes potty and doesn't want any help. 

He is learning his night time prayer "Now I Lay Me."  It's SO cute to hear him saying it and he wants to say it several times in a row (probably just stalling to go to bed...) 

He loves to sing his favorite songs around the house.  "You Got a Friend in Me" is his all-time fav since it's from Toy Story (his fav movie that he watches every day...either #1, #2 or #3.)  But he also loves a song called "Turning Tables" by Adele.  It's hilarious to hear him sing it as a two year old but it's SO cute.  He also sings the Barney "I Love You" song and randomly "Happy Birthday."  ha!  That reminds me.  He calls all cake "happy birthday cake" because most of the time when he eats cake, we are at a birthday party.  He is so silly. 

He recently discovered matchbox cars and is a bit obsessed...

And we keep buying them because they are cheap but 1) they are only 'cheap' if you don't buy several per week  2) they will quickly take over your house.

Him and daddy play cars for hours.  They know how many he has and the names of them.  If Hayden is missing one, he is asking where it is and daddy is searching the house to find it. 

He is also old enough to start in AWANA at our church.  He will be in the Puggles and I'm so excited.  I can't believe how quick my 'baby' is growing up.  Soon he will be a big brother!

All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!

Hump Day Blues

Today I am doing something I haven't done in a long time....post some pictures of my little man (albeit random pictures taken over the past couple of months, but pictures nonetheless... :)  I've been slacking in that area lately but today I really need a reason to smile.  Note: This is a bit of random pictures with random thoughts mixed in along the way....sorry if this post seems negative, I like to keep my blog a happy place but I guess I've just had a bit of a bad day (don't we all get those sometimes?)


(4th of July)

Sometimes it's hard for me to let go of things that people say or do.  I tend to let my frustration 'fester.'

(stealing uncle Brandon's food at The Cheesecake Factory.)

Then I have to remind myself of what is truly important and how blessed I am and it helps (some.)  ha!

Because the truth is, petty things that bother me just don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

(wearing at least 5 pair of underwear at once...)

  If something tragic happened to me, I would not care that someone upset me the day before.  So, I just have to count my blessings and remind myself not to sweat the small stuff because it doesn't really matter!

I also need to get better at this forgiveness thing.  When I am hurt, I find it so hard to forgive and I hold grudges.  I know that it's wrong and I can't expect God to forgive me when I can't forgive others so I really need to work on that. 

We all have our flaws and these are a few of mine.  I am trying to work on them to be a better friend, mother, wife, daughter and all-around person.  In spite of my flaws, I am blessed with some wonderful friends who put up with me and my 'stuff' as well as my wonderful hubby who is more than patient and understanding with me.  He is the one person I can rely on to always be in my corner.

All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!

Scalloped Potato Casserole

This recipe is a concoction that my mom came up with and I have made it several times since Jeff and I got married.  I like this dinner dish because #1. Its super EASY.  #2.  It is made with ingredients that I always have on hand so it's a great dish for days when you need to go to the grocery store and the cabinets are a bit bare.  #3. Its cheap.  Nuf said.

What you will need:

One of the following meats: diced ham, 1/2 lb to 1lb ground beef, diced chicken breast (you could even use leftover rotisserie chicken.)

1 box of scalloped or au gratin potatoes.  I have even used Rosemary herb potatoes before and it was delicious.  You can really use any kind of box potatoes that you like. 

1 can of cream of mushroom soup.  You could also use cream of celery.  Again, its whatever you like (or have on hand.) 

1 can of green beans (or peas if you like)

I also add a can of sliced carrots.  I love canned carrots in this dish.  Today when I made it I only had frozen diced carrots and I like the sliced ones better :)

Shredded cheese

Butter, milk and water for the potatoes.

Cook the meat (unless you are using pre-packaged ham which is my favorite meat for this dish, I just think it goes great with the potatoes.)  I ended up using some sliced spiral ham that I had in the freezer today and it worked fine but they have the packaged diced ham in the lunchmeat section and its perfect for this dish.  1/2 a package is more than enough.  Just measure out however much you want.   

Prepare the potatoes according to the instructions on the box.  Add the soup, meat and veggies.  If needed, add a bit more milk (I usually do not.)

Add the shredded cheese to the top and bake at temp suggested on the box but add more time due to additional ingredients.  I usually bake mine for about an hour.  You can check it after 45 mins or so but make sure the potatoes are fully done (soft) and aren't still firm.  

The cheese will brown so if you want, you can add it after 20-30 mins of baking.  You could also cover the dish, but I think that prevents the potatoes from cooking as quickly (or at least that is how it seems to me.)  

Yields at least 4 hearty servings.  I make it for just us so it's perfect for leftovers the next day!   This dish is great with biscuits so be sure to bake some up while the casserole is cooling (it comes out piping hot and will need to cool for several minutes before serving.)    

Enjoy!

All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!

Cloth Diapering 101

Since I started using cloth diapers for my son when he was a couple months old, I have had several friends ask me for information about cloth diapering.  Recently I decided that it might be a good idea to do a post about it so that I would always have it handy to link people to if they asked for information.  This will not be a complete guide to cloth diapering by any means, but I do hope that it will help those who don't know anything about it and want to become more familiar with the basics!  So, I will give a basic overview of modern day cloth diapering and my experience with it.
First off, let me just say that I personally love cloth diapering!  Of course it is a bit more work than using disposables but it's really no big deal once you get the hang of it! 
Ok, I am going to list a few reasons why I chose to cloth diaper:

1) Cost.  Obviously, it is much more cost effective to use cloth.  I have read that you can save up to $2,000 by using cloth diapers for two years.  Of course, this is dependent on variables like what type of cloth diapers you use, etc...  But, you have to admit that is a huge savings!  And with us being on one income, I am always looking for ways to save.  This was a no-brainer!

2) It's "green!"  If your kid goes through 6,000 disposable diapers before it's potty trained, that is a lot of diapers ending up in a landfill for hundreds of years!  I like the idea of saving waste by using cloth.

3) Health.  Disposable diapers are made with chemicals.  I'm not going to get on a soapbox or get into stats (it's easy to look this stuff up on your own) but there is research that these chemicals are not the safest for babies.  Of course I don't think anyone who uses disposables is bad for doing so, I do use and have used them on Hayden.  He wears disposables at night for bedtime.  I just like the idea of keeping him in them as little as possible.   


Now that we have established a few good reasons for using cloth (other than the fac that they are super cute and fun) I will explain a bit more about them.  There are four main different types of cloth diapers on the market right now.  They have come a long way from the ones our mothers and grandmothers used! 

1)  Old Fashioned flat diapers (a.k.a. prefolds.)  This is probably what you think of when you hear "cloth diaper." 

This is the most affordable cloth diapering option.  They are used with pins or this fastener called a snappi.  Snappis are much more convenient than the pins.

Prefolds need to be covered with a waterproof diaper cover to prevent leaks.  There are several brands of covers such as Thirsties, Bummis, etc...  I love Thirsties covers and have never had leaks using them!

2)  Fitted diapers  Fitteds are contoured and fasten with snaps or velcro and they also, like prefolds, require a cover to prevent leaks.  A popular fitted diaper brand is "Kissaluvs."

3)  All-In-One (AIO)  The AIO cloth diaper is a diaper and cover in one. 

The AIO goes on just like a regular diaper.  They fasten with either snaps or velcro and are very easy to use.  They are the priciest of cloth diapers at just under $20 a piece for a one-size.  A popular (and my favorite) brand of AIO's is BumGenius.  The best thing about AIO's is convenience.  No covers to mess with or inserts to 'stuff.'  Just grab the diaper and go! 

4)  Pocket Diapers  Very similar to an AIO in that when you put the diaper on, it is one piece but the pocket diapers have removable inserts.  The removable inserts make washing easier, drying faster and you can also easily add more inserts to increase absorbency.  These are my favorite diapers.  I think they also come cleaner than the AIO's that don't have removable inserts.  I also love that you can add inserts if you need more absorbency.  BumGenius also makes a great pocket diaper. 

If you have never tried cloth diapering before, I would suggest trying all 4 kinds of diapers before deciding on which kind to purchase a "stash" (stock pile of diapers) of.  You may be surprised at what kind you like best and it's just a waste if you buy several of one kind and end up not liking it.  There are pros and cons to each kind so do some research and 'test drive' a few before purchasing several.  There are some shops that rent kits of several types of cloth diapers so that people can try them without a large financial commitment.  This is a great idea and I would recommend it to anyone new to cloth diapering. 

Where to buy:

Most larger cities should have local natural baby or cloth diapering shops.  These are great because they usually offer classes and you can stop in for advise/ideas on what products to buy.  Do a google or white pages search for a shop in your area!  There are also places like Diaper Swappers where you can buy used diapers at great prices.   Also, websites like Cottonbabies  that offer free shipping and have 'seconds' sales where you can get slightly imperfect diapers at greatly reduced prices!  Sometimes, you can't even tell what the 'flaw' in the diaper is.  It's a great way to get the more expensive diapers at a cheaper price. 

Washing

There are many webistes offering instructions on washing your cloth diapers and they vary slightly.  Here is what has worked for me:  Wash hot using about 1/2 the usual amount of detergent and 2 rinse cycles.  Detergent can build up in cloth diapers and cause an ammonia smell.  To avoid this, it's best to use 1/2 the usual amount for whatever size load you are washing and do two rinse cycles.  Some people choose to wash one cycle cold with soap and one hot cycle without as well as 2 rinse cycles.  If you do end up with a build up of detergent in your diapers (they will have a strong ammonia odor if the child pees in the diaper) then you can 'strip' the diapers by washing them with no soap in the hottest water possible (set your water heater to the hottest setting but be SURE to change it back) for several cycles until you no longer see soap suds in the water during the wash.  Do NOT use bleach on your cloth diapers especially the AIO's, pocket diapers or covers as it will eat away at the laminate coating that prevents leaks.  Even with prefolds, it's best not to use bleach because your baby is exposed to those chemicals.  If you promptly rinse your diapers and wash on hot you shouldn't have a problem with staining.  If you do get stains, sunning them outside is a great (and chemical free) way to rid your diapers of stains.  Also, you do not want to use the "Free and Clear" detergent for the covers or AIO's with the laminate coating.  I personally like Tide detergent for diapers.  I love the smell and it cleans well.  They also make detergent specifically for cloth diapers.  One brand is Rock in Green.  I have never used it but would love to try it.  

As far as drying, you can dry prefolds and inserts in the dryer but it's recommended to not put Thirsties covers, or BumGenius pockets in the dryer because it can break down the laminate coating over time.  I like to hang my diapers on a clothesline (weather permitting.)  They dry quick and smell great :)   

Well, there you have it.  A crash course in basic cloth diapering.  I hope this was helpful for anyone curious about cloth diapering.  And if you are a seasoned cloth diapering mama and would like to share advise, maybe something that I didn't cover, feel free to comment below! 

Happy Diapering!

All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!