post pregnancy weight loss in hindi | Disappointment

post pregnancy weight loss in hindi

There was awhile there that I felt ahead of the game. I felt connected to my purpose for being a stay-at-home mother: to support my children and raise them to be the people that God wants them to be, to raise them in a manner that my husband and I had discussed was important to us, to be the familiar face they see day in and day out as Daddy goes to work or as we move from state to state and Daddy eventually goes back to sea, to teach them lifes little lessons as they naturally pop up during the day, and to enjoy these years that slip by so quickly. I struggled at times, especially when teething babies kept me awake at night for days or weeks or when sickness swept through our house and I felt overwhelmed, overworked, overtired. I struggled when I felt my husband had an easier load than I did (and he felt the same way about me-- the grass is always greener?). One thing that remained consistent then is that I would say, "Im struggling today, right now. This is a phase." I felt it in my heart. I didnt want to miss a moment. I wanted to hold on to each day and pull from it every last memory I could, every sticky hug, every wet kiss, every skinned knee I magically healed with momma powers, every squeal of glee when Daddy walked in the door... I loved it. I loved doing it. I loved being there and experiencing the sour infant breath as a baby slept on my chest. I loved rolling my eyes at the arguments of our oldest, a preschooler too big for his britches; his logic makes me laugh out loud.

Lately... lately Im missing my joy. I catch glimpses and glimmers of my old feelings every now and then. I dont know what it is. I feel like we are always home, always wondering what we should do with our day, always figuring out how to dwindle the long evening hours now that the time has changed and it is too dark (and too mosquito ridden) to play outside. I feel like I miss our old duty station and miss our old friends. I feel like I miss our old calendar that always had something fun to do on it, that sparked our kids imaginations. I feel like we are always telling them to go to the playroom here at our new house. I feel like too many toys find their way around this new house-- maybe it is the open floor plan-- but Im constantly tripping on Legos and Duplos and Matchbox cars; it feels cluttered which makes me feel grumpy. I feel far away from my family.

Most of all, I feel like Im always playing catch up. Im late to nearly everything I have planned lately. It takes me much longer to get around here than Im used to. The roads are strange. The way to get places just feels winding. Everything is a trek. I dont know where to run out and get a good lunch with the boys in tow and so Ive eaten much more drive-through chicken here than I would care to think about. I feel like Im playing catch up with my calendar and catch up with my kids. Instead of focusing them in fun activities, Im breaking up fights and disagreements. Instead of keeping their hands busy, Im sending them to the other room. Instead of listening to them, Im telling them to keep it down.

I need a change! Ive hit the winter blues early. Having a nagging cold doesnt help. Having toddlers in the exceptionally trying toddler phase hasnt helped (read "Revolution #9"). I feel like each day Im looking for a break-- when can I catch a break?-- instead of taking control of the day, praying over various aspects of our day, praying over our kids. I need to go back to the basics and stop struggling through these days.

I re-read a blog post I wrote awhile ago called "Marthas and Marys," written after I read When Mothers Pray: Bringing Gods Power and Blessing to Your Childrens Lives by Cheri Fuller. Thats the mom I want to be again.

It is time for a fresh start.

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baby losing weight in hospital | Not my favorite duty station

baby losing weight in hospital

Picture taken by April McTaggart

Every time we move, I end up missing our last duty station. I really miss our last duty station right now. I keep thinking, "This is not my favorite place to live." Before we moved, everyone kept telling me how awesome it is in South Carolina and how much I will love it here. Now that we are here, I feel like, "Well, we cant do this or that with two two-year olds..." or "In North Carolina, I took all three boys all over the place..."

I think it is totally natural to feel this way. However, I have to keep it in check!

I hated our first duty station. I moved from California to New Hampshire, right on the Maine border, in January. By myself. My husbands submarine was a month late. And I didnt have his boat email address at the time or any idea what an FRG or ombudsman was. I was alone and it was cold. There was an ice storm and our Jeep was encased in literally an inch of ice. There was so much snow and my winter shoes consisted of Converse and stiletto leather boots from Nine West. I wasnt prepared. By the time we moved, I was so over the Noreasters and decked out in Columbia and Ugg Boots. Being from Northern California, I didnt think the summers were "hot," as my local neighbors kept telling me they would be. I was over all of it and ready to get the heck out of there and on our way to Hawaii.

When we arrived in Hawaii, I realized I missed this great coffee shop in New Hampshire. And that the hospital I gave birth to our first son in was really, really nice. And that I loved my midwife. I missed walking along the New Hampshire coast. I missed a lot of really delicious local restaurants. Even more so, I realized I had a really bad attitude the entire time we lived in New Hampshire. I didnt like it there and I didnt want to like it there. Things that were so annoying there at the time were funny after we moved. For instance, our apartment complex plowed the parking lots really early in the morning. This meant that by the time I was ready to leave, there would be a snow drift up to the back of our Jeeps rear window that had somehow iced over. My pregnant self would have to knock on our next door neighbors door to again ask to borrow their snow shovel ("When are you going to buy one of these, dearie?" "I dont know...") to chip the Jeep out so I could drive to my OB appointment. I hated doing that at the time, but it makes me laugh now thinking about it.

I vowed that I wouldnt be such a spoil sport at our next duty stations. They dont have to be my favorite places to live and maybe I wouldnt ever want to live there in "real life," you know, not sent-here-by-the-military life. I loved living in Hawaii, but that was easy. My family used to vacation there and I love the beach. I loved the food. I loved our house and where it was located. I loved my neighbors. I had a harder time when we first moved to North Carolina. I had a hard time making friends. We lived way out in the country when we first moved there and everything was a bit of a drive; we eventually outgrew our living arrangements and felt very cramped at home (read "Across town move"). Then we moved to a house with a great yard, a great playroom, and a great location. We thrived. We loved it there. We loved the grocery stores, how many things there were to do with the kids, how inexpensive everything was. We loved the food. We loved the friends we made and the playdates we had; I loved the twin group and their awesome twice yearly consignment sale. We talk about how we want to go back after my husband retires.

Then we moved to South Carolina. We had a rocky start here, a rough time unpacking. Perhaps that was the problem. But then we settled in and there are so many things that I keep comparing to North Carolina. The grocery store situation here is awful. Everything is a drive, like twenty or thirty minutes. I was nervous about moving our asthmatic toddler and the flu shot situation here really put a bad taste in my mouth (read "2013 flu shots"). There seems to be a lot of areas around here that you should avoid at night (not that we go out a lot at night, but we do like to go get ice cream after dinner). I miss our baby-sitters in North Carolina; we still dont have a regular baby-sitter here and Im nervous leaving our asthmatic toddler with someone new (read "0-2 years old: twin must-haves").

When we moved here, people who had been stationed here before gave us a list of areas that we should move to. We debated for awhile what we wanted to do. Do we want to live out in town near things to do with our kids? Or do we want to live near my husbands work? Since we are living in South Carolina for an undetermined amount of time-- could be six months, could be two years-- we decided that living near my husbands work was the priority (read "STA-21 officers program"). That has been the silver lining. He still hasnt classed up yet, but when he does go in for various jobs, he comes home at lunch, or pops in before his next brief. When he does start school, hell be able to come home for dinner or to help put the kids to bed. I really like that. We have both agreed that if we were ever stationed here for a significant amount of time that we would want to choose a different area to live. For now, being here for my husband to go to through school and with such a young family, I do think we made the right the decision. (It doesnt hurt that we absolutely love our house and our neighborhood!)

So Im going to hang in there. Maybe Im just really missing our old friends and our old list of activities. I really liked the childrens museum in North Carolina and the boys loved going there each week; our oldest loved the camps we sent him to there. Maybe Im missing our grocery stores (we lived near a lot of awesome grocery stores). Maybe Im still settling in here. Whatever it is, Im going to give it some time and look for the best here. I dont want to say that I only have to make it work for two years, maximum, but it is true. We only have a little time here and I want to enjoy it to the fullest. Im going to find activities for our kids and Im going to make friends with my neighbors. Im going to put my best foot forward and, when we move again, Ill have no regrets.

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weight loss recipes during pregnancy | Reading a book

weight loss recipes during pregnancy

The other night I wanted to look at a first word book with the toddlers. O wasnt sharing very well and was being a little wild, so I took C by the hand and asked him to help me find the book. I closed all the doors in the hallway before opening the baby gate-- no sneaking in the back bedrooms-- and let C through. As soon as O heard the gate squeak, he threw down the stolen and unshared toys and sprinted after us. C raced to the bookcase and yanked down Ds (their older brother) favorite pop-up book. Knowing that pop-up books and toddlers dont mix, I tried to get C interested in a different book, the one we went down the hallway to get in the first place. C didnt want anything to do with board books, nope, only paper books for him. He pulled out book after book, flinging them on the floor. I kindly told him, "No, thank you!" and set him to work putting them back. O, in the meantime, ran to the other side of the bookcase and was surveying the scene. Mistakenly, I thought he would follow after us. I finished putting the books away with C and ushered him back down the hallway through the baby gate. I called to O, "Come on, baby!" I hear the high-pitched squeal, a thud of books, and the quick toddler steps down the hallway. He careens around the corner with a guilty look on his face, "It wasnt me!" C cant resist and must explore. He abandons my lap and races to the gate, faster than I can get there. The hallway is littered with books. O dives back in as well. He seriously starts rolling in the books. C feels skating on them is a better adventure.

At this point, their older brother feels it high time for him to get involved. He hollers from the other room, "Momma, are you doing okay in there?" I assure him I am (I am, after all, their mother). He replies, "Well, Im almost done, so just let me know if you need me." (He was drawing a picture.) I grab a toddler and nimbly step over the book mess, setting him on the other side of the unlatched baby gate. I turn my back to him and grab the other toddler. When I turn around, the first toddler is not only back through the gate, but reaching out to use my leg to support himself as he makes his way over the books. I abandon the plan of getting the toddlers over the gate and try getting them involved in cleaning up the mess they made. It works for about one or two books. One toddler picks up a book and the other toddler decides that is the very book he wanted to put away-- minor scuffle ensues. I scratch Operation Involve the Toddlers and go back to gating them. I make a path through the books and scoop up one of the toddlers, taking the other by his hand. I put on my best chipper voice, the one that says, "Oh, this is going to be fun!" and encourage them that they want to be on the other side of the gate. "Lets go, little ones! Wee! Lets go! March, march!" They do not fall for it. The toddler in my arms tries to throw himself to the ground. The toddler on the ground goes limp, no bones. I attempt to drag him a step forward, but he is so limp that I am just holding his arm, which I will not use to drag him. Standing in a pile of childrens books with limp wailing toddlers, I wonder, "Do I even have the energy to read them a story after this?" I carry on.

A new plan is needed. I go Nike. I let go of the boneless toddler by my feet and continue to carry the flailing toddler in my arms to the other side of the gate. I set him over the gate and latch it. He screams. I make my way back over the books, grab the toddler who not only has found his bones again, but is now using them to crawl wildly away from me. I set him on the other side of the gate. They scream at the top of their lungs and hang pathetically from the gate. I start putting the books away as quickly as possible. While the scream, they realize that they are sitting next to one of Mommys bookcases. They start ripping the books of the shelves. O sets The Agony and the Ecstasy on the ground and uses it to try to peer over the gate. In doing so, he bends back the cover, ugh. I finish with their books and step over the gate. "All right, little ones, lets read this book!" I look for the first word book. It is nowhere in sight. I brought it out with us on our first book run. Where could it have gone? I move O off the book and clean up my books. "D, do you know where their book is?" I hear him mutter something and ask him to come in and tell me, since I cant hear well over the racket of his brothers. He walks into the doorway holding the very book. "Well, I was just reading my most favorite book ever." I give him a look. "D, you know I got that book out for your brothers to read." He looks right back at me, "Well, this was my book when I was a baby." I felt like I was in Zelda. I finished one quest only to have to negotiate with the towns people. Eventually we establish that, yes, it was his book when he was a baby, but now he is four and he has Spiderman books and other books that are his that are not his brothers, but that will one day be his brothers when they are four, but they arent four yet and he is four, which makes him a big boy and makes them toddlers, and that one day he will be 10 and they will still be babies, which isnt true and I tell him when he is 10 they will be 7 or 8, and he says that 7 or 8 is still a baby, and then I realize that he is still standing on the other side of the gate holding the book and I have yet to read it to the toddlers.

D makes his way over the gate. We sit on the floor and start reading it.

"Cow. What noise does a cow make?"
"Ball!"
"The cow goes mooooooo!"
"Actually, the cow goes baa-baa and the dog goes quack-quack and the sheep goes meow-meow..."
"D, how about we let our brothers read this book and you grab your paper airplane book."
"Well, I dont want to make paper airplanes."
"Ball!"
"Very good, C, the dog has a ball. D, please let your brothers see the book."
"Hes in my way."
"D, be respectful and listen to your mom. I want to hear yes, momma."
"Yes, Momma."
"Okay, dog. What noise does the dog make?"
"Quack-quack!"
"D, you need to let your brothers read the story. Were teaching them."
"Ball!"
"Yes, C, a ball."
"Ball!"
"D, you know what a ball is. O, what are you doing? Get down from there!"

Eventually we found a rhythm. D still insisted on saying the wrong animal sounds and shouting out the animal names when I asked what each animal was. He wanted to turn the page right away and kept trying to sit in front of his brothers. I tried to involve him while still reading the first word book-- made for toddlers-- to the toddlers. I worried that the toddlers would never speak, never learn on their own, never get a chance to figure it out for the themselves. I wished D would go read his own book. I wondered why I went through so much trouble to get this book when it was so much trouble to read this book. I got up to get a square of chocolate when we finished. D took the book and laid it out on the floor.

"Okay, sit down C and O. What is this? Dog. Can you say dog? Very good! Dog. What noise does a dog make? Woof-woof! Can you say woof-woof? Very good! Woof-woof! Where is the dog? There is the dog! What does he have? Very good. A ball. Ball. A dog with a ball. Woof-woof said the dog with the ball!"

I almost spit out my chocolate. The same child who wouldnt participate when I read the story was now actively involving his brothers-- who were sitting and participating!-- in the story. He even got them to say woof-woof! Well, gruff sounding noises imitating woof-woof. Why do kids sometimes just make things so, so, so difficult, I wonder? Did he feel that I was leaving him out so acting that way got him attention? Was he just bored and felt this would be a good use of his time? What motivated him to be so contrary while I was reading? I shrug it off. Who cares? Hes reading to them now. While he read, he sounded out letters. The first word book was full of small words with familiar "sounds." He sounded out "cow" and "dog" and wondered why "ball" had "two lines" instead of just one. C eventually lost interest and climbed on the back of the armchair. O sat and watched his older brother and tried to imitate the sounds he was making. For the first time, he said "ball." By the end of the night, both the toddlers were mooing.

Sometimes I wonder if it is really worth it to go through all the trouble for a certain activity, whatever it may be. Was it worth 20 minutes of shenanigans to get that book? Was it worth struggling through a reading with three wild boys? Watching the three of them on the floor, reading together made me feel like it really was worth it.

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weight loss during pregnancy hormones | Book list link up link up closed

weight loss during pregnancy hormones

Ive recently joined a book club. At the end of each monthly meeting, we vote on next months book. This got me thinking about some of my favorite books and books I would recommend others to read. I absolutely love chatting with my friends about our next must-read book. Also, the stack of books on my nightstand is dwindling and Im in need of a good book!

I thought this would be a great opportunity to host my first link-up! For those of you who do not know what a link-up is, let me explain. Fellow bloggers who participate in this link-up will write their own must-read book lists and use the widget at the bottom of this post to link their post to mine. So click on the thumbnails below! See what other people are recommending.

The link-up is open from Monday, November 4th, to Friday, November 8th. Bloggers can add their blog posts throughout the work week. Check out what is being added each day or come back next Saturday, November 9th, to see what books you need to put on your Amazon wish list! :)

If you do not have a blog but love reading, please leave a comment with your book recommendations!

Kimbers Recommendations

 

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This book is hitting a wave of popularity due to the upcoming movie release on November 8th, 2013. I havent seen the trailer for the movie yet, but I can tell you, you must read this book.

 

2. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

My friends are probably tired of me telling them to read this book. I dont care; they really need to read this book!

 

3. The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

My copy of this book is dog-eared and missing the cover. I have probably read this book no less than 10 times.

 

4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

"Just because you are paranoid doesnt mean they arent after you."

 

5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A must-read and then you can watch Pride and Prejudice and love it all the more. And I truly believe only people who have not read the book would tolerate the Kiera Knightley movie-- stick to Colin Firth. Since Im a huge Jane Austen fan, I actually recommend you read all her works.

 

6. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

"Man has a choice and it is his choice that makes him a man."

 

7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

You should probably read everything written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but start here.

 

8. The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I have not seen the movie for this book and Im not sure I want to. Something about this book can make me cry every time; I dont want the movie to ruin it.
 

 9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

A book full of the depths of human emotions. (My family would not believe I wrote this list if it didnt include Russian literature.)

 

10. I want to end this list with a cult novel, since I love them (Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahnuik) or a book about sisters (The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown). Id really like to include a recommendation by my sister (Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet). I cant make up my mind. How could I recommend only 10 books? :)

 

 

);

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pregnancy weight loss smoothies | Parenthood or the MI5

pregnancy weight loss smoothies

Let me start this post off with a little disclaimer.  I love being a mum. I really, really do.  I feel so blessed and happy that I have this little and incredible person in my life. But. There are times where I find myself lying on the floor, looking to the sky, and wondering what the hell I did wrong in a previous life.  I found myself lying on the floor doing exactly that this week.  Twice. 

On Wednesday I decided to have a bit of a Spring clean. My daughter was in particularly high spirits that morning and was very keen to help with the dusting.  I had ran out of cloths (she also likes to hide as many cloths as she cleans with) so I popped into our garage that you access via a locked door by the kitchen.  In I went to hunt for the cloths, and then I heard it.  A familiar clicking sound.  No, I thought.  Oh no,no,no. Surely not.  I walked calmly ran like a woman possessed back to the garage door and turned the handle. It was locked. I was locked in the garage, with no way into the house (always security conscious the front door was locked too!). 

My first instinct was to roll on the ground and weep, but I didnt.  I took a deep breath.  Can you open the door for Mummy?, I called. No, came the reply. I whispered some expletives at this point which I wont repeat here.  I took another deep breath.  Can you let me out and then we can have a snack?, I called. Ok, came the reply.  My daughter then proceeded to try and unlock the door, but it appeared her toddler fine motor skills only allowed her to turn a key to the locked position (for the record, that to me seems to be the worst case of toddler evolution. Ever).  My daughter then began to panic as the realisation came that her mummy was locked in the garage.  That or the fact that she couldnt have her snack. Its ok,  I called,  Dont worry.  Go and get your little stool and see if you can turn the key then.  Off she toddled to get her stool and she tried again.  She still couldnt do it and she started to cry.

Luckily for me, I could get out of the garage to the front of the house. I still couldnt get in, but at least I had access to help. Aside from scaling the 15ft drainpipe to the front of our house, I came up with no bright ideas.  My neighbour came out just as I was staring blankly at the front door.  She too tried to coax my now hysterical daughter into turning the key.  Maybe I could ask her to scale drainpipe? No, no, bad idea, shes 80.  There was nothing else for it.  My neighbour lent me her phone as I called my husband at work and informed him our darling two year had locked me out of the house.  Twenty minutes later and I was safely back inside the house with a very upset toddler and a bemused husband. 

To be completely honest, I felt that this level intense pressure was enough to satisfy my toddler that I am good enough to be in sole charge of her daily.  But she wasnt quite finished. Oh no. My toddler had one last trick up her sleeve.  

We both popped into town on Friday and whilst we were in a very busy M&S store (Valentines £20 meal deal anyone?!) she declared she needed the toilet so we wandered to the toilets and got in line.  Did I say it was really busy?! We went into our cubicle where there isnt room to swing a cat, and my daughter went first and then I went.  But, during my allocated time on the said toilet, my daughter decided she had clearly had enough of waiting a mere 30 WHOLE SECONDS and she opened the door and then proceeded to wander out of the cubicle!!! This left the cubicle door wide open, me...well, rather exposed and a toddler on the loose.  Again, my immediate reaction was to drop to the floor and weep (after pulling up my jeans), but lets just say in the blink of an eye I had simultaneously grabbed my jeans, my daughters arm and the cubicle door.  I can only pray the other people in the queue had bad eyesight.

I have passed, or failed enough toddler tests for one week.  I feel I have demonstrated calmness, the use of more whispered expletives than is humanly possible, extreme dexterity and the ability to multi-task.  Not to mention the ability to turn the colour of a beetroot in a nano-second. I have a feeling the entry tests the MI5 set are a hell of alot easier than the tasks my toddler kindly sets for me.  I need a lie down.   

Any toddler tests you would like to share? Comments below please and as always thanks for reading, 

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baby losing weight on solids | Gro Clock Review

baby losing weight on solids

I am always on the look out for little bits of kit that make life with a toddler that bit easier.  From a foldaway potty to a foldaway pushchair, I am on it.  So when I saw a Gro-Clock in my local Boots store, which promises to help with your childs sleep, I thought Id give it a go and see if it had any effect on my three year old.

Whilst my daughter has never been a particularly bad sleeper, over the last few months she has been waking up earlier and earlier. 6am, I can just about cope with.  But 5.30am? That to me is technically still night-time.  

The premise of the Gro-Clock is that young children cannot yet tell the time, so the clock consists of a sun and stars electric face that you program so your child knows when it is time to wake up and get out of bed.  

You program a bedtime, say, 7pm, and a big star appears on the clock surrounded by 12 other stars.  You then set the clock to the time you want your child to wake up, say midday, only joking, say 7am, and then as the night progresses the stars slowly disappear and a sun appears at 7am. This teaches your child that if they wake in the night or early morning, they can check their clock and know if it is time to get up.

Now, to be completely honest, this is not going to change your early riser or poor sleeper into a 12 hour sleeper overnight.  This is not a miracle product.  But, this product is great for introducing the concept of night and day and when to actually get up.  The clock comes with a little story that you read to your child so they understand a bit more about the clock and how it works. 

When we first got the clock, for the first week my daughter stayed in bed once or twice until 7am and the rest of the mornings she just ran into our bedroom at 6am shouting she hadnt waited for the sun (sigh).  But, I have persisted, and now for most mornings, she will wait until she sees the sun appear to come into our bedroom. 

I never chastise her for getting up too early before the sun, but, if she manages to go back to sleep until the sun appears, she gets lots of praise and  we make a pretty big deal of it that she is such a big and clever girl for looking at her clock. 

The clock has some lovely extras, such as the ability to have the clock having a digital time displayed for older children, and you can also adjust the brightness of the clock, from none at all to a bright night-light. 

I dont think I could be without our Gro-Clock now and I would highly recommend it for toddlers. The clock has really come into its own with the lighter mornings. Yes, my daughter does still get up way too early some mornings, but then the mornings she waits until 7am? Well they are just amazing! 

Thanks for reading, 

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pregnancy weight loss symptom | Teenager birthday gift ideas

pregnancy weight loss symptom

I sometimes find that buying birthday presents for teenagers can be a little bit tricky. Not yet an adult but certainly not a child, teenagers are in that middle ground.  Besides the obligatory gift voucher or money in a card, thinking of a present for a teenager can take a little bit of creative thought! This week, it was my beautiful nieces 14th birthday and upon asking her what she wanted as a gift and her replying that she didnt mind, I set to work on creating her gift. Gulp! 

But first, lets just appreciate the ribbon. How cute is this ribbon? I picked it up from Hobbycraft and thought it was a lovely finishing touch to the present! I adore putting ribbon round presents.  I know some people may think its a waste of time, but for me it really brings a present together and I always think how lovely it is to receive a beautifully wrapped present.  A metre normally costs around 50p - £1 so I always like to add it when I can.  But, onto whats inside!   

I picked up this gorgeous little suitcase from a little shop called Yellowstone at Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent (if you ever go near here, you MUST check this amazing boutique out).  The case was in the childrens section, but I thought this was ideal to hold lots of little gifts, and it is something my niece can hopefully use for storing things inside after her birthday.  Inside the case I then individually gift wrapped little presents.  Presents within a present are always a winner for me! I wrapped a gift voucher for her favourite shop and some hair accessories. She also adores cats, so I found this really cute little cat milk jug. 

 

I also picked up this Ted Baker mini-body spray.  I always struggle with what beauty bits and pieces to get her, but I thought she would like the smell of this as it isnt as strong as a perfume but still has a pretty and sweet smell. 

And that was her little gift case.  Simple, but a bit more than your usual gift voucher.  I hope she loves it and I really enjoyed choosing her gifts within a gift.  I just cant believe she is 14 already!!! I hope this post gives you some inspiration for any teenagers you have to buy for and you can tailor the little gifts to their likes and interests. 

Have you got teenagers you need to buy gifts for? Any tips on picking gifts? 

Thanks for reading, 

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quick weight loss during pregnancy | With a little help from my friends

quick weight loss during pregnancy

What do you do when your love is away?
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do you feel at the end of the day?
Are you sad because youre on your own?
No, I get by with a little help from my friends.
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends.

Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends.
-The Beatles

Ive spent a lot of time talking this week. Well, first I spent a lot of time reading, avoiding what I was thinking about. Then it built and built until I was lying on the floor of our sunroom crying during naptime. While I was lying there, sun shining in, I thought, "What am I doing? I need to talk about this." So I watched the clock until it was an appropriate time to call my girlfriend who is in a completely different time zone. As soon as I heard her voice, I started crying.

"Hello?"

Crying, "Is it the crack of dawn there?"
"Um, I think you have the wrong number...?"
"Its me! Kimber!"
"Girlfriend! Whats wrong? Are you okay?"
"I hate the Navy!"

I dont hate the Navy. I miss having these conversations with her face to face. I miss deciding that I dont want to eat dinner alone and driving over to her house for dinner. I miss my other friends. I miss them coming over for "movie night," where we end up splitting a bottle of wine and talking all night. I miss these Navy wives who are walking along the same road as I am, who have become family.

This is my husbands senior year in the STA-21 program. He has 16 credit hours this semester, plus being on staff at the ROTC. Next semester he will have 19 credit hours, plus being on staff at the ROTC and senior project. He signed up for classes this past week. Before that, I was telling myself, "Lets get through this semester. Lets make it to Thanksgiving, then finals, then Christmas break. Spring semester will be easier." Now I look at his credit hours-- 19! and hes working on getting approval for 22!-- and my heart sinks. It wont be easier. Which made think very negatively (I have said before that Im a deliberate optimist because Im a pessimist at heart). This semester sucks and next semester will suck and then moving will suck and going through power school and prototype will suck and then boat life sucks. I felt this huge weight on my chest. This sucks! What are we doing???

I dont know what we are doing. I do know a couple things. I am extremely proud of my husbands active duty status; he is serving our country. I am extremely proud of his naval career. He was a nuclear mechanic on fast-attack submarines and was picked up for the STA-21 program, service selected submarines again. I love the sub community. The people we have met are absolutely wonderful and instantly found places in our hearts. I love how handsome he is in uniform. I find myself speechless every Wednesday when he heads to school in his khakis. (Dont even get me started on the dress uniforms! Bow chicka wow wow!) I love this hard-working man. I love how he kisses me every time he comes home and kisses me every night before bed. I love how he eats whatever I serve him and thanks me when I heat up macaroni and cheese for dinner (seriously-- I love this man). I love how much he loves our children and how he always has time to go outside with them. He comes home from a long day and turns on the porch light to toss the football with our preschooler. I love that. I love that he goes in our toddlers bedroom to give them a kiss every night.

I spent hours on the phone the past couple days talking to my friends about my fears of career Navy life. My husband and I have been doing this together for six years (hes been in for a little over eight). Its not that I dont think we can do this. To use a Lord of the Rings analogy, I feel like Frodo after he volunteered to take the ring to Mordor. I know we have a long road ahead of us. We dont know what all of the challenges will be, but we know that it will be a long, hard journey. Next year we will leave the safety of Rivendell-- our quiet life here in North Carolina where he is home every night-- and embark on the next phase of our journey. I have as much trepidation about our first boat with three, possibly four, children as Aragorn did about passing through Moria (we only had one child on our last boat). What will happen? When people tell me take each day as it comes, I understand their intentions. But where was Frodos heart as he gazed at the pool of Mirrormere; did he truly enjoy that "bright spot" on his journey? He survived Moria, but at what cost? We will make many dear friends along the way-- we already have. We will be separated from good friends for awhile, as the Company was separated from Gandalf. Our roads will cross again and we will be glad to travel with them for a time. And when we finally throw the ring in Orodruin, I will enjoy our retirement. (I tried warning you that I am a pessimist.) But where would our Frodo be without the Company, the Nine? Where would he be without his Sam? Excerpt from The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien, page 929:

"I am glad you are here with me," said Frodo. "Here at the end of things, Sam."

"Yes, I am with you, Master," said Sam, laying Frodos wounded hand gently on his breast. "And youre with me. And the journeys finished. But after coming all that way I dont want to give up yet. Its not like me, somehow, if you understand."

"Maybe not, Sam," said Frodo; "but its like things are in the world. Hopes fail. An end comes. We have only a little time to wait now. We are lost in ruin and downfall, and there is no escape."

"Well, Master, we could at least go further from this dangerous place here, from this Crack of Doom, if thats its name. Now couldnt we? Come, Mr. Frodo, lets go down the path at any rate!"

"Very well, Sam. If you wish to go, Ill come," said Frodo; and they rose and went slowly down the winding road...

Thank you to my friends this week who pushed me onward when my hopes failed. Thank you to my friend who told me that I did not sound like myself, that the Kimber she knows can take a deep breath and press onward. Thank you. Thank you to my friend who told me I had my "sassy pants on" and reminded me how to pull myself up by my bootstraps. It is such a comfort to talk to someone who has been there. Thank you to my local friends who have listened to me vent at playdates for the past week. Thank you to my friends who continue to text me, even when I reply with "Debbie Downer" statements. I am so appreciative of the love of my friends and pray that I am as good of friend in return. Genuinely, thank you.

Time to take a long, hot bath, have a glass of wine, take a deep breath, and do what needs to get done.

Yes, I get by with a little help from my friends,

with a little help from my friends.

-The Beatles

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pregnancy weight loss shakes | The Book of You by Claire Kendal Review

pregnancy weight loss shakes

Are you looking for a sweet and romantic tale of lovers, lust and longing for Valentines? Erm, well you best be moving along.  This book is chilling, tense and absolutely terrifying.  My advice? Dont read this before going to bed.  I found I couldnt sleep.  Partly due to fear of what Id just read, and partly due to the fact I couldnt wait to keep on reading. 

The Book of You is the very chillingly debut novel of Claire Kendal.  It tells the story of Clarissa and her acquaintance Rafe, who is a stalker. You are quickly drawn into Clarissas world. Of never being left alone. Of constantly being frightened.  And before you know it, the author has cleverly made you too, look out for and fear the very disturbing Rafe on every page. Kendal tells at times the gruesome and harrowing, tale with ease and the novel takes you to a chilling and scary place.  

Intertwined with the story of Clarissa are the details of her ongoing jury service and her love of fairy tales.  Miraculously, these topics are woven seamlessly into the story and really reflect the turmoil that Clarissa is experiencing. Unlike alot of thriller books I have read, the truth behind this story with stalking at its heart really made parallels to reality, which to me, made the story all the more gripping and chilling. 

The ending certainly wasnt what I had expected.  But then I think the ending actually is very reflective of life.  And it cant be all fairy tales can it? This is an amazing debut novel and you wont be able to put it down to find out if anyone actually does live, happily ever after. 

I was sent The Book Of You by Claire Kendal to review by Mumsnet Bloggers.  The above review is my personal and honest opinion of the book. 

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