9 Weeks Preggers and the Start of a Screen-Free Week

Because I'm starting to sound like a broken record, I'll keep it quick. Nine weeks pregnant and I'm still fighting nausea and feeling exhausted. I'm enjoying my husband having a real weekend this week and have been trying to nap when L. naps. I've napped twice this last week and it was lovely. It's a trend that needs to continue.

My clothes are definitely starting to fit differently and I've busted out a few maternity items. More will follow quickly I'm sure. Last night, L told her dad she was going to be a big sister a baby. They're going to play hide and seek like sisters. I think maybe she's starting to understand just a bit more...

And now, on to a completely different subject.

Menu Planning: A Week of Gluten Free Meals

It's been difficult coming up with a menu this week. Nothing sounds appetizing to my pregnant belly. But it had to be done and I'm happy with the result. I'm looking forward to trying a few new recipes. I may live on watermelon, avocado, and cottage cheese (like I did last week) but my family won't starve. That's a good thing.

Just your average trip to the grocery store...

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, without words capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, wonderful moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. -via soulemama.

Keep a Toddler Busy: Sticky, Slimy Gak

Gak, goo, slime. There are probably a million different names for this stuff. Whatever you call it, it's great. It's not quite liquid, not quite solid and it's messy enough to keep my toddler busy for hours. It's easy to make and easy to clean up. Don't be alarmed by the messy part. That's why it's so much fun.

I Wasn't Going to Write Today.

I was just going to skip it. I was going to lay down in bed and disconnect from the world. My planned topic for today was no longer appealing. Reading in bed sounded like a much better idea. But it's compulsive. I sit here with thoughts running through my head and I need to get them out.

Most of it is probably too much information for the general public but we're all friends here, right?

And I'm always oversharing, aren't I? 

~Love the Place You Live: San Antonio~

Just for the record, I don't live in San Antonio. But I like to visit San Antonio. I consider it part of where we live since it's the next closest city to our own. It's only a 2.5 hour drive and we visit fairly frequently to see friends and enjoy the sights. San Antonio has a zoo and a children's museum. Not to mention the Alamo, River Walk, and Sea World.

A lovely summer day on the river walk.

8 Week Belly, Selective Memory, and Other Fun Pregnancy Tidbits

Photos of my belly were the last thing I wanted to do this morning but I know I'll be glad we took them later on. It's growing and I love the little bed-headed munchkin who joined me for photos this morning.

I've realized I must have a fairly selective memory. The last week or two I figured I must feel worse than I did when I was pregnant with L. I looked back through the pregnancy journal I kept then and realized it's very possible I felt worse then. But it's hard to say. Some of my symptoms are the same and some are not.

The plus side: I haven't thrown up yet this pregnancy. All my efforts to regularly choke down protein seem be helping.

Making Queso Fresco

Perhaps you noticed the little button over there on the right that says, "I'm taking the 2012 Urban Farm Handbook Challenge." It's been there for a few months but I haven't really said much about it. It is happening. I'm just a little behind on the reporting.

In February we prepared our soil by pulling out our winter garden and planting our Spring/Summer garden. Our compost bin is almost back up and running after a long winter hiatus. March focused on building a home dairy. No, we didn't adopt any cows or goats. I just continued making yogurt and considered making ricotta cheese again. But then I didn't. I thought perhaps my home dairy skills would stick to just yogurt for a while longer...and then I came across a recipe for homemade queso fresco in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Random I know. 

But I happen to love to love this salty, crumbly cheese. Besides, cheese I can make at home without having to order special ingredients? I couldn't resist. 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, without words capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, wonderful moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. -via soulemama.

The Garden is Growing!

It's nice and sunny today and the perfect day for a garden update. Remember way back in February when we planted our garden? Well, we had a few challenges (ahem, ants) but we made it through. We replaced the plants that had been eaten and carried on. Now, about a month and a half later we're doing okay.

Our sunflowers are several feet tall and in need of stakes and we have beans pods on the beans. They're dry beans (Pinto) so they won't be done for several more months...

7 Weeks 1 Day Pregnant

This is my 7 weeks and 1 day belly.

I'm slightly nauseated and I've had a headache.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, without words capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, wonderful moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. -via soulemama.

~Have a lovely weekend. I'll be back on Monday!~

8 Ways to be Green Right Now

For a long time I felt that being environmentally conscious or "green" was out of my reach. We couldn't afford to buy 100% organic everything or install solar panels on our house and I felt like there wasn't much else I could do.

To make myself feel better I focused on the things I was doing and tried not to think about all the chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides that were making their way into our home via cleaning products and non-organic food. 



We still can’t afford solar panels. However, through my efforts to simplify our lives, I've realized there are a lot of little things I can do myself every single day to make our lives a little greener and a little healthier. 



Here are 8 things you can start doing right now to make a difference for your family and the environment. 



Minimizing Paper Clutter

How do you organize paperwork online and off? Share your tips for managing physical and digital clutter. My first thought when I read this week's LIFE Well Lived question was, "oh crap".

Organizing paperwork is not one of my strong points. Things tend to pile up on my desk until I stick everything in a bag and hide it in my closet (or in the desk drawer pictured above). After a few months I'll go through it and realize I can throw most of it away.

Guess What? (Or, I'm sooo excited, I just can't hide it!)

So, remember how I've been craving eggs? And chocolate? And I couldn't wait for my parents to arrive at our house? And that time I mentioned I couldn't eat gluten while I was pregnant with L? There was a reason for it all!   

That's right, we're pregnant again! We told our families yesterday and now I can tell the world!

Counting Down the Minutes...

My parents will be here in less than two hours. I can't sleep. I'm so excited they are coming to visit. I'm so happy we get to spend Easter together. I'm ecstatic that they will get to play with L. for an entire week.

She's been talking about it for day.  

G-Mama and Poppa going to be here when I wake up in my bed on Sunday? Going to baseball game with G-Mama and Poppa? 

She came up with those names herself. Just in case you were wondering.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, without words capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, wonderful moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. -via soulemama.

Chilled Jalapeno-Cucumber Gazpacho

It's hot here in Texas. Summer is here already. I've started searching for new recipes I can make without heating up the house--things that are light and fresh and cold.

This gazpacho is perfect. I love that I don't have to turn on the stove or the oven. The fresh, raw flavors are amazing. It's my own version of the "Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho" in the Williams-Sonoma book, Cooking from the Farmer's Market.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

One Week Without Shampoo and Other Neat Stuff (Including a Recipe for Homemade Dishwasher Detergent)

One week ago I started embracing my inner radical homemaker and started using homemade beauty products. I've had a lot of people ask how things are going so I wanted to give you all a one week update. I also wanted share my first attempt at homemade dishwasher detergent. It was super easy and mainly used stuff I already had on hand for making laundry powder. 

First, the update. Drum roll please. 

"I do it by myself!" (Or, encouraging toddler independence with accessible snacks)

L. is almost two and a half years old and for quite some time now she has preferred to do things on her own.  I consider this a healthy part of growing up even though it frequently tests my patience.

For example, she wants to go potty by herself and I let her try. A few days ago she locked herself in the bathroom stall at the aquarium to show me she didn't need my help and that she needed some privacy...she opened it a moment later to tell me she couldn't get on the toilet and accepted my assistance.

She wants to choose her clothes and dress herself (yesterday she wore Dora panties with a very short purple and green tutu, pink crocs on the wrong feet with knee-high white socks, a coral colored shirt printed with little sailboats, orange butterfly wings, and a pink baseball cap.  Fortunately, she decided to change before we left the house...I didn't mind the outfit but I prefer she not show her panties to the world.

And, she wants to get her own food and feed herself. I'm totally fine with her feeding herself but getting the food herself is a little more complicated. 

It's Been a Manic Monday...

So I need to take a few minutes to breathe and reflect.

I am filled with gratitude for the rain last night and the sunshine this morning.

I am filled with gratitude for a loving, hardworking husband who spent his day off making space for our watermelon starts to grow.

I am filled with gratitude because there is new grass growing in our front yard.

I am filled with gratitude because we harvested the first peppers from our garden today.

I am filled with gratitude because I have a energetic, intelligent, inquisitive, imaginative toddler who frequently tests my patience.

Loving the First Day of April

It's April 1st and the start of a new week and a new month.

I hope you've had a lovely weekend and I wish you a wonderful week...