Week of July 26th

Phew, busy week last week!

Monday I attended an overnight birth and I spent most of the week recovering from that.  I prefer overnight births, which actually happen frequently, because I'm not missed at home while everyone is sleeping. However, it takes me a while to catch up on sleep enough to get back to my always slightly tired self.  7am comes quickly when you've been up all night minus a ~2 1/2 hour catnap.

I talked the kids into watching an afternoon movie in my bed on Tuesday, hoping that maybe they would fall asleep, or at least Molly, but that didn't quite work out.  I did end up being able to doze for about an hour in between being kicked and prodded, etc.  Bed sharers we are not!  It was better than nothing at all though!

Wednesday we met friends for some splash pad fun!  It was the perfect day for it, hot, but not too hot, sunny, and not humid!  I'm glad we were able to get out.  It has been so rainy and I know once Jack starts kindergarten it's going to be harder for us to meet up with friends during the week as we're all going to be on different schedules.

I finished up the week with another birth on Friday, but this time it was during the day, which was nice!  And it was with my first repeat clients, which was a wonderful experience.

I finished up my busy week at a workshop on Saturday where I learned how to use a TENS unit as a tool for labor.  I love learning and I love being able to offer a variety of tools to my clients, excited about this!

And then it was Monday.


Here's what we're eating this week:



Sunday:  Grilled Brats w/ Cheesy Potatoes and Broccoli Salad

Monday:  Meeting friends for dinner, Homemade Pizza for the fam

Tuesday:  Walking Taco Casserole

Wednesday:  Salad + Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday & Saturday:  Out


I'm linked at Menu Plan Monday hosted by OrgJunkie.com

Week of July 19th

Last week was pretty low-key.  It was actually sunny (SUNNY!) one day so we got to play at the park with friends.  It has pretty much rained for the last 4-5 weeks so it was so nice to get outside in the sun and fresh air for a while!

We're making progress on selling the old house (stressssssful!) and unpacking the new (overwhellllllllming!).  I'm just ready for the new house to be completely unpacked, but it's not like I have tons of time to dedicate towards that goal.  I'm trying my best to be patient.  Every day at least one more task gets accomplished and that means we're just a little closer to actually being unpacked.

During a stop by the old house I made sure to cut a few hydrangea blossoms from our bush because it was just sad that they're in full bloom and no one is there to enjoy it! So now we have some pretties for our kitchen table!

We'll for sure have to plant some hydrangea bushes at our new house because I love them!

On Friday I finally completed Jack's Kindergarten registration.  It had been pending for a while because we were required to fill out some additional forms and provide some additional documentation to get registered under the correct, new address so that Jack can attend the correct elementary school.  That's going to be happening way too soon!

I also tried to get my license and tags renewed, but after going to 2 DMVs and spending nearly an hour and a half of time I still have yet to accomplish this.  Thanks state of Ohio, you always impress me with your operating practices.  Big thumbs up!  So... that will be a task for this week.

Sunday I baked a Blueberry Crumb Pie because it seemed like the right thing to do.

And it was. It most definitely was.


And now it's Monday, here's what we're eating this week!


Sunday:  Grilled Burgers with Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Monday:  Sweet Corn & Zucchini Pie with Tomato Cucumber Salad

Tuesday:  Mom's Night Out for me! Homemade Pizza for the rest of the fam

Wednesday:  Salad + Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Thursday:  Breakfast for dinner!  Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with Bacon and Fruit

Friday & Saturday: Out


I'm linked at Menu Plan Monday hosted by OrgJunkie.com

Week of July 12th

In the 3ish months since my last post we tackled our to-do list, started tackling a new to-do list for our new house, moved, and listed our old house for sale.

I really feel like ^that^ descriptive sentence should be much, much longer considering the amount of work, stress, and time that has occurred, but I guess that about sums it up.

This was our moving day.  It rained all. day. long. until we unpacked the last box and then the rain stopped.

We're *finally* getting to the point where I feel like I can pause a moment to catch my breath just a little. Every day the utter chaos we've been living in is just a little bit more organized and I'm beginning to see just a hint of light at the end of the tunnel, which is nice because up until now I feel like I've been just stumbling around blind.

Amidst the all consuming chaos that has been this relocation event I've also had 2 small kids to care for, a household to manage, at least enough so that everyone's basic needs are tended to, and doula work, which is always a welcome respite from the household drudgery, but it is work, I don't get to do it when I feel like it or when it's convenient.  I have to forget about everything else so that I can attend to my clients' needs and then come home, sometimes running on zero sleep, and pick up where I left off.  Needless to say the last several weeks/months have passed by in a blur.

But we're here.  We're moved in, the essentials have all been unpacked, and yesterday I tackled my last large painting project for a while (YAY!  I can't convey just how sick if painting I am at this point.  Since late-April I have painted every room in our old house, plus 5 rooms in the new house. All. the. painting.)  I still have the upstairs hall on my list and probably the playroom as well, and eventually (down the road just a bit) all the bathrooms will need attention as well, but after the rooms I've already tackled it will be relatively easy to get those checked off the list!  I've been well reminded of why people just buy turn-key homes.

With every room that I paint and every box that I unpack I remind myself over (and over, and over...) that I won't have to unpack that box, or do that project, again, at least not in the foreseeable future. Also that I'm privileged to be in this whole moving situation and that we've been working towards this goal for years now.  It will all be worth it.

We also celebrated 4th of July/Mark's and my birthday!

In the midst of the chaos, just a week after moving in, Molly decided she wanted to learn how to use the potty!  That's been a good/bad thing as she's caught on really quickly (day two she had the reward system figured out and was pottying with the sole intention of getting chocolate.  Needless to say, we discontinued that program quickly) but it's still a learning process and she needs help going potty eleventy-hundred times per day when I'm not exactly sitting around, twiddling my thumbs and hoping that another labor-intensive project would fall in my lap.  Alas, I'm thankful this task has effectively been accomplished.

For about 3 weeks surrounding our move we were living off of more take-out than I care to admit to, sandwiches, and whatever salads I could scrape together from the items in my fridge.  Last week I had things unpacked enough and the time necessary to actually cook again.  COOK!  Real food!  I'm so happy to be eating fresh, colorful food again!

My versions of Paleo Sausage and Veggie Bake (left) and Thai Carrot and Cucumber Noodle Salad (right)

My body was craving veggies and I feel so much better physically now that I'm back to normal eating habits. It was definitely an excellent reminder of how much food impacts how I feel.  Plus, as of last week I'm back to my usual schedule at the gym after several weeks of sporadic attendance, and oh my did I feel the impact of that.

And I'm back to meal planning!  Here's what we're eating this week:


Sunday:  Smoked Ribs with Corn Pudding and Green Beans (Yes!  First Rib Sunday of the summer!)

Monday:  Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats with Corn and Black Bean Salad

Wednesday:  BLATs with Fruit

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday & Saturday: Out


I'm linked at Menu Plan Monday hosted by OrgJunkie.com