Week 13

So we're moving right along, out of the first trimester and into the second. Which is always more fun than the first!

How far along? 13 Weeks & 6 Days
Total weight gain/loss: 7 lbs (Which by the looks of the picture I gained the additional pound in the face, Yikes!)
Maternity clothes? a pair of maternity leggings and the belly band with my other jeans, but no tops yet. Still making my regular clothes work
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Never enough! Sleep is good, but I'm now waking up with a pain in the lower right side of my back. 
Best moment this week: Mid-week when I realized that I didn't need to take the anti-nausea medicine. Yay!!! And we got our Christmas tree last night! It's officially Christmas at the Harrington's!!!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything? Lunchmeat. Which is really weird because I really don't like lunchmeat when I'm not pregnant. But I guess we want what we can't have!
Movement: No movement yet, but I bet she is practicing her kicks and punches right now. (And yes, I refer to the baby in the context that it's a girl, only because I think that's what we are having, not because I have any solid proof... So I'm not hinting at anything for those of you looking for clues!)
Food cravings: Hot chocolate, chocolate in general, and spring rolls. Man do I love those spring rolls right now.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, just sometimes food in general doesn't sound good. I definitely don't have the same eat-everything-in-sight appetite I had with Rory. 
Have you started to show yet: Yes, a small bump and I guess now in my face 
Gender prediction: Girl (Rory also thinks it's a girl)
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I think mostly happy, but Randy may want to interject on this one. In fact he may want to answer this question from now on.
Looking forward to: Not having a headache or two every day. I traded the morning sickness for headaches! Well the next few weeks are pretty uneventful when it comes to the baby. Our next doctor's appointment isn't until January 2nd, so really what I'm looking forward to is starting my Christmas shopping tomorrow. Yes, you read right I haven't started yet! But I have my list of ideas and now that school is finally over for the semester I can focus on Christmas! And I'm also looking forward to going home and visiting our families for Christmas and just enjoying our time with everyone.

On a side note...

With all that has happened recently in Newtown, CT, I just wanted to say that like most of you, I am deeply sadden by the tragic events of last Friday. As a mother of a small child, not much younger than those of Newtown, my heart breaks for those parents who's children have now become angels. And my heart aches for those parents who have the grueling challenge of helping their children regain their innocence (if that's even possible). I'm also stricken by the idea that so many women showed such courage in protecting the students and kindness in trying to shield them during a time of unthinkable violence. As someone who is studying to become an educator, this has my head spinning. So now I not only think of my own children, Rory and the little one on the way, in this situation, but myself. I hope and pray that we can come together as a nation and find a way to end these senseless tragedies. My thoughts and prayers go out to the community of Newtown and to everyone that has been affected by this. And that they may find peace in this time of loss. 

I can't wait until June

I took a little hiatus from blogging when school started, but a recent discovery has got me going again. So for those of you haven't heard.... WE ARE EXPECTING A BABY THIS JUNE!!!! We are beyond excited and thrilled to be adding to our family. 


So to keep track of my pregnancy progress and the baby's development I've decided to do a pregnancy post every week.(let's see how long that lasts. Haha! I'll do my best to keep it up once a week.) This will be familiar to those of you on pinterest, Jessica Garvin's started this cute chalkboard display on her blog, Little Baby Garvin. (Thanks Jessica for the inspiration!) It's adorable, and she's way better than me, but hopefully I'll get better at the chalkboard art as I go. 

Sorry for the flash on the board. And Randy pointed out that I probably shouldn't wear black against a black chalkboard. Point taken!

How far along? 12 Weeks & 6 Days
Total weight gain/loss: 6 lbs
Maternity clothes? a pair of maternity leggings and the belly band with my other jeans, but no tops yet. Still making my regular clothes work
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Never enough! Sleep is good, but I'm always ready for a nap
Best moment this week: My doctor's appointment this past Monday. I know I was technically still in my 11th week, but I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Music to my ears!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything? Everything! Having morning sickness sucks!!!
Movement: No, it's still a little early for that
Food cravings: Hot chocolate, chocolate in general, and spring rolls
Anything making you queasy or sick: Everything! Like I said... morning sickness sucks!
Have you started to show yet: Yes, a small bump
Gender prediction: Girl (Rory also thinks it's a girl)
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Sick mostly. BUT... things are looking much better now that my doctor prescribed anti-nausea medication. Works great!!!
Looking forward to: Getting past the morning sickness and this nasty cold that Rory has shared with me. I really can't wait for the nesting phase where I have a lot more energy.... And of course Christmas and finish decorating the house. Who am I kidding?!? Randy got the decorations out the day after Thanksgiving and they are still sitting right where he left them. I haven't started decorating, except for plugging in a Minnie Mouse angel for Rory. Does that count?!?

I hope you all enjoyed my first pregnancy post. I look forward to sharing this pregnancy with you guys and I'm really glad you're coming along for the ride! I always enjoy hearing what people think the baby's gender is or any name suggestions, so feel free to let me know what you think!

Love dogs, hate dog hair

Our sweet Maggie

Let me start by saying that I love my dogs and to say that we consider them a part of our family is an understatement. When we got our Rat Terrier, Pinky seven years ago I didn't worry too much about shedding and never really paid much attention to the tiny hairs that she would leave around the house. But when Maggie, our long-legged, long-haired Jack Russell arrived a year and a half later shedding definitely became an issue. All of a sudden everyone knew I had a white dog. I can remember sitting in an urgent care doctor's exam room looking like I had been run over and was feeling like I was on my last breath, when the doctor walked in and asked, "So you have a white dog?" Although I can't imagine our lives without Maggie, I can only dream about how the furniture would look without the addition of her wiry, white hair. Since getting rid of Maggie is not an option, and just down right unthinkable, living with her shedding is something we have just learned to accept.
Brushing her regularly does help, although I must admit that she doesn't get brushed as often as she'd probably like. And brushing her only seems to be a good idea until I have to clean out her brush. One tug on the hair-filled bristles and the loose hair goes flying everywhere, filling the air with her hair. Well so much for helping with reducing the amount of hair around here. But on this particular quest to reduce the amount of hair Maggie leaves in her wake I discovered a secret weapon in my laundry room... dryer sheets!

After I brush Maggie, I grab a dryer sheet and cover the bristles of her brush with it, then give it a tug. Instead of the loose hair flying all around, it clings to the dryer sheet. This works for both used and unused dryer sheets. So if you're looking for a way to reuse all of those dryer sheets, give it a try!

All you need is a dryer sheet and the brush

Wrap the dryer sheet around the brush and tug on the bristles.
The hair will cling to the dryer sheet.

So much more than a toothbrush holder

Way back when I was in esthetician school I found a need to store my make-up brushes without damaging the fine and delicate bristles of the brushes. At the time I was looking for an alternative to the standard brush bag that contained a few elastic pieces inside that secured the brushes flat. Storing the brushes flat seemed to distort the shape of the bristles and left me displeased with them. At the time I found that using a toothbrush holder was a great way to store the brushes upright and allowing the brushes to keep the original form and shape.

 So for years I have stayed with this discovery and have never found another device that does a better job. I love toothbrush holders for several reasons: they can be as inexpensive or as luxurious looking as needed, replaceable, and can be purchased anywhere. Depending on your preference, you can spend a few dollars on one, you can buy a stainless steel one at Bed Bath & Beyond for $80.00 bucks, or you can find something in between. My point being that they are affordable and accessible to everyone. And if you are someone that keeps your cosmetics out on the bathroom counter, you can easily find a holder that coordinates with your bathroom decor. Should you decide to redecorate, you're not stuck with a storage device that doesn't go with the new decor. 

Here are a few more items that can be stored in a toothbrush holder:

Paintbrushes                                                                                      School/Office Supplies

Do you have something other than toothbrushes in a toothbrush holder? Please share!

I fear the cheese grater no more

This might sound crazy, but for the last few years I've been buying the pre-shredded packaged cheese in lieu of the more-for-your-money, better tasting blocks of cheese in fear of having to clean the cheese grater afterward. I know, crazy, right?

Prepping for dinner one night, I realized I forgot to buy the pre-shredded cheese and I ultimately broke out the cheese grater and began to shred the block of cheddar in the frig. After dinner the grater sat in the sink filled with hot soapy water with the rest of the dinner dishes. As I tackled the dirty dishes one by one, I would frequently reach for the grater, only to push it aside. Slowly the sink became empty leaving only Rory's sippy cups and matching lids... and the grater. Taking hold of the bottle brush that rests on the sink ledge, I began to hand wash the colorful plastic of the cups with the wire brush. And as I reached into the sink one last time, I knew I could not avoid the grater any longer. And at last I discovered the best way to clean a metal cheese grater: with the wire portion of a bottle brush! Phew, no more metal ripping into my skin as I try meticulously to get every piece of smeared cheese off the raised metal. No more pre-shredded bags of cheese! 

Hold the bottle brush with the plastic wires perpendicular to the cheese grater and rake the brush back and forth until the metal is clean of all cheese residue. After run the brush inside the grater if you have a bell-style grater.

Out With The Old...

Sometime around the holidays I was flipping through past issues of fashion magazines I had scattered about my house when I came across a small article, if it can even be called an article, more like a paragraph in the March 2011 issue of Lucky on a random person sharing the idea of constantly switching shampoos and conditioners to prevent build-up. I found the small read to be interesting, but since it didn't pertain to any hair dilemma I was experiencing at the time I merely tossed the magazine aside and grabbed another.

 

Fast forward a month or two into the new year, and my favorite shampoo and conditioner, which I had been completely faithful to, had let me down... literally. Instead of the once soft, bouncy hair it had once given me, now it had left me limp and stringy! I begin ransacking my house looking for this particular article. The image of me mindlessly throwing out a stack of magazines a few weeks before played over and over in my mind in the hopes that the one that donned Heidi Klum on the cover was not in it. After locating it in it's clever little hiding place, I re-read my past discovery. OK, sounds easy enough, I thought, out with the old and in with new... three new shampoos and conditioners to be exact.

Yes, I now have three different brands of shampoos and their conditioners in my shower. I switch shampoo/conditioners everyday, none of which are super fancy, and are all bought at Target. And if I ever get tired of one, I simply replace it and add the new one into the rotation. It may seem ridiculous to have three sets of shampoo/conditioners in the shower, but the random girl in the Lucky article was right, frequently changing shampoos and conditioners does help prevent build-up, leaving the hair soft and bouncy! If you are experiencing build-up in your hair, but don't want to invest in three sets, or have limited shower space, try using the travel size versions of different shampoos and conditioners instead of the regular size.

Don't forget to wash your face

A few years ago my parents invited us to stay at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach with them. We had a beautiful room with a delicious bed that had white linens on it. After a long, exhausting day, I was ready to climb into bed without washing my face and removing my make up. But the thought of waking up to my foundation and mascara smeared across the white pillowcase was motivation enough to climb out of the bed and wash my face. I decided that I was going to take this motivation home with me. The following weekend I went out and bought white pillowcases for our bed. The bonus to the white pillowcases is that you can bleach them so that they stay white and fresh looking.

In search for the perfect foundation

I'm sure I'm like most women when I say that finding a foundation that matches my skin color perfectly has been an ongoing quest with very little result. Available colors are either too fair, making me ghost-like or too tan, causing me to look like I just hit the Jersey Shore with Snooki! Regardless, neither of the two is a desired look. So as I  waved the white flag of surrender to the foundation manufacturers, ending my pursuit of the perfect shade, my discovery presented itself. Instead of seeking out one perfect shade for my skin right now, I should be searching for two shades: one slightly lighter than my skin tone and one slightly darker.

Just like the seasons change, so does the color of our skin. Obviously our skin is slightly lighter in the winter and darker in the summer, so having two shades allows me to adjust the foundation color as needed. 

When applying my foundation, I dispense dime-size amount of the lighter shade on the backside of my hand just below the lower knuckle of my thumb. I then add a small amount of the darker shade, being careful not to equal the amount of the lighter shade. After the second shade is added I blend the two colors with my finger before applying the mixed foundation to my face. And as the summer months approach, I will be adjusting the mixture as my skin tone gets darker with the darker shade being the majority of the mixture and reducing the amount of the lighter shade.

And the bonus is that if you need to cover a blemish, dab a tiny amount of the lighter shade of foundation on it and blend it in. Because the lighter shade is part of the foundation mixture it will blend into the rest of the foundation without being as noticeable as concealer can sometimes be.

Oh Coco, you are so right

 I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.                -Coco Chanel

This has been on my mind for quite a while now. It started shortly after I quit my job last April and I started to miss wearing dresses and heels. I would stand in my closet and stare at the dresses that were no longer being pulled from their hanger in the hopes that I could find a reason to wear one. But the image of me pushing a grocery cart wearing a black wrap dress and nude colored heels with my son grabbing at every glass jar on the too easily accessible shelves at the market just seemed, well ridiculous. With the arrival of summer the wrap dress and heels were traded for long maxi dresses and wedge sandals, a more seemingly suitable ensemble for my errand-running. But running around midday I started noticing a uniform of many, what I can only assume, stay-at-home moms: yoga pants, fitted tee and a sparkly baseball cap. And those are the women that are the more "presentable" versions of what I have seen. I hate to say this, but I see more and more girls in pajama bottoms! I shake my head at the thought of this. OK, I get running into the store for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread after a yoga class. But when I see these girls in line at the checkout stand with full carts of groceries, two things come to mind: I really hope she just didn't come from any sort of class that takes place in a gym and then spent the better part of an hour at the market (eew, gross!) or she's just plain lazy! I know this might seem harsh, but my question to all is:


When did yoga pants become an acceptable form of clothing to wear in public?


Now, before some of you start huffing and puffing that you've seen me in yoga pants outside of a yoga class, YES I wear them! I wear them when I'm lounging at home on the couch, sitting behind the wheel of a three hour long drive, and while running at the park pushing a stroller! I wish that the public acceptance of attire could be one similar to the early 1960's, where people dressed up to go to see a show, to travel, to have lunch with friends, to go to church. Heck housewives back then made vacuuming look fabulous. This is why when people watch movies form the 1950's and 60's they comment on how glamorous smoking a cigarette while holding an evening cocktail looks. It's not what they are doing, it's how they are dressed doing it. People of that time looked pulled together and fixed themselves up. People.com has entire section dedicated to celebrities looking great traveling, often catching them walking through an airport looking fresh and awake. The reason why they stand out is because now it is completely acceptable to walk onto a commercial plane in your pajamas!

People's Stars' Airport Style

And men are just as responsible for this lack of style. Oh the grunge days of the early 1990's followed a few years later by underwear-showing skater boys come to mind. Men in uniforms are sexy for one reason: they looked pulled together. I have to say that my husband looks hot in his work uniform! He makes flipping bottles sexy! As far as I'm concerned it's not the type of uniform that the man wears that makes him attractive; although police and firemen know how to wear their uniforms well. There is a scene in the movie "Despicable Me" where the young Agnes asks Vector, who's sporting a warm up suit, why he's wearing his pajamas. The conversation between the two is hilarious. Even Agnes doesn't understand this form of attire.

Despicable Me: The girls ask Vector about his pajamas

After all this my discovery is that even though I'm no longer interacting with clients in a professional setting, I'm still interacting with the public. So now as I pick out my clothes I ask myself one thing: If I were to run into someone I know while I'm out, would I be embarrassed by what I'm wearing? You never know what or who the day may bring. I may get looks for wearing black suede platform wedge boots to the market or four inch booties with my jeans to a doctor's appointment, but I rather turn heads for my shoes than my lounge wear.


What are your thoughts on this? 


Oh and by the way, I own no rights to the contents of the above links, their owners do!

When life hands you lemons

During this past summer I noticed that my freckles were getting a little darker than I liked and my skin tone was becoming uneven and I immediately thought I needed to head to the dermatologist for a microdermabrasion treatment ASAP! But after doing a little research on natural skin lightening treatments I found that lemons can be used to even out your skin tone, as an exfoliant and help with diminishing breakouts. Now I have to say that I am not a professional, so if you're allergic to lemons or have a skin condition in which lemons or lemon juice can irritate, please do not try this. With that said, I decided to give the lemons a try. I wish I had taken a "before" photo so I could compare the progress. But I didn't. I can say that the lemons have helped with evening out my skin tone and my skin is softer than before. I've also noticed that they help heal breakouts and reduce redness and inflammation associated with blemishes. I've been using the lemon treatment 5 times a week for about six weeks and I'm pretty impressed with my very inexpensive discovery.

After washing your face, cut a lemon in half and discard any seeds. Rub the open lemon in a circular motion until the skin on your face and neck are fully covered with lemon juice. Keep in mind that if you have any dry spots or blemishes, that area will sting slightly, but will stop as soon as the juice dries. It's nothing unbearable. Leave the lemon juice mask on for 10-15 minutes then rinse it off with warm water. Then apply your moisturizer.

Now you can discard the used lemon half, but I have found several other uses for it:

• If you have kids in diapers, throw it in the diaper pail to help with the odor
• Throw it in your garbage disposal to help with the odor from food that stays in there after rinsing your dishes
• Rub the lemon under the faucets of your sinks and on your shower head to help prevent lime scale build up (just rinse the juice and pulp after a few minutes)

But the best use I found for the leftover lemon is to clean the floor of my shower with it. The floor of my shower has a textured nonslip material that has tiny raised bumps in which dirt constantly gets trapped in. No matter how often or what cleaning product I used I could never quite get the floor as clean as I wanted. That was until the lemons! The lemons are now taking care of that problem as well.

If you've discovered other uses for lemons besides lemonade, please share! 

My unexpected discovery

I love when I stumble across an item that solves a problem that I didn't know I had. A few weeks ago I picked up some snacks for our weekend trip to California. After we opened the snacks I realized that the plastic containers were designed to fit into the cup holders. I know, I know looking back, I should have realized this feature the minute I picked them up since the product does mention this on the front of the packaging!

Anyway, I thought that these containers would work great for snacks for Rory since his car seat has a cup holder. I peeled the plastic product wrappers off and gave them a good hand-washing. (I'm not sure they will hold up in the dishwasher!) Well today it turns out that I was really glad that I had kept the reusable containers. With an early morning appointment followed by a few errands, I didn't have time to feed Rory or myself breakfast before heading out. So I mixed a couple of different types of dry cereal in one, slapped the lid on and headed out the door. I knew that the containers would work fine in the car, but what really surprised me is that they fit in the abnormally small cup holder on the tray of Rory's stroller! Bonus! It may not have been such a great thing if I discovered this on any other day, but having the cereal where Rory could reach it and not scatter it everywhere was a relief while we waiting in a line that seemed to be a mile long. And as most mom's know sometimes it's the little things that help make a potentially miserable experience a little more enjoyable for everyone!