It's a Golden Life

We're in the final countdown here! 21 days! I had a doctor's appointment this morning hoping for some progress. Nope. Pax is quite comfortable and it doesn't look like he/she will be making an appearance anytime soon :) The doctor said I am not dialated at all. The baby's head is at a 0 station, so that's better than a -2 :) It really doesn't seem real yet that we will have another person in our little family. I saw a picture of a mom holding a newborn in a magazine in the doctor's office-I'm not going to lie-first hormonal experience--I almost cried thinking about what Pax will be like. How far along: 37 weeks. 21 more days! Size of Baby Pax: About the size of a swiss chard (looks like a bunch of colorful kale). Weighs about 6.3 lbs and measures about 19.25 inches. Maternity clothes: All long shirts and maternity bottoms Gender: Didn't find out! Names: Girl- Paxley Joy Anna Golden Boy- Paxton John Calvin Golden Getting Ready: Purchase a dresser ...

36 weeks! Pregnancy Highlights: How far along: 36 weeks. 27 more days! Size of Baby Pax: About the size of a crenshaw melon (a big cantaloupe type fruit). Weighs about 5.75 lbs and measures about 18.75 inches. Maternity clothes: All long shirts and maternity bottoms (or comfy yoga pants) Gender: Didn't find out! But want to know so I can wash baby clothes!!! Names: Girl- Paxley Joy Anna Golden Boy- Paxton John Calvin Golden Getting Ready: Stock up on Newborn-Size 2 diapers. Purchase a dresser for the baby! Make "Pax" beanie for hospital. Wash all baby clothes-girl and boy! Making an outfit for baby! Says Pax down the side :) Movement: Movement has decreased a little. I know there's not very much room in there :) Sleeping: I am waking up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom. What I miss: Putting on my own shoes :) Cravings: Just food. Symptoms: Acid reflux and heartburn. Hungry! Intense braxton hicks! Weight Gained: Gained 32 pounds. Haven't gained any weight...

I was not a believer of home made laundry detergent. I'll just put that out there from the beginning. I was attached to my Tide with bleach and Downy fabric softeners. I had heard for quite a few years that there was an alternative to spending $17-20 a month on laundry detergent. I didn't even think about it for years because I was afraid it would not work nearly as well as the name brand or store bought/already made products. This is far, far from the truth! About a month ago, Donovan and I agreed to give the stuff a shot. We are extremely satisfied and LOVE the detergent. I don't know why more people use it! It is very inexpensive for the ingredients, takes about 5 minutes to put together, works and smells fantastic and leaves the clothes incredible clean and soft! There are two different ways to make the detergent, but each is just as great. And it's H/E safe! We like powder detergent, so we found a recipe to make a powder version. To do this, all you need are 4 ingr...

Well! I am officially 34 weeks and 4 days along. I went to the doctor yesterday for my 2 week check up, so I have official stats :) Baby's heartrate was 156. Seems pretty consistent. My mouth about dropped to the floor as I exchanged a look with the nurse who weighed me. It seemed impossible to have gained 6 pounds in two weeks. Out of disbelief, I contributed it to my jeans and jacket I was wearing. She smiled, nodded and reassured me that pregnant women tend to gain weight. To my surprise-My scale at home said the same weight. This baby better be a big one! He/She is really going to be a Thanksgiving turkey! Pregnancy Highlights: How far along: 34 weeks. 39 days to go! Size of Baby Pax: About the size of a cantaloupe. Weighs about 4.75 lbs and measures about 17.75 inches. Maternity clothes: Mostly long shirts and maternity bottoms. Gender: Didn't find out! Names: Girl- Paxley Joy (Anna?) Golden Boy- Paxton John Calvin Golden Getting Ready: Stock up on Newborn-Size 2 diape...

We had a lot of fun this week. I found some interesting recipes that were really simple and that the kids could help with. They had a blast. They are all at the age now where they love to help in the kitchen, so finding easy, toddler friendly recipes was a must! We had success with our "Monkey Pancakes". The kids loved helping mix the batter and decorating their monkeys. They also didn't mind the fact that they had three M&M mini's to decorate their monkey face with! We also ventured into making playdough. I had never used a recipe that you cook before. Blogs I've read and people I've talked to said that those last the longest, so we decided to give it a try. I would have honestly tried it sooner had I stocked up on Cream of Tarter...which most cooking recipes call for! Anyways, the recipe was very easy. The kids loved helping measure the ingredients. Their favorite part was choosing which colors to use. We stored the extra in old baby food jars I had in t...

I sit down once a week and plan meals. My ultimate dream in meal planning world is to do a monthly meal plan and just shop for perishables weekly (bread, milk, fruit, fresh veggies). BUT for now, I do it weekly :) It works out alright because coupons expire so fast nowadays. I have a new plan to make what we are having for dinner for lunch! We always have at least half of what I make left over after dinner & I'm the only one that eats leftovers! And I wanted to save some money-so we will give this a try! I will have a sandwich, veggie chips and fruit for lunch or a salad and offer that to the kids as well so they aren't overwhelmed with two dinners :) We have small group Tuesdays and dinner is usually provided by a volunteer :) This is our menu for the week: Monday- Breakfast- Monkey Pancakes with a banana & milk. Lunch/Dinner- Taco salad with black beans and corn. Tuesday- Breakfast-Smoothies with granola & milk. Lunch- Turkey dog mummies , fruit salad and mixed v...