Our Mommyhood

Archive for March, 2010

By Stephanie

I woke up a little pissed frustrated this morning because I’m still fat. I’ve been dieting for close to eighteen hours now and nothing is happening. It’s bullshit.

I’m kind of an “immediate gratification” type of a gal, especially when it comes to “not outweighing my husband” or “no longer sweating when I eat”. And really, if I am to be expected to live on spring mix greens, half an apple slice, and a tablespoon of water a day, I should think I’d be down twenty, thirty pounds by now.

I’m not really sure how this “dieting” nonsense works ,as I’ve never been fat before. I was thin my whole life until my body was invaded by many a fetus* and I thought, “Oh! Eating for two!” But I was totally kidding myself about that; it was pretty obvious I was eating for, like, ninety.

And then, to make matters even more weighty (groan), when I was on bed rest in the hospital for several endless weeks, the Gestapo nursing staff watched me like a hawk to make sure I didn’t so much as walk to the ladies room– so there went the exercise**. And (this is so obvious I really don’t even need to mention it) the hospital food was so horrifying and I was so worried about the baby that I really didn’t have a choice but to order pizza every other night. And eat it alone. In the dark. While weeping and berating myself.

Now the time has come to shed the sixty*** pounds of “baby weight” (which is really on the cusp of no longer being able to be legitimately labeled “baby” weight) and I’m not sure how this is all going to go.

Things I’ve never even considered eating before are beginning to make my mouth water. You know; things like fish. Baby food. Wheat germ. The bed spread.

I’ve heard it said that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Unfortunately for me, I’m not so much interested in being “stronger” as I am in “eating some Chinese takeout”.

————————————————————————————-

*Lest you think I have a quasi-valid excuse here, I was never pregnant with multiples. I have a three year old and an eleven month old. But still.

**Isn’t it cute how I pretend that I actually would have exercised had it been permitted?

***Eighty

Stephanie is a stay at home mom to Joshua and Ella. She writes daily at Mama Still Wears Gucci,where she discusses everything from a radical obsession with vacuuming the draperies to vying (peacefully of course) for total world domination.

By Much More Than Mommy

Interested in being a guest blogger on “Our Mommyhood”? Email us and let us know!

One thing I noticed when I became a mom was how easy it was to talk about all things potty-related. When you’ve got babies, it’s all about the frequency and, yes, even the consistency. When you’ve got toddlers, potty training consumes your conversations. You can discuss these delicate issues with other moms without even one raised eyebrow.

And if there were ever an issue with what we found in our kids’ diapers or potties, or if we noticed them having a lot of difficulty in that area, would we hesitate to get things checked out?

Probably not. We’d make appointments, take our kids to specialists if necessary – we wouldn’t rest until we figured out what was wrong.

So why, dear friends, do we hesitate when it happens to us?

It is too embarrassing? Are we too busy worrying about everyone else to make an appointment?

(FYI, neither of those are good reasons.)

When I was 25-years-old, I started to see blood in the toilet after I went to the bathroom. It wasn’t that time of the month, so that was not something I was supposed to be seeing. I consulted my personal experts (my mom and grandmother), and they said what I expected them to: GO TO THE DOCTOR.

I won’t lie to you – I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to go to my primary care physician and talk to him about it. I didn’t want to go to a specialist.

I also didn’t want to pretend nothing was wrong.

So at 25-years-old, I went to my primary care physician, who sent me to a gastroenterologist. I had to endure the indignities that went with having a concern with all things potty-related, and then I heard a word that I hadn’t expected to hear for another 25 years… COLONOSCOPY.

The prep for the procedure was far, FAR worse than the procedure itself. After it was all said and done, I woke up giggly and groggy and was told that a polyp was removed and I should hear from my primary care physician. I thought everything was all taken care of and I was good to go. (No pun intended.)

Fast forward almost 6 years, as I was sitting at home, married with two children. I saw a commercial recommending colonoscopies and I remembered the doctor had suggested my having another one in 5 years. Oops.

Now, it’s not like I had nothing going on. It was right around the holidays when I came to this realization. But I also knew that if I didn’t go while I was thinking about it, there would be one thing after another that would distract me and I would forget.

Also, that same commercial kept coming on, and I hadn’t realized that polyps could be more than just a pain in the…

So I made another appointment, and guess what. The nurse told me they’d been trying to get in touch with me for 2 years. Why? Because that little polyp they found? Not so little. And actually, precancerous.

The second colonoscopy showed nothing (yay!), and I was told to have another one in 5 years, and if that one was clean, I could wait 10 years. You know, about the time I was actually supposed to start having colonoscopies.

What would have happened if I hadn’t gone when I was 25, though? What if I’d let the embarrassment stop me, or the fact that I was “too busy”?

Well, frankly, I don’t even want to think about that.

Do you?

Vanessa is definitely “much more than mommy”… she’s also a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a Christian. She’s also a blogger; you can learn more about her by visiting here.

By Tamara

Normally I don’t need help shopping. I am very capable of going to the store, spending way too much time there browsing around, and dropping too much cash before leaving with too many bags.

However, for this particular item, I need your help. What is it that I want to buy?

A smart phone.

Yes. That’s right. The girl who has 2.5 blogs (I count this as a half since Elizabeth and I co-created it), is on Twitter and Facebook a lot, and can’t live without checking her emails multiple times a day, does not yet have a smart phone.

I have been dragging my feet up to this point because I felt I didn’t need anything else to distract me from the kids. But alas, I have realized that a smart phone might be more helpful than harmful.

Why?

One reason is that I won’t have to lug around my laptop to conferences or other places. Ever done that? It hurts your back after awhile.

Another reason is that I will be going on a trip soon for the ConAgra Food’s “Child Hunger Campaign” I am a part of (details next week…you don’t want to miss that post!) and would like the ability to easily tweet out pictures and updates to you all.

So I caved. Decided to upgrade and pay the little bit extra for the smart phone. But now I need to decide which one! There are no short of a million smart phones out there, each with their pros and cons. Reading the reviews only makes your head spin, too. So I wanted to get your input, either from experience or reviews from those you know who own one.

I may have gotten inpatient by the time this post goes live and already bought one, but I still want your input just in case. So tell me this….

What smart phone should I buy and why?

Are there any I should avoid or ones I must have?

*If it matters, I use T-Mobile for service.

Tamara is a mom of 2 boys and the voice behind The (Un)Experienced Mom. She’s also the creator of Blog Conference Newbie, which is already recognized as a resource in the blogging community. When she’s not blogging or tweeting, she’s most likely sleeping…or changing a poopy diaper.

 

The winner of “The Perfect Brownie” giveaway is…

#2: Jessi From “Welcome To The Zoo“!

Congrats Jessi! Email us to claim your prize!

Ever since the New Year, I have tried to find ways to take classic meals and make them healthier. Whether it’s swapping out regular cheese with fat free, or regular butter with low fat, every little bit counts, right?

Everyone loves a good Macaroni and Cheese pie, and if you don’t… well… I’m sorry, you have no idea what you are missing! Anyway, what if I told you that there was a healthy way to eat the number one comfort food of all time? Put down the fat, and take notes. You’ll love what you are about to see!

4-Cheese Healthy Macaroni & Cheese

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

- Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

- Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Have a recipe to share? Make sure to head to our inaugural “Meal Planning Menu” blog hop to share your recipe. It may even be featured in next Sunday! 

 

Samantha is a stay at home mom of one crazy little girl. She writes out her antics almost daily on her personal blog, Apple Juice and Milk,in an attempt to help others feel better about their lives… when compared to hers.