Instincts

So I think I posted a while back that I decided I was gonna start gettin up earlier on week days to do yoga before work. That has actually gone much better than I anticipated. I used to wake up at 7:30 on week days. Which gave me 50 minutes to eat breakfast and get myself and C ready for the day. I don't need much time for my hair and makeup, and I don't have to think about my outfit for the day (khakis and a work shirt every day, simple!), so 50 minutes was plenty of time. But it wasn't enough time to work out at all, and I always felt a little guilty waking up so late, since DH leaves the house at 7:15 or earlier. He fed the horses for me every morning, too - he started doing that towards the end of my pregnancy when I got to the point where my hips couldn't tolerate lifting the pitchfork loaded with hay. Anyway, I guess I felt more than "a little" guilty over all that!

The first few days, I woke up at 7, which was pretty hard for me, I won't lie. But I was able to get my yoga time in (15 minutes at first) and still have plenty of time to get me and C ready. Then I decided I should really get up even earlier and feed the horses. They're mostly mine, anyway, and I know DH was tired of having to feed them every morning. So I pushed my wake-up time back to 6:30. That first morning was tough! But I did it, and I kept it up. Its been over a month now, and I still get up at 6:30. I've been pretty proud of myself. Usually by 7:10 or so I'm getting started on my yoga and strength training. I do it with my Wii Fit Plus, which I absolutely love. I only do about 22 minutes, but I have been able to tell a big difference in my body since I began.

(I really need to do some cardio a few times a week, because even though my muscles are coming back, I am still extremely out of shape. But I'm not down with sweating in the mornings. Which is why I love yoga. I ordered Wii Dance the other day and should have it sooner. The plan is to do that some evenings with C. I think it will be fun and I know she'll love it since she loves to dance and likes to imitate me when I do yoga [if she's awake when I do it!]. We can also do a dance workout on the weekends. We already normally have dance time on Saturdays, so now it can be a little more structured.)

I promise there is a reason for me sayin all this about my morning routine. If I have learned anything during my motherhood journey (and I have learned a ton), its to listen to my gut, trust my instincts, whatever you want to say. 9 times out of 10, my instincts are right. Probably because I began always always putting someone else (C) ahead of myself. I assume this happens to all mothers...?

Anyway, this morning I had plenty of time to do my yoga, but something told me not to. C was still asleep, so I decided to enjoy a quiet bowl of cereal on the couch. I of course brought my phone with me so I could scan facebook while I ate (can't miss anything, you know!). And then I got a text from our cousin who just had her baby on Monday. She had some breastfeeding concerns and was getting a little panicky. I remember being like that in the beginning. And I remember how helpful it was to have someone be a voice of reason and assure me I was doing fine.

Nothing major happened, but we ended up texting back and forth for a while. If I had started my yoga, I wouldn't have read her text until much later, and then I wouldn't have been able to respond to her as much as I needed to. So I am grateful that I've learned to listen to that little voice in my head, whatever it is. I was able to reassure her and give her some tips, which she said made her feel better.

Then she made me feel good! She texted me later and said her doctor had stopped by and told her the exact same things I had already said! I knew I was giving her sound advice and support, but it felt great to be backed up by a doctor. (Especially because it was almost opposite of what a nurse had told her earlier this morning.)

This experience reminded me of my desire to become a Lactation Consultant. I don't know if it'll ever happen, since there are a lot of requirements to meet before you can sit for the exam to be certified. There are 14 (I think) classes you have to have (including anatomy, child development, stuff like that) in addition to many, many hours of clinical hours. I'll be paying off the student loans for my BA and MBA degrees forever, so I won't be going back to school any time soon. Maybe this is something I can do down the road, who knows.

Last year, I talked to the Leader of my local La Leche League (LLL) about becoming a Leader. She thinks I'd be great at it, and it would be a good way for me to reach out and help other breastfeeding mothers. The problem is, I can never make the monthly meetings. I was able to attend a handful before C turned 1, and since then I've been maybe twice. They're always on Monday nights at 7. And they're here in town, so its super hard for me to get home, then turn right back around and come back to town and be here by 7. Plus, I have found that Monday nights tend to be the crazy nights. I guess because its the first day/night after the weekend, but things normally go wrong on Mondays and any plans I make never work out.

I have thought about starting my own group and holding monthly meetings at a more convenient time and place (our local group meets at the pediatrician's office, which I hate because every time I took C she got a virus!), but in order to be a Leader you have to attend so many meetings first. At some point I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet and get it done. I have a passion for breastfeeding, breastfeeding advocacy, and helping other breastfeeding mothers.

I wish I had realized years ago that this would become a passion of mine. I would have gone to school to be a Registered Nurse and went on to get certified as a Lactation Consultant. Then I could work in a hospital on the maternity floor. But I never would have guessed even 3 years ago that I'd be this passionate about this topic. Life sure is funny.

For a while now I've been composing a blog post in my head about my experience with breastfeeding. Hopefully soon I'll get it actually typed up. Its one of those topics that most people feel strongly about - either they really think breastfeeding is weird and don't like to talk or hear about it, or they are like me and really support it. I have run into more than my fair share of people who were almost against it. I've even been told before that breastfeeding was pornographic. :(

So I try to be sensitive to other people and not talk about breastfeeding too much. But you know what? This is my blog and this is one of my passions. I'm gonna talk about it here. ( : I know I've only breastfed one child, and we really haven't had any issues at all, so I don't have experience with difficulties. But I feel like its important to share positive breastfeeding stories. When I was pregnant, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. All I heard was negative stories and how hard it was. Well, breastfeeding has never been hard for me. I like to tell people that. People need to see that it doesn't have to be difficult. Stay tuned. ( :

A Little Bit of Everything!

So. Lots been going on around here lately. Which is why I haven't written anything here in a week. Sorry. I have a crazy busy, amazing life! And really, I don't do anything - go to work, come home and take care of my child and our slew of farm animals, go to bed, and start over again the next day. But somehow, my days manage to fly by and every night I'm left wondering, where did today go??!

I've said it before, though, and I'll say it again - I love my life. I really do. Sure, if I had it my way some things would change - like me working a job outside the home, for instance. Clearly, though, that is not in God's plan for me at this time, so I'm cool with it. My point is, I'm in an incredibly happy period of my life right now, so forgive me while I bask in it.  ( :


Here are some super exciting things that have been going on lately (brace yourselves, this is gonna be legend....wait for it....dary! (LOL Yes I love How I Met Your Mother!)

My college friend MM came down last Saturday and spent the day with me and C. We had so much fun. I haven't seen MM much since she got married in 2010 (I was her Matron of Honor when I was 7 months pregnant!) cause she lives 2 hours away now, but every time we're together its like we've never been apart (and how corny does that sound??).

We ended up taking C to my mama's so we could ride the horses. Which is when I finally admitted that something is goin on with Sunshine. The last time I rode her (several weeks ago) she was struggling at the canter and seemed pretty off. I hoped she'd injured herself in the pasture, and decided to let her rest until I did anything about it. (She was totally sound at the walk and trot.) Well, MM couldn't get Sunshine to canter more than a few steps. I hopped on her, thinking she was just bein a brat, but I could barely get her to canter either. And this horse is never a brat with me. I've started Sunshine on a joint supplement in hopes that this is the beginnings of arthritis and the meds will help her feel better. I'm tryin to avoid a huge vet bill. Especially since she's only lame at the canter and seems totally happy otherwise. And its not like she's in regular work anymore (I don't currently have any lesson students and I get to ride so little its pathetic).

I also don't currently have a vet. Mine quit a few months ago, went back to working with small animals. Bummer, cause I really liked her. I have 2 in mind to try. I think they're each about an hour away, just in opposite directions. So I'm sure I'll get hit with a hefty farm call. But I don't have a choice. Large animal vets are far and few between around here. My horses are due for their spring shots (I usually do them in June), so I gotta get on the ball about finding a vet. And I will definitely be mentioning Sunshine's canter issues with the new vet, whoever I choose.


This past Saturday, I made something I've never even tasted before - zucchini bread! I love zucchini and I've heard about the bread, but had never even seen it. Saturday I decided to try it out. I have to say, it was delicious! Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pics. Its not very tasty looking, anyway. C absolutely loved it. DH wouldn't try it, of course. haha.

We planted our garden a few weeks ago, but its gonna be a while before we see any produce. We usually plant much sooner than this, but we've had so much going on. So for now we're getting our produce from a local farm. In fact, on Saturday, DH borrowed their produce trailer and set it up at his business for the day.

C loved that trailer - she said it was her house. She'd get in there and tell me to go around to the side, then say "what do you need?" A little saleswoman! Takes after her daddy, I guess.

DH will have the produce trailer again next Saturday. He really enjoys doing stuff like that. If he knew it would work financially, I think he'd quit his job and be a full-time farmer/small business owner. I pray one day he can do just that.

I have unofficially been dubbed as the social media person for DH's business. So far, I've just created a facebook page, but I'm hoping to do a website/blog eventually (not that I know anything about creating a website, or successfully running a blog, for that matter!). His business is so small, so I'm tryin to do what I can to help him advertise. You gotta do what you can to help your man achieve his dreams. ( :


In case anyone was interested, I have been keeping up with my yoga. I've been surprised (and proud of)  myself! I've started getting up earlier every day (except weekends, haha) to feed the horses and then do some yoga and strength training. I feel so good, too. And I've gained like 3 pounds of muscle! Woohoo!


This past week, I have discovered 2 beauty products that have been pretty amazing so far. The first is coconut oil. Now, I've used coconut oil for a few years now - as a diaper cream for C. Its great for cloth diapers, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, and it really helps when she used to get a little red occasionally. Since she's been potty trained, the jar of coconut oil has just been sitting there. I've always had clean hands when I used it, so I wasn't worried about it being gross - I wanted to find a use for it.

And then a blog I follow had a post last week about washing your face with coconut oil. What??! Sounded crazy to me. But I know this girl has sensitive skin (like me) and doesn't use anything outrageous on her face or her hair. After reading her post, I looked further into it. Turns out, lots of people know about washing your face with coconut oil. Where have I been??

That night, I tried it. Uh, I was pretty amazed. I have super dry skin (like I seriously don't think my body produces oil at all, which is not as nice as it sounds, trust me), and the coconut oil really moisturizes my face. I can't tell you how it works to wash your face with oil, but trust me, it does.

I've said before that I am a Mary Kay rep. I love my Mary Kay products and am super loyal to them. I will probably never use another foundation, eye color, or mascara. But I've never been quite satisfied with the skin care products I've tried. Everything just dries my skin out even more. To the point where I'll get literal scales - ew. For a while now, I've been washing my face in the Timewise 3-in-1 Cleanser for Normal/Dry skin, and it did a great job of cleaning my face and exfoliating it. I was using the matching Timewise moisturizer, but earlier this year I discovered an all-natural line at a local shop (its also made locally), and fell in love with their facial cream (which actually contains coconut oil), and it has really helped my dryness. (They don't actually have a cleanser or I'd already be using that, I'm sure! Well, they make soap and have a facial soap, but I'm not about to put soap on my face!!)

Anyway, the coconut oil really works. I just rub a good amount onto my face (sometimes I wet it first, sometimes not), then take a rag that's wet and hot, hold that on my face for 30 seconds or so, then gently wipe everything off. I don't wear a ton of makeup, so its not like "wow! Look at all the makeup that came off!" But I can tell everything comes off. My skin feels very soft and moisturized after washing now, but I follow up with my cream anyway, since I am so dry. So far, so good.

I read that coconut oil is also great for other things beauty-wise. I've used it on my cheekbones to highlight them. It looks really pretty for a few hours, then the oil absorbs into my skin and the effect is gone. Maybe for someone with less dry skin it would last longer?

I also tried using coconut oil to take off my eye makeup. I wasn't crazy about that one. I had to work extra hard to get it off (and again, I don't wear much), and then my eyes felt greasy for a while after, and I had a hard time seeing that night. I'll be sticking with my Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, for sure. I've tried a lot of other brands in the past, and they all bother my sensitive eyes. Mary Kay's doesn't.

Finally, I've been using coconut oil as a body moisturizer. I just slather it on right after I get out of the tub or shower, and it doesn't take long to absorb into my dry skin. I have noticed that I stay a little greasy for a while, but I actually like that feeling, since I am so dry normally. Unfortunately, the coconut oil doesn't last all day like I'd hope, or even over night. I still have to apply twice a day. But its cheaper than regular lotion, and until I find a better solution, I'll stick with it. Last night, I even rubbed C down with the coconut oil after our bath, even though her skin's not particularly dry right now. She wasn't greasy at all afterwards. I think its one of those things that works differently on different people. I know my friend Jessica over at Moving Mountains didn't care for using coconut oil as a body moisturizer.

Next, I want to use coconut oil as a hair conditioner. My hair is like the rest of me - super dry. Most people when they condition their hair just condition the ends, right? Well, I rub that junk into my scalp and let it sit a while. Every single time. I've tried lots of different brands of shampoos and conditioners and have yet to find one that handles my dryness (without making my hair limp and lifeless). So this week I'll try coconut oil. We'll see how it goes.

Oh yeah, I also tried it as a shaving cream for my legs. It worked great, but I'm concerned about it gunking up in my razor. So the jury's still out on that one.

The other day I went to Target and found this adorable little container to house my coconut oil, since the bottle it came in was ugly (I got it at the grocery store, FYI, in the section with the other cooking oils).

The lid doesn't screw on or anything, so its probably not great for traveling, but I like it. Plus its easy to reach in and get the oil out (which is solid at room temp but quickly melts to a liquid with a little heat, by the way). I also picked up that cute little tray. I figured it would be nice to house the stuff that I normally have to move individually to clean under.

And this brings me to my newest beauty discovery. See that white and blue spray bottle? Its called Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturing Sea Salt Spray. (Say that 5 times fast.) My sister-in-law works at a beauty supply store and gets a good discount on their products. She told me about this spray and let me try hers. Wow. It was love at first spray, haha. If you have any natural texture to your hair at all, I think this spray will work for you. My hair is naturally (dry and) slightly wavy, but not enough that I can let it go all by itself. I normally straighten it, but every summer I try to just let it be natural (since the frizz/dryness conquers the straightness eventually). This spray brings out my natural texture and kind of amps it up. It really does look like I've been at the beach that day, which is a look I love.

It does dry my hair out, but I've been counteracting that with some extra serum while its still wet. This spray I have found works best when I let my hair air dry over night and just spray it on the next morning. I've been so happy with my hair the past few days! No pictures though, sorry. DH even likes it, so its a win-win. ( :


Alright, this post is long enough! Until next time.

Oh, wait. I'll leave you with a comparison pic of C. To the left is her in June of last year, and the right picture was taken this weekend. Time flies! *sniff, sniff*

Take Two

I'm back for Round Two today. This time will be more uplifting, I promise. ( : (Take One wasn't so lighthearted, but I needed to get that out!)

I wanted to share a couple of positives in my life from this week. I thought about doing a High Five for Friday post, but honestly, I couldn't come up with that many positives. Its been a challenging week, to say the least.

Late last week, I decided to start exercising again. Now, before you get all excited for me, let me just say that if it involves me sweating or getting my heart beat up, its probably not gonna happen. Back in the day, I used to run 5 miles every single day, and loved it. These days, I don't run unless someone is chasing me. Or if my toddler is escaping or approaching danger. 

I've been thinking lately of what I could do that was low-impact and quick. I needed something that would make me feel better about myself, get toned up again, but not make me lose weight. Since I'm still breastfeeding C, I have to be careful because I lose weight pretty easily. To most women, that would be wonderful, but I do not want to lose any more. I'm at a good weight right now, and with all my muscles gone, I'm pretty fail looking (according to my husband). Hopefully soon, I'll get some muscles built back up, but either way, I want want to get any smaller, that's for sure. (Please don't hate me. I don't often talk about my weight because so many women struggle with their weight and hate people like me. I promise I'm not trying to "brag," I feel disgusting because even though I'm "skinny," I'm flabby and very out of shape.) 

Anyway, last week I remembered that during my pregnancy, I enjoyed doing yoga on the Wii Fit. I started doing it, and have kept it up for a week now. I haven't done it every single day, but most of them I have. I've been getting up a few minutes earlier than usual and "working out" before getting ready for work. This equates to about 20 minutes of yoga. Which is totally not much at all, but it makes me feel better. I can already tell a difference in my posture, and I swear my legs are already stronger. Some days I do some of the strength training exercises, too. My goal is to slowly get up a little earlier every day so I can do more yoga and strength training. Maybe one day I'll do some cardio to get my heart in shape, but I'm not making myself any promises on that! I'll be happy if by summer my arms, legs, and waist are more toned. At this rate, I think they will be! ( :



I also got a new book this week. Its a daily devotional for wives. Its called "The Excellent Wife Day By Day," by Karen Eiler.  It is based on the book "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. I haven't read that book, but I intend to get it soon. This devotional is a 5 day a week one, which I love (I always forget to do the weekend ones), and its perfect for the wife who strives to be a more Godly wife. Martha Peace said this about the "Day By Day" devotional:

The Excellent Wife Day By Day is a five-days-a-week, year-long devotional for wives to remind them of their "primary ministry" to their husbands - to give glory to God as they show love, respect, and biblical submission to their husbands. Each day there is a Scripture on which to meditate, a brief very engaging story, and a reminder of at least one biblical principle. Karen's devotional book is a convicting and a challenging blessing to her readers to help them see a high and proper view of God as well as how to respond to Him in a way that pleases Him. 

I'm only a few days into the devotional, but I love it already. Each week, it gives you a verse of scripture to memorize, which I love. It encourages you to keep a journal, and so far I've enjoyed doing that. I hope that when I complete this devotional, I'll be more like the wife God has designed me to be, and my marriage will be stronger for it.

If anyone has any great devotionals or other wonderful books to recommend, I'd love the suggestions! ( :