It's been a very busy few weeks around here, and because of that, I'm still finding all sorts of stuff to love! Without further adieu, here's the 11th edition of Stuff I'm loving Saturday! 

Cream Nut Peanut Butter

I pretty much love all peanut butter, but this one is a natural kind that has the best flavor out there! My mom picked this up for me awhile back, and it had been sitting in the pantry... Until I ran out of my beloved Skippy Natural. This is a super yummy replacement! It has the perfect peanut buttery flavor and tastes amazing in both smoothies and on sandwiches. Definite winner in my book! 

Hip2Save

I seriously wish it hadn't taken me so long to find this Facebook page, as it's every money savers dream! The Facebook page and blog track down the very best deals out there and find coupons to make them even better! I've scored some amazing deals since I started following her including 10 Bath and Body Works hand soaps shipped for only $21, 5 Carter's sleep and plays for $25 shipped from Kohl's, and a totally free Automotive Weekly magazine subscription Dan (no credit card info required!)! I promised myself I'll only buy things I actually use or need... Because some of those deals are amazing! 

Time Balm concealer

From, like, infancy, I've had really bad under eye circles. It doesn't matter what I eat or how much sleep I get, they tend to be just awful. This has magnified times ten since Baby Henry showed up! Luckily, Time Balm concealer exists! Within seconds, my under eye bags are covered, and it looks totally natural. Thank you, Time Balm, for making me look alive. 

Graze 

A while back, I received an email to try out a box of snacks for free. Since I'm not normally one to turn down free snacks, I was in! Graze will send you four different snacks weekly, and they'll even send them to your work to keep you away from the vending machines! There are at least a hundred different snacks on the website, and you can rank them from love it down to a don't send this to me option (I did that with all the spicy options!)! The boxes normally run $6.99, and I was planning to cancel after my first one, but when I went to do it, they offered me my next box at half off, so I'm hanging around for one more week. They have a nice rewards program, and the best part is, you can try your first box for free too! Click on the links here, and head on over to Graze to give it a whirl! 

The right words in the right moments 

Every once in awhile, the right quote comes to me at the right time. This happened to me last night in the form if a bible verse my friend J posted, John 14:27 -- peace of mind and heart. I needed that in my second week of parenting! Love when the right words show up just when you need them!

The new normal: Life with Baby P

Dan went back to work Monday, and Henry and I are starting to settle in to a routine. If I'm being 100% honest with you (read: myself), I will say that the first few weeks of parenthood are really freaking hard. My hat is off to single parents (you're rockstars!), because transitioning from four hands to two the past few days has been tough! 

We are so lucky to have a lot of help. My parents are very close and have come almost daily to help with literally everything. Dan's family isn't far either, and they've been wonderful about bringing food and treats and support. And we have amazing friends who have offered support in person, on the phone, via text, and through snail mail! 

I'm readjusting my definition of normal. Normal used to mean 9ish hours at work plus an hour long workout every day in addition to meetings, housework, and an active social life. That's definitely not normal now. 

Normal means getting sleep in two to three hour increments. And maybe only getting two to three hours of sleep total in a given night. 

Normal means not having a clue what's going on in the real world because I haven't left the house in a week. 

Normal means I get excited about dirty diapers, especially when I haven't seen a bowel movement in 24 hours (I have used the smiley face poop emoji more than I ever thought possible!).

Normal means if I can get a shower and a little bit of makeup on, I'm a really happy girl!

Normal means I spend most of my day cuddling the warmest, most wonderful little bundle on the planet. And I wouldn't trade that for anything. 

Moms, what was the biggest adjustment for you upon bringing baby home? 

Hospital 101: Things I wish I had known going in

While gearing up for labor and delivery, I did a LOT of research. I read accounts online. I grilled (nicely) my best friends about their experiences. I joined a mommy-to-be group on Facebook for fitness minded moms so I could ask questions of those who had been there before (or, were in the same boat as me). I read blogs. I used Pinterest. 

And yet, truly, nothing can really prepare you for the experience. 

Today, I pass on some of the things I didn't read about anywhere else on to you so that you'll know these things when you head to the hospital. 

After labor, everything will hurt. If you're pushing for any length of time, there's a good chance you're going to hurt afterward. My face, neck, and shoulders hurt from pushing so hard. Be prepared. And this leads us to the next item... 

You may pop capillaries in your face. Yep, I did that. Right around my eyes, especially. Don't say I didn't give it my all to push Henry out! 

Take your own towel. I'd seen suggestions to take your own pillow and your own shampoo/conditioner/soap (it's not a hotel after all!). But no one warned me about this! You're going to be sore and tired and taking your first shower post birth will feel like a million bucks. And then you'll get out of the shower and pick up something approximately the size of a hand towel, and that'll be what you're supposed to use to dry off. Save yourself the trouble, and take your own towel. 

Hospital breakfast is the best meal of the day. Load up. The first meal I ate in the hospital was breakfast. This was about two hours after giving birth. I think I ordered one of everything on the menu. And it was maybe the most delicious meal of all time. They do breakfast right (and they do everything else okay!). Order a lot! And enjoy it! 

If you get the hospital photos taken, you will buy them. Know that. We had already lined up our baby photographer for the first year (the FABULOUS Kaity Fuja and OMG Photography), but I still agreed to have hospital photos taken. Yeah, you'll be a goner once you see your baby's photos for the first time. So, despite having newborn pictures already lined up, we bought the hospital pics too. Be prepared. And think ahead if you want special outfits too. :) 

Take everything you can. I'd read this before, but it's worth saying again -- take everything you can. Diapers! Wipes! Baby hat! Pads! After care products for momma! Take them all. You will want them. You will need them. You will use them. If you're lucky, you'll have an amazing nurse like us (her name was Gino!) who will notice that you're running "low" on baby diapers (we had, like 12 left in the pack of 20), and she'll bring you another one opened so you have to take it when you go. You're paying for those items! Take them! 

Take thank yous for the nurses. If you have an experience like us, your nurses will be lifesavers those first few days. Love them. Cherish them. Take them cookies. Or candy. Or, in the event of an almost state of emergency being declared in your county, a lot of coffee and maybe a giant truck or SUV to get them to and from work. 

**When you get home, you're going to want onesies with the built in hand mittens. Just forget all the other onesies. You want the ones with the built in hand mittens, because the little tiny mittens you buy will NOT stay on the hands. It's the best way we've found to prevent face scratching! :D

Welcome to the world, Henry Michael!: A birth story

I'm writing this from our couch while my husband snuggles our brand new son. This is one of the only times I've touched my computer since we got home, and it feels good to have a little bit of normalcy back in our lives. I've been wanting to write Henry's birth story for days, and am so glad I get to do it now! (Warning: This is a birth story. So, be prepared that it's going to talk about things related to birth. That is all). 

On Wednesday, February 11, I went to my weekly doctor appointment. Everything looked normal, but no major progress on the baby front. I went to bed feeling a little crampy and woke up to... a SNOW DAY! While normally I would have been very excited about this, I was bummed, because it meant one less day with my students at school (Friday the 13th was slated to be my last day). I was still a little crampy when I woke up, and since the roads were bad and I wasn't feeling well, Dan decided to work from home for the day. 

By lunchtime, my cramps were still there, and I decided to start tracking them. A pattern showed up immediately, and I realized they were about 17 minutes apart. At that point, I went a little nutso around the house. Multiple loads of laundry, finishing up the baby's room, vacuuming the entire house (staircases and all), and trying to grade the last 16 research papers in my possession. I told Dan we'd be going to the hospital later, and he assured me the baby wouldn't be coming then. By dinner, my contractions were about 10 minutes apart and slightly more intense. Naturally, being a Thursday, I still wanted to watch Scandal (priorities). At the end of the show, the contractions were 7 minutes apart, so we called the doctor on call, and he told us to come in when they were 5 minutes apart for over an hour. 

We attempted to get some sleep, but at this point, contractions were too painful for me to rest easy during them. After three contractions in a row of about 10 minutes apart, my contractions went full force and started coming every 2-3 minutes. With no time in between to recover, at midnight, I told Dan it was time to go. He gave me a momentary look of panic, and then got moving... quickly! Until it was actually time to go, and then he told me he had to send a few emails. If looks could kill... But after the emails went out, we were off to the hospital. 

We arrived at 1 a.m. and checked in to labor and delivery triage. A nurse and doctor came in to start registering us, and when they checked me, I was at 3 centimeters (I'd been 1 the day before at the doctor). Other than that, though, everything was still in tact. They called the doctor on call (Dr. Derbin), and asked if we should be admitted. They tabled it for the moment -- it was possible they were going to ask me to walk around to advance labor. Dan and I were left alone in the room, and we had some time to talk. He was great about trying to distract me during them (they had become really painful by this point), and when it was time for another check an hour later, I had advanced to 4. We were admitted! 

We got in to our room at 3 a.m. and met our labor and delivery nurse, Jenny. Bless her! She was amazing. I went to the bathroom and got settled in to bed, and Dan went to use the bathroom while Jenny and I talked. As we were talking, I felt a giant gush, and my water broke! We were ready to go! 

I tried to rest for about an hour, but at that point everything was just SO painful. Dan and I had made a pact that if I asked for the epidural three times, I was allowed to have it. I asked him three times in a row, and we asked Jenny if we could get that going. She did one more check... and I was 8 cm! I'd progressed 4 centimeters in 40 minutes! The anesthesiologist and doctor were both called, and that's when it all got really real. 

During the epidural, I was having a terrible contraction, almost to the point where I wanted to push. Dan was standing in front of me as the anesthesiologist inserted the epidural, and for some reason, I felt the need to tell Dan "you're the best husband in the world and I love you so much!" Jenny thought this was hilarious and said it was the first time she's ever heard a contracting mom getting an epidural compliment her husband. 

At 5, the epidural was in, and I got to see my parents, and at 5:30, Dr. Derbin asked if we were ready to start pushing so we could meet our baby. My parents left, and it was show time! Dan, Jenny, Dr. Derbin, and a few other nurses spent the next hour coaching me on when and how to push and what I should be feeling. I got a good chance to rest in between contractions ( with a fancy oxygen mask, no less!), and believe it or not, all of us were cracking jokes! Bless you, epidural, for making labor almost enjoyable! 

Toward the end, Dr. D mentioned that we might to use the vacuum to get the baby out, and I decided right then that I was pushing until little person was here. 

And seven pushes later, he was. 

The doctor turned him toward Dan, and he told me, "We have a Henry!" And the next thing I knew, he was on my chest showing off his amazing lungs and Dan and I were totally in love. It was 6:38 a.m.

There are no words to describe how that moment felt. The feeling in that moment is something I will never forget. Then it was just a blur of cuddles and "I love yous" and emotions and trying to grasp that he was really here. I got to hold him and do skin to skin with him before anyone took him to be weighed and measured, and I love that we created a bond in that time. Dare I say it, I kind of enjoyed labor (granted, mine progressed pretty quickly!)!

About thirty minutes later, my parents came back in. One of the coolest moments of my life was when I got to say,  "Come meet your grandson!" It was so worth not finding out for us!   

Henry came in to the world so quickly, we didn't even have time to do the things we'd planned on. I was looking forward to that labor tub and eating popsicles! Neither happened. I at least wanted my hair in a ponytail! We didn't even have time to get the hospital bag out of the car.  

So even though we lost an entire night of sleep, and even though I almost passed out the first time I stood up, and even though I'm still mildly terrified of doing something wrong as a mom, I can truly say, it is all so worth it. 

We are so in love! Welcome to the world, Henry Michael!

Making a daddy-to-be kit!

I feel like it's been so long since I've blogged, so I'm thrilled to be sharing one today! This was actually written prior to Henry's (we have a son!) arrival, so know that's why it's vague about gender. LOTS more blogs planned to tell you about how our little man made his entrance into the world!

Since our sweet Baby Putt was due on Valentine's Day, Dan and I decided early on that we wouldn't do a big Valentine celebration this year. We even said no gifts for each other (we get our baby this year, so that was good enough for us!). But the more I thought about it, I still wanted something to take to the hospital for daddy when it was time to go. 

Enter the dad-to-be kit! I saw this idea on Pinterest (in a cute tool box, no less!), and loved it immediately. The post on Pinterest was more focused toward the baby (things like diaper rash cream, hand sanitizer, onesies, etc.), but I wanted to get a few things for daddy in there to make it a little bit more about him. 

So mine turned out like this! 

In the kit, I added a snack for daddy for the hospital (Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Crisps), some awesome Valentine's Day candy (a "Someday I'd like you to be my emergency contact person" SomeEcards box of chocolates and a box of "You're Smokin'" chocolate cigars), a book for daddy and baby to read together (I tried to find a book about GTOs, but no luck!), and some special hand soap to keep everybody disinfected! 

I also added a Valentine's Day card from me and a card from Baby Putt that reads: 
Dear daddy, 
You don't know me yet, but I'm sure mom has told you that I can't wait to come out and meet you. I hear you talk to me and give mommy's belly lots of kisses, and I can't wait to come out so you can hold me! Mom says you give the best cuddles and hugs! From what mom has told me, I'm the luckiest kid ever to have a dad like you. I can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Baby Putt

I hope Dan loved it as much as I loved putting it together! 

What else would you include in a kit to give dad at the hospital?

What I'll miss most about teaching

The past week or so has been absolutely insane! First, I'm still pregnant! Baby P is due on Saturday, so we'll see how closely s/he comes to the due date! Work has kept me incredibly busy, though, as I try to tie up loose ends and make sure I have everything in place for the end of second trimester and the beginning of third. 

Logistically, I knew it was going to be difficult to leave partway through the year. We're on trimesters at school, and I won't quite make it to the end of second trimester, so it's an awkward time to leave. There are things I'm trying to wrap up and lessons I'm trying to leave for the people stepping in to my role. 

But the past two days, I've been extra emotional at school, and I know that's because come Monday, I won't be there to see my kids. That's truly the hardest part of going on maternity leave. I love my students, and the thought of not seeing them every day makes me really sad. Because they are some of the best people I know. 

After nine years at LaPorte, and ten years of teaching total, I feel like I'm in such a good place in the classroom. I truly love going to work every day (and I don't know very many adults who can say that!). And although everyone tells me I'll think about the classroom less when our baby is here, I know part of my heart will stay at school with all of those students I'm leaving there. 

It's weird to think that they'll take finals and have the first day of a new trimester and publish newspapers and go on spring break and ask people to prom and I won't be there for any of it. It's weird to think that 2-hour delays and snow days won't greatly impact my daily plans anymore. It's especially weird to think that I won't hear the stories and see the triumphs of my students on a daily basis. That's literally breaking my heart right now. 

So, while I love lesson planning and seeing projects and grading (okay, I don't always love the amount of grading!), my incredible students and my amazing coworkers will be what I miss the most. I know they will have a wonderful end to the school year, but I will miss so much that I am not there with them. 

When I walk out of school on Friday, I know it's because the rest of this school year holds a different agenda for me. But there will always be a part of me that wants to be there too. Because while I will be having my own child, I'll miss my school children too!

Blogging: The good, the bad, and the straight up ugly

Eeek! It's been more than a few days since I've been able to get back to the blog. Part of that is due to a very busy, very chaotic week. Part of that is due to the fact that my brain is spent (it's research paper grading time!). And part of that is due to the fact that I just didn't know what to write about. 

I've been wracking my brain all week trying to think of a solid, worthwhile blog post. I toggled between things like possible titles for a book about pregnancy (Everything's Annoying and I'm Sorry in Advance: A Pregnancy Journey) to home decorating (how DO you style a bookshelf well?!). None of it gelled, so alas, I waited. 

And that got me thinking about all of the things I love about blogging and some of the things I don't love too. 

The Good

• I get to write! Not since college have I really gotten the chance to write this regularly, and I really do enjoy it. 
• I get to write about whatever I want! I don't have to write based on assignments or word counts. While this blog started as a journey to my first half marathon, it's morphed into something I really love where I get to write about all the things in my life.
• It's a great way to connect! Whether it's with old friends, new friends, or complete strangers, I get the chance to communicate with so many other people. I've even met some of the people I've connected with through the blog (Hi, Sherry!), and that has been so fun! 
• I've gotten some great opportunities! I get to work with some awesome local businesses and business owners. I'm all about shopping small, and I love that I get to do some promotion things for them! 
• I can do it anytime, anywhere! Whenever inspiration strikes, I can blog it via my computer or an app on my phone. I love that it's flexible! 
• It's something I can do with Baby P here. Although I'll have a six-month maternity leave from work, I still want to feel like I'm engaged in something. Blogging will be perfect! 

The Bad

• Blogger's block is a real thing. There are days (weeks?) where I've literally had ZERO ideas what to write about. I've actually Googled "Blog post ideas" just to see what other people have come up with! 
• You can't always say everything you want. Sometimes I would LOVE to complain about something. Maybe it's a tough situation I'm dealing with at work. Maybe it's just my very strong opinion on something. But I feel the need to tamper those items because I want to stay as professional and unbiased as possible. 

The Ugly

• Not everyone will love you. The beauty of blogging is that so, so many types of blogs exist. And not everyone will love yours. 
• Not everyone will love what you write. I haven't really experienced this (perhaps because I try to stay away from controversial topics), but people can be SO rude! And since they can hide behind anonymity, people often feel the need to say whatever comes to mind. Can't we all just be a little kinder? 
• Trying to think of creative posts that will be popular and well-read is tough. Sometimes I write a blog post that I think will DEFINITELY be a winner! I figure I'll easily get a few hundred hits on it. And I'll end up with 49. It can be disheartening to see that something wasn't so well received.

But even those bad and ugly sides aren't enough to overwhelm all the awesome things about blogging. Thinking about starting a blog of your own? I'd love to chat and share some things to think about as you're beginning! Feel free to get in touch with me! 

Summer bodies are made in the winter: Work it out now!

Oh, winter. You are certainly rearing your ugly head here in the Midwest (and I'm sure elsewhere too!). We got about 16 inches of snow yesterday alone, and it's still continuing to flurry outside now. Normally I would have at least helped out with some of that shoveling, but being nine months pregnant means I get a pass this year! 

One of my Facebook friends posted this quote the other day, and it's the inspiration behind today's blog post: Summer bodies are made in the winter. It's so true! But it can also be SO hard to convince yourself to move your body in the winter when all really want to do is cuddle up with something (or someone!) cozy and hibernate. 

Just a few reasons that it's a great idea to workout in the winter!  
Working out...

• lifts your mood (and we could ALL use that!)
• makes you more agile for when you have to walk somewhere on ice 
• fights colds
• strengthens your heart and bones
• increases energy and endurance
• sends oxygen to cells
• lessens fatigue

Now, I realize nothing I say here is probably going to chance your mind about working out. I don't necessarily expect you to start a workout regimen just because I said you should. But what I AM hoping is that you'll spend a little more time moving so that in four or five months, you can be really glad you did! 

These are some of my favorite SHORT workouts that I've seen lately. My late pregnancy workouts have been VERY different from my earlier pregnancy workouts, and I'm hoping you'll like them to! 

1. This Lazy Girl's Arm Workout video from PopSugar Fitness means you can sit down the entire time! A workout where I don't have to stand up? Sold! All you need is a set of hand weights. 

2. This awesome Couch Workout will also keep you cozy on the couch! No real equipment required -- but you will need a pillow! Try it in between episodes of whatever you're watching on Netflix. 

3. If you're looking for some cardio, walk (or run if you'd like!) your stairs at home. In sets of ten, head down and up your stairs. After ten sets, grab a set of hand weights and work some biceps, triceps, and pecs. Hit the stairs again for ten more sets. Repeat as many times as you'd like (or as many times as you have time for!). 

4. Pop in any workout DVD, check out OnDemand, or Google 20-minute workout videos. When you find one you like, do it! Anything from walking to yoga to high impact aerobics will get the blood pumping and make you feel better! 

Make time to make YOU a priority this winter. And get working on that summer body, because, believe it or not, summer IS coming! 

(Pssst! The Sparkle Box giveaway is winding down. You've got only eight more hours to win a fantastic piece of jewelry shipped directly to your door! Visit my Sparkle Box blog to get information on how to enter! Go now! Enter today! The winner will be chosen tomorrow!)

Month 2: My Bock Box subscription review!

It's February, and that means my next Bock Box has arrived! Is there anything better than getting a surprise (a happy surprise!) in the mailbox every month? I don't think so! 

If you haven't heard about Bock Box, you can read about my first month here! Essentially, the Bock Box is a subscription service of all sorts of things monogrammed and personalized just for you from Courtney Bock Designs. CBD is a great, local business that offers tons of apparel, home goods, jewelry, and kitchenware that can't be found anywhere else! I fell in love with CBD this past summer when I got the chance to be a Brand Rep for them (I don't get free items or compensation for sharing my opinion, but I do get a small discount!). I've loved everything I've gotten from them, and the Bock Box is no different. You'll fill out a questionnaire that asks you about your sizes, interests, hobbies, and favorite/least favorite colors. Each month for the length of your subscription, a beautiful little box will show up with goods in it just for you! 

Last month was all about baby for me, and I got a beautiful To Do Before I'm Due notepad and a Dear Babysitter notepad for when we leave our sweet little Baby Putt with babysitters in the future. 

This month, CBD's Facebook page talked about how they were shipping lots of Valentine's boxes out for Bock Boxes this month, so I was hoping to add something Valentine-y to my collection. And yesterday, my box arrived! 

From looking at the shape, I was guessing it was a tumbler, and upon opening, I was correct! 

This month, I got the Kate Spade Break the Ice Tumbler complete with AMP monogram. The tumbler holds 22 ounces of cold liquid and retails for $18. The card from Courtney and Maddie at CBD joked about how this month I might be more focused on breaking the water than breaking the ice (ha!), which I appreciated. So, not something Valentine-y, but it will keep me hydrated these next few weeks. 

I love that many of my friends are getting Bock Boxes too because we get to see all the great things we get every month! This month, one got these adorable monogrammed boot cuffs, and another got these awesome seersucker lounge pants monogrammed in Valentine Red. The Chicago ladies haven't gotten their boxes yet, but I'll update the post when they do!