It’s the little things that make me happy…

I’m not going to lie, the last week or so has been tough and I’m not going to go into why because one, there’s no point in complaining about it since I’ve done that already and it doesn’t really help, two, it’s a bit personal and three, it’s time to move on and focus on the positive. Being negative just doesn’t make things any easier or better. 

With that said, what I’ve figured out is that it’s the little things that make me happy and that dawned on me a few nights ago when Ryan and I were playing on the living room floor. He was doing what he does best, being all cute and junk, flailing his little legs and arms around like nobody’s business. It was hilarious! Then during tummy time, he kept lifting his head up and looked all around the living room with a big, huge grin on his face. Occasionally, he would try to crawl and when he wasn’t making any headway, he would pout, which was equally cute since it wasn’t real pouting. It was more like him not being able to do what he wanted to do and it would only last for about five seconds because he would start grinning again and he even giggled a few times. Our play time was so much fun and to see him so content was completely rewarding as a parent. At that moment, I realized it’s the little things that make me happy. Seeing him grin during our play time for example, just something as small as that grin made me melt inside and it was more than enough to help me forget my troubles and be positive again. Thanks little guy for how much you help me and to mark the occasion, I snapped some photos. At one point, him and the dog were even getting along!

Ryan and the Beave! :)

The thing is, I think I’ve known all along that it’s always been little things that make me happy and it just took me seeing Ryan be his fun little self to remember that. Looking back, it’s always been those moments, even before he was born, like when he kicked for the first time or when he had the hiccups for the first time and Dave and I would watch my belly jump, laughing the whole time. I guess I just didn’t put two and two together for whatever reason. I had another moment last night when Dave and I were feeding him. We gave him some baby food mixed with formula. It was apples and cinnamon I believe. I was holding him and every time Dave gave Ryan a spoonful, the little man grinned and couldn’t get enough of it. The fact that Ryan was so happy with his food made us both smile. It was cool!

Now that I get it, I feel pretty good again and I’m going to start holding onto those little moments like I did before. It’s those moments that make life worthwhile and I’m going to do my best to never forget that again. :)

Umm, this is hard to admit…

Well, it’s official and I must say, it’s hard to admit. I mean, extremely hard to admit. But, I’m going to do it, I’m going to come clean. What’s the big secret you ask? This tomboy, gulp, actually likes to go shopping, however, it’s not the shopping for myself that I’ve fallen in love with. Nope. I’ve fallen in love with shopping for stuff for Ryan!

Okay, I guess it’s not that big of a deal to admit that I like to shop, yet, for me it kind of is since I never really like going shopping before I had Ryan. Now I can’t get enough of it and I think it’s because I like seeing him in all the cute little outfits that I get for him. And yes, this is the proud mommy coming out in me for sure! The cutest outfit to date that the little man has been seen in definitely has to be this one:

His daycare teacher said he looked like he was all ready for the big dance that night!

I mean come on, just look at the little guy! :) A Facebook friend also bought a similar outfit for her little man and what I thought was nice about it, aside from it being completely adorable, was how it was a pretty reasonable buy at Target. When Dave and I bought the tie onsie with the khaki pants to match, we also bought another onsie and another pair of pants and the total was $20 for all four. Sure, not a super steal, yet, it was way cheaper than some of the outfits that I’ve come across and believe me, if you are not careful, you can spend all sorts of money on clothes for newborns and babies only to have them wear them only a few times. That's basically a waste of money and something I try to avoid at pretty much all costs, which is why I've learned to become really, really thrifty when it comes to how I shop.

A brand new onsie I found at Once Upon A Child!

For example, one way that I’m thrifty when it comes to getting Ryan clothes is to go the second hand route and skip buying new all together. In Green Bay, Wisc., I’ve found all sorts of awesome clothes for him at Once Upon A Child. It is a second hand clothing store for children where people can buy and sell their gently used clothes. One day, I walked out of the store with a huge bag of clothes that included onsies, sleepers, sweatshirts, shirts, and pants for like $40. It was really cool, especially since the majority of what I got for him that day was actually brand new and was never worn before. I also found his bath tub there for $8.50, which I would have paid at least $20 for brand new in the store.

Another thrifty shopping habit that I’ve picked up is to get his clothes on EBay. As you've probably noticed, I love putting him in name brand clothes. And yes, the first outfit he wore out of the hospital was made by Nike, but let’s face it, if I paid full price for all of his stuff we would go broke and not be able to eat regularly. Thus, I’ve gotten pretty good at getting things for dirt cheap on EBay for him. You could call me the master of the online auction. I see what I want, I wait to make a bid on it, and at the last minute. I get the deal. Case in point, I bought his first pair of Nike shoes for eight bucks on EBay and that included shipping since I had a coupon. (Side note here, it's easy to find coupons, just do a Google search and all sorts of options will pop up. You just need to make sure they are legit and that they actually work, which takes some time to figure out, but once you do, it's totally worth the effort.)

Ryan's first pair of kicks! Awesome!

Now sure, the Nike shoes I got him for eight bucks were used, yet that’s not that big of a deal since they look brand new and the kicker is, if I would have got them new from Nike.com, I would have paid around $50 for pretty much the same exact shoes and would have paid for shipping on top of that. I have also found great deals on Nike onsies and other outfits too. Yeah, I guess I’m a little obsessed with Nike, but that’s just how I roll. LOL. 

Along with going on EBay, I’ve discovered that I can save money getting his clothes at different online department stores instead of actually shopping at the stores themselves. You think it would be the other way around, yet, that is not the case at all. Like, the other day I went to Kohls.com and bought him a Nike track suit for Christmas. If I would have driven to the store, I would have spent $45 on it. However, online I was able to get it on sale, plus, I had a 20% off coupon. So, it was like $20 and I didn’t even have to pay for shipping. Oh yeah! I also found some decent deals at Target.com too when I bought him some other clothes and some of his baby stuff like his Boppy and his swing.

Needless to say, I think I’m becoming a bit of a shopaholic when it comes to getting stuff for Ryan. At least I’m getting everything at good prices though, so, it all evens out then, right? :) Until next time, this is Carla the tomboy and new, thrifty mom, signing off!

Go away baby weight! - Part 2

So, I said I would talk about my eating game plan when it came to losing my baby weight and guess what; it’s not going all that well. What I’ve discovered is trying to follow any kind of eating plan is quite the challenge, yet, going into it, I knew that it would be. That’s why when I committed to losing my baby weight, I focused first on getting my workout routine in place. Now that I have a routine down, since I workout four or five times a week, I've turned my attention to eating better.

Mmm, breakfast! Try with reduced fat peanut butter!

Basically, what I’ve been trying to is eat lighter and eat more often. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I start with an Eggo whole wheat breakfast waffle in the morning, have some kind of snack mid-morning like grapes or carrots, then for lunch I go with a turkey sandwich on wheat bread (skipping the mayo and substituting mustard) or a Lean Cuisine, have another snack mid-afternoon, and then at dinner time, I try to eat a balanced meal with a protein, a starch, and some kind of vegetable whether it be a salad or something cooked like green beans or peas. Along with trying to eat better, I’m also trying to drink a bunch of water, cut down on the alcohol intake, and skip high sugary drinks like Gatorade and juice. Occasionally, I will have a soda and yes, I still drink coffee in the morning. I know I should stop, yet, sometimes green tea just doesn’t quite cut it and I need that cup of Joe.

For the most part, I’ve been sticking to the meal plan during the day, but what’s really been killing me is trying to follow it at dinner time. At the end of the day, I’m tired and I just want to relax with a beer and fill my belly with food that tastes good. Yes, I guess you would say that I am an emotional eater and if I’ve had a rough or long day, I typically want to eat and drink things I like to feel better. Therefore, it can be hard to eat chicken, rice, and a side salad with water when my head and belly want a grilled cheese and a Miller Lite! What I’ve come to the conclusion with the dinner time meal is to just kind of go with the flow. If I want to indulge a craving, I try not to go overboard and overeat. Like, if I want a grilled cheese and a beer, I try to eat just one grilled cheese and be done with it instead of eating as many as I can. Or, if I want a beer, I just drink one to savor it. I’ve also discovered my love for wine again and will substitute a beer with a glass of Cabernet or Merlot. Both are tasty and in moderation, are actually good for you.

Me giving into a craving, oh well, you live and you learn!

There are times though when limiting myself at dinner doesn’t work either and I end up eating and drinking too much, however, I try not to beat myself up over it and tell myself that tomorrow is a new day. I figure it’s all about taking tiny, positive steps in the right direction and I keep telling myself that it’s a process and that I’m not going to be able to change overnight. A Facebook friend helped me realize that. She said that it took me nine months to put on the baby weight and that it will take some time to lose the weight too. I thank you for the advice and the support because sometimes I forget that I need to be patient and not get discouraged. We all know that when it comes to weight loss, if a person gets discouraged, he or she generally gives up and I’m not prepared to do that, not at all. I want to feel and look good again and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make that happen. :)

Well, that’s about all that I got for today when it comes to eating and weight loss. If you’re interested in some low fat meals along with workout tips and routines, check out a few of these sites:

Places to find low fat recipes

• http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/mealplanning/u/easyrecipes.htm 
• http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-living/low-fat-recipes/main.aspx
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/low-fat/index.html 
• http://www.sparkrecipes.com/

Workout routines and tips

• http://www.workoutbox.com/workouts/ 
• http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/10-workout-secrets-expert-exercise-tips 
• http://www.health.com/health/fitness 
• http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles_list.asp?iSel=17

With that, I bid you farewell and until next time, this is Carla the new mom, and tomboy, signing off!