Just Kickin it.

The baby is sitting very low in my tummy. He/she just seems to kick the heck out of my bladder. Ouch. Not comfortable at all, but I'm happy every time I feel the baby kick.
On a more exciting note, both of my children have felt the baby kick!
My son felt the baby kick a few days ago. It was funny to see the reaction on his face. His eyes just about popped out of his head and he said, "I felt it, it kicked me!" My daughter finally felt the baby kick last night. She was so happy to feel it for the first time because every other time she tried to feel the baby kick, it wouldn't.
I'm 21 weeks today, half way there.
I'm not sure if my son will want to feel the baby kick anymore because later that evening he said, "It's a little creepy. It kind of feels like you have an alien inside there."
So true, my son, so true.

Simple stir fry recipe

Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

Simple recipe I made from my Weight watchers Ultimate flex & core cookbook.

• 4 tsp. sunflower oil
• 1lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1 x 1/4 inch thick strips
• 1/4 lb. fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 Tablespoon grated, peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 lb. fresh snow peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 3 Tablespoons reduced sodium teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Pour in 2 teaspoons of the oil and swirl to coat the pan, then add half the pork. Stir fry until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining pork.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and stir fry until they begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add the bell pepper, ginger and garlic; stir fry until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the pork and snow peas; stir fry until the snow peas turn bright green, about 1 minute. Add the broth, teriyaki sauce, and orange zest; cook until the sauce thickens slightly and the vegetables are crisp tender, about 1 minute.


Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: Approx. 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Points value: 5

Something is definitely wrong.

I know something is wrong because I'm no longer feeling nauseaous 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It snuck up on me about 3 days ago.
I woke up feeling, well, how can I explain it other than, I felt good! I didn't feel like I was going to throw up, I wasn't gagging at every little scent that came happened to cross my path.
This must be it!
Dare I say my morning sickness is over?
It can't be. I've been used to this sick feeling for 18 weeks.
Now I can actually eat again like a normal person. Yippee! I'm so happy.
To celebrate "No more morning sickness" my Husband toook  me to my favorite Mexican Restaruant and I had a great big bowl of Chil Colorado.

 It really hit the spot.
Sure, I had a bit of heartburn later in the day but an antacid tablet took care of that.
Now I can let out a big sigh of relief.
That was a long, roller coaster ride of nausea but I'm glad it's all behind me.
Time to tackle all of the baby stuff that need to get done before the baby arrives.
I can't wait to see this little monkey!

A little bit of sweetness from my daughter.

I had a particularly bad day of morning sickness. My daughter took it upon herself to make me a "Get well Card".
She gave it to me in the morning as I was lying on the couch, feeling sorry for myself.
She hoped it would help me to feel better.
She handed me the card and then rubbed my tummy and told the baby, "Stop making Mommy sick". It was such a cute moment.
The card really did make me feel better.
It was a reminder that al of this nausea will be worth it in the end.
Thank you sweet Daughter, I love you!

Who are these kids and why are they so sweet?

I have had an awful bout of morning sickness/nausea today.
I've been lying on the couch most of the day trying to rest and keep my mind off of how horrible I feel.
Both of my children stayed home today due to the storm that hit us late last night.
As lunch time approached I wasn't sure how I was going to make lunch for the children and my Husband who would be joining us for lunch at any moment.

Then, out of no where, without me having to say anything, my darling, 7 year old son asked if I wanted him to make lunch? Of course I was ecstatic that he offered. I wasn't exactly sure what he was going to make, but I knew he'd figure something out.
My daughter immediately jumped in to help.
They proceeded to gather together all the items needed for PB & J sandwiches.
My son spread the peanut butter, my daughter spread the jelly, they also put some sliced fruit on the plate and topped it off with peanuts.

I was so proud of them. How sweet of them to help me out!
When I told them that I was very proud of them and that they made my heart smile, my son said, "I'm sorry  you are so sick Mom. I hope you feel better soon so you can do things with us again instead of lying on the couch all day."
What a sweet heart.

Sometimes I doubt myself as a Mom and I wonder if I'm doing a good enough job in raising my children to be responsible, caring, independant people. It's days like this when I know I'm doing a good enough job.

Bargain of the day!

Can you believe I found this lovely dress for only $3.99?

I consider myself a frugal Mom and I love a bargain.
I was at my local Savers thrift store the other day and I came across this beauty for under $4.00!
I thought it would be a lovely Easter dress for my daughter.
There are tons of bargains out there ladies, if you haven't been to your local neighborhood thrift store recently, I encourage you to get out there and start shopping!
It's a great way to be green too, don't you think?


Linked to:
Coastal Charm

Slow cooker chicken posole (mexican stew)

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken trimmed and cut into 1 in. pieces.
1 14.5 oz. can hominey (yellow or white, it doesn't matter).
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies ( I used rotel).
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, such as onion, pepper and celery. I use fresh vegetables and sautee them till softened.
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 garlic clove, minced1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4tsp. black pepper
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges.

Preparation
1. Place all the ingredients except the lime in a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 4-5 hours on high or 7 hours on low.
Serve with lime wedges.
May also garnish with chopped cilantro.

This only serves 4, so I usually make a double batch and freeze some for later.

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday Parade 
All things Related Tuesday

Wanna know if it's a boy or a girl?

I want to know too.
However, we won't be finding out the sex of the baby.
Sorry to disappoint you, along with all my other friends and family, but we've decided to not find out.
We didn't find out the sex with our first two pregnancies and it was the best surprise in the world.
It killed me to not know if I was having a boy or a girl.
I'm the kind of girl who does not like surprises!
I was the kind of girl who snuck around the Christmas tree at night when my Parents were asleep and I would search for my presents and carefully peel open one side of the package to see what my gift would be.
Bad, I know.
That's just me.
Fortunately, my Husband talked me into waiting.
Thank you, sweetie for talking me into doing something that I didn't want to do, it truly was worth the wait with each birth.
There was no sneaking around this time.

So just keep in mind, if you know someone who is pregnant and they don't want to know the sex of the baby, be nice to them. Don't ridicule them or exclaim, "What? You don't want to know what you're having?"
I'm sure they have their reasons. They just might want to be as surprised as we were when I thought for sure I was having a boy and I heard those beautiful words I'd been waiting to hear, "Congratulations, it's a girl!"

Hand made jewelry

A few of my creations that I have made with my own two hands.
I started out making jewelry about 2 years ago.
A friend of mine showed me how to get started with the basics. Once I found out how easy it was to do, I was addicted.
I sell some of my items on etsy, but mostly I sell to friends and family. Knowing how to make your own jewelry really does come in handy when you need a last minute gift for someone.Here is just a small sample of some of my items.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.



Enjoy!

Why do they call it morning sickness?

I'm currently 15 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and I'm glad to say I've never experienced morning sickness.
Really, I haven't.
It's not fair to call it morning sickness when it's 24 hours of nausea.
I prefer for it to be called "All day sickness" because I've been nauseous all day for the past 8 weeks.
Today has easily been the worst day of "all day" sickness during this pregnancy.

The only thing I have had to eat today was some french bread with olive oil, a few orange slices and some tea.
I am so hungry, yet I can't seem to keep anything down.
My husband and children are currently in the dining room chomping down on some pizza and listening to the soothing sounds of "House of Pain."
Oh, how I wish I could eat some and groove out to the music with them.
My poor tummy is just growling away.

Here is a list of all the foods that currently disgust be which I hope to be able to eat again someday soon.

• Pizza
• Salad
• french fries
• red meat
• pasta with red sauce
• bananas
• rice
• eggs

I know there are more to add to the list, but that's all I can think of for now.
I will just continue to ride this carousel of nausea unil it stops.
I do hope that is soon.