Poor Man's March

No, we're not striking, or joining any occupy movement.

On Thursday March 1st, Kyle and I will begin what we've termed: “Poor Man’s March”. We are going to see how little we can spend throughout the month of March.

That is why before Thursday, I plan to do a whole lotta shopping and rack up a whole lotta credit card debt (just kidding). *Side note: One of Kyle’s pet peeves is when people eat horribly the week before they start a diet. Similarly, spending a lot of money before a spending-fast

Instead of calling it "saving money" we're opting for the term "not spending money"

Here are some ways that we’re planning on not spending money this month:

1. When analyzing our credit card bills, the majority of our money goes towards food. So we’re starting with this rule: No sit down restaurants for the whole month (unless of course someone else is buying)

2. Fast food only four times throughout the entire month.

3. Use our gift cards. We still have a Q’doba gift card and 2 subs worth of a Jimmy John’s gift card. That’s two extra meals this month that won’t show up on our credit card.

4. Starbucks on Saturdays only. This is actually very cheap entertainment for us. We each get a coffee, and I print out a USA Today crossword online, and we spend an hour or two sipping our coffee, chatting, and completing a crossword together. This is one activity we hope to someday enjoy when we're retired (but on a daily basis).

5. Eating freezer and pantry food – You’d be amazed how much food we have stocked away that we just haven’t eaten yet

6. Eat leftovers. How many times have we thrown out an entire meal of good food?!? Not happening this March!

7. Set a menu. We do better when we set a menu. It prevents us from stopping at Subway or BWW. We're thinking a healthy menu too.

8. Go in to work one hour earlier. If I go into work an hour earlier, I leave an hour earlier. This gives me more time to start on cooking those delicious home-cooked dinners.

9. No alcohol. This has obviously been a given for me. I haven’t had a drink since Ireland. However, this means no beer purchases for Kyle too. Let’s just call it a 31 day sympathy detox. Though, he is allowed to finish the 3 beers left in the fridge.

10. DIY haircut. We do this anyways. I enjoy cutting Kyle’s hair, and I’ve gotten better and quicker at it. An added plus: he doesn’t have to schedule an appointment or spend the time to go to the barber.

11. Cheap and productive entertainment. Like fertilizing our lawn, bathing the dogs, fixing up things that we already have the supplies to fix.

12. No shopping (in stores or online). Yep, I won’t be buying a thing. No matter how cute or what a great deal it is.

*One exception: If the i pad 3 comes out in March and they drop the price on the i pad 2, we may be purchasing an i pad 2 for Kyle

30 weeks

Last weekend was awesome. My sister threw a coed baby shower for us at the abode of my cousin Lisa and Doug in Chicago. There was a great turn out, and it was so nice to see everyone. We played a fun game, and ate some great food. Instead of a card my sister had requested that people bring a book and sign their names on the inside. I LOVED THIS! Kyle and I love reading through the books that everyone had picked. Some had picked their childhood favorite, and others picked a book that they enjoy reading to their young loved ones. 

On Sunday, we went on two brewery tours. It was a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday in Chicago. Like a good attendee I drank all my samples :)

 OK, well maybe I got a little bit of help.

Lucy is at 30 weeks. So only 10 weeks left to go. I'm really getting excited to meet her. She is now the size of an English cucumber. I can constantly feel her kicks and movements. I haven't been feeling well... at all. The doctor thinks it's because of my low blood sugar and super low blood pressure. Add that to a cold and sore throat. I hate to complain, since I had it so easy the first 6 months. The doctor wants to see me weekly and run blood work until I start to feel better, and at least until the chest pains and nausea/vomiting goes away. Until then, Kyle will have to stay on pregnant wife duty :)

29 weeks

Lucy and I are at 29 out of 40 weeks. With how crummy I've been feeling, I'm glad that we're about 75% of the way done. 

And the obscure veggie of the week is...

The ever so well known acorn squash. I cooked with acorn squash once, it was terrible. But that probably had something to do with my lack of cooking talent, and my need to make substitutions and estimations on the fly.

Today I'm going to go down to Bloomington to look at a Jeep Liberty. After that I'll be hanging out with Miss Franny. She's going to stay over at Auntie Chel and Kyle's house tonight. It's a good thing too, since we have a bear on the loose in our home, and we will need someone to assist us on a good bear hunt :) I'll keep you posted on whether or not we catch him.

Chicago this weekend with some awesome friends and family. Super excited!

Waiting for Lucy

Remember this post?

What's in a name...

Well, I think we're ready to handle a few vomity faces (at least we keep telling ourselves that we're prepared to). We've chosen a name for little Ringlet... 

Lucy Ring. (I know, I know, "it has a nice 'ring' to it"). We had a few other names picked out, and one morning, out of the middle of nowhere, I told Kyle "I think she feels like a Lucy", and it stuck. Surprisingly, we randomly found a name that we both love.

Kyle painted purple letters, wrapped them with green yarn and hung them over her crib. So it's official. No changing it now. So don't ask. Those letters were too hard get hung up. (My slightly OCD husband had to make sure that they were perfectly centered and spaced above the crib).

**For those who are curious, yes, we finally agreed on a middle name too. But we're keeping that one a secret until her arrival**

Here are some more pictures of our just about finished nursery. I doubt her closet will always stay this neat and organized.

 

My mom refinished my grandmothers baby dresser and finished it off with some baby animal knobs. It looks a-maz-ing!

Kyle and I enjoy sitting in this rocking chair and admiring our work.

28 weeks

Little Ringlet is 28 weeks. Measuring in at roughly the size of a Chinese Cabbage (about 14 inches from head to toe).

It looks like from here on out, we'll be learning more about obscure fruits and vegetables than Ringlet's actual measurements.

Thank you for everyone's wonderful comments on my last post. Glad to know that someone is actually reading this :)

27w4d check-up

Little Ringlet is almost 28 weeks.

Her doctor’s appt yesterday went ok. She’s in the breach position, so they were able to get some nice photos of her teenie tiny face. Hopefully she’ll move out of that position in the next couple of weeks.

She weighs over 2 pounds and is in the 45-50 percentile. Her length measured in at 28 weeks. The ultrasound tech called her our little “over-achiever”. You could see her little diaphragm moving up and down, meaning that she’s already practicing her breathing.

I found out that I anti-failed the Glucose Challenge Test.

How the test works: A nurse checks your blood sugar, then you drink a whole bunch of sugary orange drink, wait an hour, and the nurse checks your blood sugar again.

The range is for the second test should be between 80-130, with anything over 130 being an F. Well, mine came back in the 60’s which means that my blood sugar level actually dropped. I figured that was an “A+” but the dr. started using big words like “hypoglycemia” and some other acronyms that I can’t remember; then he said, “eat more small meals”. I understood that part, and am starting today.

He gave me a prescription for my heartburn. However if my chest pains don’t go away we’ll have to do an “EKG” (what is with these doctors and their acronyms, they’re worse than a 14 year old girls text message).

He wasn’t sure why my left eye keeps twitching, but I googled it, and it means good fortune is on it’s way. So I’m going to just stick with that.

Here are a few photos of little Ringlet:

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday from me and my ever-growing, 27 weeks and 3 days belly.

Only 87 more days to go!

27 weeks and feeling fine... (for the most part)

Little Ringlet is at 27 weeks. We have an appointment on Tuesday, which should include an ultrasound to make sure she's growing. That's good, because I feel like it's been FOREVER since I last saw her.

The bump has her at the size of a cauliflower. 

 

I love baby hiccups. It's our little bonding moment that tells me she's in there trying to learn how to breathe. I think that pregnancy has gotten easier now that I can feel her move around. It's been a little reassurance that things are still progressing like they should.

I've been having a few chest pains and periodically a shortness of breath. A tad bit of heartburn. But otherwise we're still just trekking along.