I hate...

....or to rephrase "strongly dislike" that in between stage where you kind of have a bump, but it also looks like you might just be getting -for lack of a better word- a beer gut.

I can tell some people give a quick second take like "is she pregnant or just cheerily chubby? Better not comment just in case". I've been opting for the more pregnant looking shirts to make it stand out a little more so it's just not looking like a gut. It'll be nice for when it gets a little bit bigger and is more noticeable that I AM indeed pregnant.

~I know, I know! You are probably thinking "you should be so grateful that you aren't as big as a house yet and aren't terribly uncomfortable". I'm not meaning ENORMOUS bump, just that nice second trimester bump RIGHT before you get enormous!~

It's not as fun picking out outfits and all my "maternity" clothes are too big, where as all my "normal me" clothes are too small. Is it totally slobby just to where my PJ's all day long?? I literally tried to put on my cute maternity zip up hoody and I looked ridiculous, baggy in all the wrong places and just weird looking! But my regular hoodies just look like I am in "denial about my weight and am desperately clinging to that smaller size I wish I was" look.

I know there could be worse things in my life to complain about, but it was on my mind today and I wanted to vent!

This show should come with a warning....

... that reads "Danger: this show should not be watched by people who love to eat food and/or are PREGNANT!".

I usually like to watch TV to wind down before going to bed. There isn't a whole lot to choose from as far as programs go when you hit that 9-10 ish time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to watch the food network, the food network in turn has become the bane of Marcus' existence. He cringes anytime I try to put on Barefoot Contessa or Everyday Italian. We do have some middle ground though, the only show he doesn't mind watching is Diner's, Drive Ins and Dives. It is ALWAYS on during that "right before bed" time.

The trouble is that we BOTH usually want to eat EVERY SINGLE THING that is on that show! We haven't ever caved and made the calorie crazy foods, but we torture ourselves by watching it and drooling over all the things we WISHED we could eat. It has gotten a whole lot worse since I have been pregnant, especially the shows that feature "joints" that serve breakfast food. We also can't go out and get some food b/c we live in the middle of nowhere, one of us needs to stay with our sleeping child and by the time the other got home with the food it would be all cold. Which is probably helping keep our wallets from emptying out! (And our waistbands from enlarging dramatically).

Why do we torture ourselves so? That is a good question. Amazing food aside, we also really like to learn about the small town people that own the quaint little small town spots. We have also vowed that if we see any places remotely close to where we live that we will pack up instantly and gorge ourselves. The only closest places they have shown so far is Seattle and that is a little too far for us!

So I just thought I'd warn you before you fall under the spell of this very tantalizing show!

Time Flies...

...when you have little cuties like these to keep you occupied! I watch Liv's little buddy Jonas 3 times a week. He is younger than her but right now there are just getting to the point where they really love to play together. He is such a sweet boy and we just love when he comes over to our house!

I've been surprised with how fast this pregnancy has been going this time around. I can't focus on how sick or tired I may be feeling with a precious little daughter that wants to play with me. I always end up a little surprised when I get an email from baby center saying that I am another week along.

Once the flu was done cycling through our family I really noticed the morning sickness easing up. I can go almost a week without feeling puky, which has been SO WONDERFUL! It's just every once in a while when something I eat hits me the wrong way that I have to run to the bathroom. Olivia was so cute when we had the flu. There was one time I had a barf attack when she was in the bathroom with me and she just walked up behind me and stared patting my back until I was done. Then she climbed on my lap and rested her cheek against mine, then looked up and smiled at me. When I smiled back she jumped down and went back to playing. I almost lost it, it was one of the most special moments between us. It was like she was helping me get through the puking and then when she felt like I was okay again, then she would continue playing.

I can't wait to see what kind of big sister she will be for the new baby, it is fun to think about! I know at some point the time will start dragging, but I sure am grateful that right now it is just flying by!

Welcome Back Old Friend

So I am not a huge water drinker, and dislike the water from my house even less! We are on a water association and it is a higher mineral water and I don't enjoy the taste. I used to drink Crystal Light like it was going out of style. My friend Kaitlyn actually turned me onto these "on the go" packets way back when we used to work at the Kathy's together.

Well once we had Olivia I started to batten down the hatches on my spending habits, and Crystal Light was one of the first things to go. As a result there has been none of the blessed drink mix in my house for almost a year. I would check to see if it was on sale occasionally, but it was never cheap enough for me to justify buying it. I could always think of other things I could buy with the money instead (milk, bread, butter).

Well I happened to check at Safeway today and it was on for 2.00 a box! I couldn't believe my luck, so I rationalized if it was for that good of a price, I simply could not turn it down!! So the Radder house has Crystal Light in it once again. I've made one glass and am savoring it as I write!

I know this may not seem like a big thing, but my priorities changed once I had Olivia. I kinda feel like buying things JUST for myself is being a little selfish, especially when I can drink regular water just fine. I do take time for some "me" time and stuff like that, but it really felt good to buy it at the store today and not feel guilty b/c it was marked down so low.

So don't feel offended if I don't offer you Crystal Light the next time you come to my house, I am rationing it out to make it last as long as I can. But it totally makes me crack a smile to open my cupboard and see those beautiful boxes sitting neatly on my shelf!

Ding Dong the Witch is DEAD!

Okay so not actually a witch, more like our annoying as all get out cow the bellowed at us ALL DAY long EVERYDAY!

I don't know if it could tell it's fate was imminent, but it was especially obnoxious this morning. It conveniently positioned itself right by the gate, so we didn't have to do a lot of finagling for the butchers.

I'm honestly surprised this whole time that no one called animal protection on us. For as much as it hoot-n-hollered all day you would think that we were neglecting it or something!!

Today was a glorious peaceful and quiet day. It was so WONDERFUL to have peace and quiet. Olivia and I enjoyed watching the other cow Violet and her baby run and frolic around the field. I like to think that they too were happy to get rid of such a whiner!

Marcus thinks no one will want read my blog with posts like this, but all this hobby farm stuff is a part of our lives and I figure as long as I'm not going too "in depth" to certain events, it will be okay.

Fun With Family

This last weekend we were up in Canada, and got to see my family. Olivia had a ton of fun playing with her cousins. Declan was one of her favorites to play with. They ran around and around the gym at church and were even trying to help the guys put the tables and chairs away.

It was pretty cute because he would follow her around and hold his hands out in case she fell down, it was like he was her protector or something. It was the funnest thing to watch!

Ugghh.

We have the flu. (Insert all manner of bodily secretions and explosions here). It sucks. We have collectively spent more time in the bathroom in the last 24 hours than any other room in the house.

Am longing for the days of just regular old morning sickness.

We will be laying low for the next few days.

Holy Cow!

So we went out of town over the weekend and got back just in the nick of time. Blue Bell (my parents cow) had her calf last week and we figured Violet wouldn't be that far behind her (Violet is also my parents but takes up residence at Chez Radder). We just pulled in the driveway and Marcus goes to feed them some hay, well he noticed some little hooves sticking out of an unusual spot! Without even unloading the car, we called my parents over and within an hour we had a cute little girl. It is Violets first time at this whole motherhood thing~so we were a little nervous how she would do (plus it was so freakin cold outside). As of today both are doing great, and they are figuring out how everything works. We will keep the little gaffer and after time she will be poppin out little babies of her own!

We love Violet, she is such a mild mannered and gentle creature. Her companion, the littlest bull that ever lived, is quite another story. He has got to be the most obnoxious, cry baby thing that ever roamed God's green earth. He moo's all the time, at everything for every reason. It's so annoying, he's worse than having a dog barking all day. He moo's when somebody pulls in, moo's when I feed him, moo's when he sees me around the house, moo's when it rains or is too cold or too hot..... I think you get the picture. It gets VERY old listening to that ALL DAY LONG. If I didn't know that he was indeed a boy and had all of his pieces intact, I would assume he was just some sissy girl. Now that Violet has somebody to keep her company, we may be setting up another appointment with the butcher. Whether this bothers someone to hear this or not, I will definitely enjoy eating meat from that bovine specimen!

Speaking of things to eat.....

Please meat the newest addition to the Radder household, a whole ton of fabulous pork. So far we have only tried the chops and I really liked them. I think we need to have a dinner this week featuring some of this yummy, healthy food supply.

It's really nice to see all of that meat in the freezer, especially with the impending birth of our second child. It's nice to know we have some food stockpiled up!

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Here is the book that we used, Kaitlyn borrowed it from the library

DISCLAIMER: Although the recipes taste great, it wasn't proof read very well. On each shopping list there were some items that we didn't buy enough of and some that we ended up with way too much of when we were done. If you double check the recipes against the shopping list that should eliminate those errors.

This book has mini sessions of 5-7 recipes each. At the start of each mini session is you shopping list for that section, then next page is prep you can do the day before you cook to make the actual cooking day easier. We chose one mini session from each of the following categories CHICKEN, PASTA, GROUND TURKEY, TUNA, BEANS. (Costco has a really good price for ground turkey).

Cost: We each spent approx. $200 each for groceries, which averages about $6 per meal. But I won't really have to buy that many groceries except for fresh items until my meals run out.

The library has a lot of these kind of books to choose from, you can check out the recipes without having to buy it. If you go to the library online, just search COOKERY (FROZEN FOODS).

Also cash and carry sell the two gallon freezer bags for a reasonable price (great for freezing casseroles!)

Some people were asking questions about the process, so I just thought I'd post this ;)

I'm not a pro at this (by a long shot) but if anyone has any other questions I won't mind answering them...if I can!

PS~ we found that two people worked great for the cooking day, there are only so many stove burners and counter space. Plus I think the more people helping might lead to more recipe mix ups (we had a couple close calls!). Although if anyone does it with more than two people I'd love to hear how it worked out!

Who knew freezing could change you life?

So for 12 crazy, insane hours on Sat Kaitlyn and I cooked our brains out and made 30 meals....EACH! We were inspired to attempt this crazy feat after attending Kaitlyn's enrichment activity which was a lecture on making meals ahead and freezing them.

~Kaitlyn is my hero! I felt like I was hit by a truck once we were finished and played hookie from church the next day, I can't imagine how I would have felt if I was 9 months pregnant!(Kaitlyn was more faithful than I and went to church...the full block even!)~

I thought I wouldn't want to see any of these dishes for a week, at least, after being so "cooked out". When Monday rolled around and I was trying to think of what to make for dinner, I caved and pulled out one of my meals. They were the most scrumptious turkey burgers ever, not to mention totally healthy. So I thought maybe I wouldn't need a break before eating some more and last night was Penne pasta with a cheesy broccoli sauce~I was licking my plate~. For tonight I have already pulled out Florentine shells to bake for dinner. Because everything is premade it took me at the most 20 minutes to get a "from scratch" dinner on the table.

I am not exaggerating when I say after only a few days, freezing has changed my life. Not having to stress over what is for dinner, knowing 90% of the work is already done for me makes my days SO MUCH BETTER! I'm not even close to having eaten all my meals and I'm already planning in my head for the next cook-a-thon! I'm very glad I attempted this with a friend, it would have been very daunting to go solo. Anytime I make a lasagna or manicotti in the future, I am definitely making a couple extra and throwing them in the freezer.

Ode to a Best Friend

Hi Blaine, it's me Olivia. I just want to say how much I love it that you are my bestest friend. You make me want to try harder at things. Race you to the top!

Like when we were leaving the park I was fine to let my mommy carry me up the stairs. But when I saw you being a big girl and going by yourself, I threw a fit until mommy let me down so I could be a big girl too! Wait for me!

Swinging is one of my favoritist things, especially when we do it together!

I love it when we splash and play for bath time. Sometimes you are too big of a big girl and dump water on my head, but it's okay because you are making me tougher and not so much of a baby. You teach me cool tricks like how to make REALLY big splashes and get mommy all wet. I also love it when you tell me to "come on, come on" because you want me to play with you. I don't even mind when you steal every single toy that I am playing with. Or tell me "NOOOO!!!" everytime I reach for one of your toys.

I love it at the end of a play day when we sit on our big girl cushions and watch baby einstien videos like zombies. After having two very big play days with you last week you have inspired me to give up my crawling for good and be a big walking-girl like you are! I love you Blainey and I am so happy our mommy's are nice enough to let us have play days together.