Time to eat!

This week feels more (and less) like normal. For more normal, we have a swim meet coming up this weekend. Which is pretty much a constant at our house. Less normal? This Monday marks 14 years being married!!!

So, here's the plan for this week!

Monday we are getting take-out from Brooklyn Bridge. It's a local Italian, family owned restaurant that we all really love. 

Tuesday: cheesy chicken and rice casserole and seasoned roasted green beans. For seasoned and roasted green beans, I get 1 lb of green beans, toss them will oil and seasonings in a large baggie, spread on a pan and cook for 20 minutes on Broil. 

Wednesday: We're trying a recipe I found in Family Fun magazine. It's a single pan recipe for meatloaf and potato wedges. It includes green beans, but since we're eating green beans tuesday, we're going to use broccoli. Here's the link. 

Thursday: This is a long night for us. I have an after-school meeting and later that night a band booster club meeting for the middle school kid, which means....LEFTOVERS!!

Friday: Sausage Alfredo and Country Salad

Saturday: Swim meet in the morning and a potential car ride to and from Nashville for my sister's baby shower means dinner has to be easy and something that can be put off if we go so.... Walking Taco night!! If you've never had a walking taco, it's a great fun way to do tacos! 

Best wishes to a great week!!!

Here's what you'll need when you go shopping...

Next Sunday I'm planning to make pumpkin bread pudding and homemade whipped cream with the leftover cream from Friday as a welcome to fall... Here's the link for the recipe I plan to try if things go as planned... 


 

Time to get back to Normal Week 9/13 - 9/19

It's time for life to get back to normal! Now that Georgia is here and settled and school has started, and we are back to a routine, time to get back to regular blog posting and meal planning!

So, here we go with getting life back in order!!!

Sunday: Thankfully, Annie's Bat Mitzvah went well and the leftovers are almost all gone. Until then... Burgers and hot dogs on the grill, french fries in the oven (I use frozen ones...)

Monday: This particular meal is one that is so easy to cook and yet it feels so hearty.
Sausage, onions and potatoes on the stove "Southern Stir-Fry" and Country Salad with Apples and Honey for Dessert. Happy New Year!!! L'Shana Tova!!

Tuesday: Someone please explain to me why this is always such a classic in so many families?? For our french toast, we use the Better Home and Gardens recipe, and sub Challah for the bread needed. Trust me, it's awesome...
Breakfast for dinner!!! (grits, eggs, Challah french toast, bacon*)
*Double batch of bacon as a prep for tomorrow

Wednesday: By the middle of the week, I need to have some comfort food that just makes me feel better. Don't you? So tonite is Sandwich nite! Use your favorite grilled cheese and BLT recipe for these sandwiches!!! We use frozen tater tots. Grilled cheese, BLTs and tater tots

Thursday: We have parent/teacher conferences so tonite has to be quick and easy. Since the kids are off school tomorrow, roasted potatoes means that there is plenty to heat up for lunch.
Rotisserie chicken (pick up on the way home), spinach casserole and roasted potatoes
 be sure to cut up leftover chicken for tomorrow night

Friday: This is truly comfort Southern food at it's finest. It's mostly healthy and has plenty of substitutes to make it better for you, but overall is just yummy goodness. Homemade chicken pot pie and salad.

Saturday: We have a lot of yard work to do today to start getting ready for our annual fall party, for my birthday. I'm hoping that we get the patio well cleaned up and can eat outside.... Burgers, hot dogs and potatoes

Recipes are linked on each day and the grocery list can be found here.

Soon I'll do a post of how we prep for lunches and mornings! But for now, happy eating and planning.

Georgia Waverly: Month 1

At the ripe old age of 1 month, Georgia has found a very clear and discernable spot in everyone's hearts. She is loved and doted on by all and has experienced 5 swim meets! (That was fast...) She is now sleeping approximately 4 hours at a stretch at night and is making eye contact. She has done well at all of her doctor's visits and seems to be growing right on track. Her Mongolian Spots are here to stay and we have found they will change color with her body temp! She likes to smile and talk with Lissy and Dilly and seems to think that they are both WILDLY entertaining. 

Lissy and Georgia

Dilly and Georgia

Here's Georgia at 1 month... with her cute outfit from Round the Bend! When I tell you Erin is awesome, I mean she is fabulous!!! We got a gown in pink and a gown in white. Love them!!

We all can't wait to see what she will be doing next!

I just had a baby!

Words can not begin to express how happy I am to be able to share that sentence!!! After what seemed like a never ending day, Georgia Waverly is finally here and a real member of our family! She was born on May 28 at 1:29am (1 whole minute before my own deadline...) and weighs in at a whopping 6lbs and 10 ounces, 19 inches long. Below is our story and pictures!!

Best moment of the whole night was finally being able to get that little girl on my chest!!!

I went to the hospital at about 10:30 in the morning because, well, nothing felt "right". The girls got dropped off at story time with nanny Melanie, Annie was at a friend's house, so it was me and the boys. Jonas and Geoff were both hungry and tired, respectively, and annoying me in the waiting room, so I sent them both home before even getting checked into a room. I texted Kati, my doula, and told her what was going on. She offered to come to the hospital to keep me company and I accepted.

Since the computer was not picking up my contractions and they had my due date wrong (they thought I was only 36 weeks and 2 days instead of 37 weeks and 4 days), the hospital wanted to send me home. My doctor corrected my due date and scheduled me to be induced the following week. He told me that if I could get my cervix to change or my water broke on it's own, then I could have my baby, but otherwise, he was stuck. So off Kati and I went!

I had not eaten all morning because nothing felt right. Since they did an ultrasound in the hospital and showed me my baby was doing fine, I was now VERY hungry! Kati and I went to Chipotle where I proceeded to eat an entire salad. Something I had not been able to do for most of the last few months of my pregnancy! We walked to Target to take care of return for Kati and that is when things started to get interesting.

While we were at Target, my contractions started to pick up. So we walked some more. Finally, we had seen enough of Target and Kati wanted me to be closer to the hospital in case things got more interesting. So we walked to Panera and got some drinks and headed to the hospital, making sure to hit every speed bump and pothole along the way!

We arrived at the hospital, where I knew my contractions had still not picked up enough to stay...so we walked...and we walked...and we texted my doctor, who suggest we keep walking until I couldn't take it...so we walked....and we talked...and we walked... and we texted the birth photographer...and we walked.... and we walked some more! Then we went inside...I proceeded to walk the entire lobby, round and round and round. Geoff and the big kids showed up with flowers and I continued to walk...

We finally got in a room around 8pm and low and behold I had changed my cervix! I was at a 4 when I left and now I was a 5.5!!! Hooray!!! Lexie got there just about then. My doctor came in and confirmed I had indeed changed my cervix and then broke my water and we were off and running!! Geoff and I walked the floor and Lexie followed us taking pictures. Contractions got stronger and it was time to head back to the room to check on baby.

Such a crazy and wonderful night!

By 11 this routine had gotten old and tiring. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it to the end, so I asked for an epidural....that worked for 20 minutes or so. By 12:15 I was shaking so hard the bed was shaking, Geoff was shaking, everything was shaking. My doctor was called and after about 3 contractions and 1 strong push, Georgia Waverly was born!!! It was quite a dramatic day, but such a wonderful evening!!!

Geoff, Katie and I with our sweet Peach Pie!!!

The Peach herself! Georgia Waverly

Happy Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving 2014, we went to the Peabody Hotel with my Mother-in-Law and her boyfriend. It was a great meal and a beautifully decorated hotel! Everyone had plenty to eat and had a great time!

Dilly had a great time being dressed up in her outfit and really loved that the waitress brought her lots of desserts and hot chocolate in her own cup!

Lissy really enjoyed being dressed up. Even though she refused to smile for our family photo ... she looked pretty adorable sitting on the steps in the lobby. 

I'm pregnant?!?!

As of 12:00am on November 8, 2014. I am 10 weeks pregnant with my 5th child.

Normally, most pregnancies are met with excitement, however, I have some very raw, very real mixed emotions right now.

I live in Tennessee and this past Tuesday, the people of the state of Tennessee voted to allow legislature to regulate abortion. And yes, to most readers, talking about abortion when you are stating that you are pregnant with your 5th child would sound odd. I am aware.

I am not intending to terminate this pregnancy. Though I did think about that for a brief time.

What is bothering me is that I now have the potential to lose my right to access a safe abortion in this state. More importantly, my daughters have the potential to lose their right to access a safe abortion in this state. And that, my friends, is scary stuff.

In terms of my family and the last 10 weeks. Well, let's suffice it to say that we have had a lot going on and this was not on the radar. Geoff is looking for a new job, something he can make into a career; Annie is recovering from yet another injury, Jonas is trying to find his spot, and the girls are both blossoming in leaps and bounds! Lissy has taken an interest in learning to read and Dilly is working towards being completely potty trained. Needless to say this is a big jump.

In the midst of all of this I have been putting a lot of effort into my work at school. I work diligently to get things done, not have a lot to bring home and really be focused in the classroom.

Needless to say, that's a lot going on and som decisions will have to be made about howuch one woman can actually be responsible for. I think it may be time to cut back and start saying no. 

I keep you posted...
 

Reflections

Today, one of my students brought me a yellow watermelon. If you have never had one, they are amazing. Yesterday, one of my students brought me a HUGE pack of Sharpies. (I love sharpies!)
I was sitting today thinking about how different I am now as a teacher as compared to when I first started teaching, especially, at the school where I am. It made me think about the way that I was as a teacher back when I first started.

I taught freshmen and sophomores in my first year at my school and last year my sophomores graduated. This year, my freshmen are graduating. I can't believe that I am about to watch them walk across the stage. These kids dealt with me being pregnant, my mother dying, my teacher licensure paperwork getting lost and then some. I was frustrated many times, I was unreasonable, and honestly, there were times I was just down right mean.

These kids have blossomed into amazing kids. They are smart, funny, kind, generous people. These students are exactly who they should be and where they should be.

I wish I could take more credit for who they have become, but honestly, I am so glad that I didn't have as much to do with it. I hope they learned as much from the lessons I was teaching as they did from the mistakes that I made.

As these students move forward, I wish for them all the same things that I constantly wish for my own children...I wish for them roots enough to feel grounded and confident in where they came from, that they know they have a "home base", but I also wish for them wings enough to fly high and soar to new places, to meet new people and to allow themselves to become new people.

I cannot wait to see who they become and where they go.