Sarah B: January 2012

Schedule Me Time!

Posted by Mrs B on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A big item has come to my attention as a relatively new first time mom (FTM).

It is ~~important~~ imperative to schedule some "Me time" as a mom.

When you are constantly caring for your child(ren), home, and spouse, it is easy to get all tangled up in the goings on that you don't realize how badly you need the break until you are forced to take one. I got sick along with Baby J, and I broke out in a stress rash (very similar to poison oak, Google it) all over my body. Having all of that hit simultaneously made me reflect on how much I internalize until I'm ready to snap which isn't healthy and is most definitely not conducive of a well lubricated family home unit either.

Some good "Me time" ideas I've come up with, keeping a minimal budget in mind, are:

Getting a scheduled pedicure, alone
Getting together with a girlfriend for coffee, window shopping, or exercise, alone
Working out while the baby is napping
Reading, either at home in a quiet setting or at a coffee shop, alone
Keeping an active craft project on hand for a quiet hour alone in the evenings after baby's bed time
Playing classical music whenever possible to keep tensions low, or any other soothing tunes
Yoga

So go ahead, schedule some "Me time"! It would be ideal to happen in some fashion or another on a daily basis but at the minimum twice a week.

Starting things off right

Posted by Mrs B on Saturday, January 7, 2012

Now that baby j is fast approaching 5 months I've decided to start getting more serious about being active and watching what I eat to get back to where I left off when I became pregnant, weight loss.

This past week I started using a free Android app called MyFitnessPal. It has a bar code reader that will automatically pull up the food item you scan along with its nutrition information, calories per serving, and you can enter the number of servings, even fractions (.5). Another two big pluses for the app are, its free and I can add breastfeeding at varying levels of application and it adds the negative calories for the day.

I also joined a mom's weight loss group where we encourage each other to stick with the different challenges and we have weekly weigh-ins posted in a group doc for all of us to see. The group fulfills some major points that I needed to shove myself in the right direction, motivation and accountability from people going through the exact same things.

So far, as of this morning, I've lost 2 lb since Tuesday. There is a lot more where that came from! Especially since it was mostly just eating fewer calories. There wasn't much on the activity front but that should be changing Monday as I will have a regular routine again! I would really like to shed a whopping 4-5 dress sizes. That will be my main measure of success, size and not weight. However in the beginning, weight loss is extremely encouraging until I can see visible change. Here is to getting rid of the baby belly and beyond!! :)

December Daily - Day 31

Posted by Mrs B on Sunday, January 1, 2012

2011, What an eventful year for our tiny family! There were so many ups and downs, emotionally and physically, for B and I. Neither one of us had ever been frequent patients in a doctor office much less hospital but after this year we could drive several different routes to some of the main Scripps hospitals/medical facilities in San Diego county. We had the joy of adding our first child to our family in August, bringing us to a Baker family of 3. :) We have had the privilege of visiting with several different family members (and out of town friends who are like family) through out the year, as well as tackle a few more home improvement items off our to-do/wish list. There have been friendships strengthened and weakened and I had a change in my employment status toward the end of the year, changing my title to "Stay at home mom". One sad point for my family this year was the passing of our beloved "Buddy", he was an awesome dog and it feels like he was always a part of our family. Thankfully, they have rescued another wonderful dog that is growing into his huge paws and picking up Buddy's legacy as trail pal and Michael's playmate. Ultimately, I believe this year has been one to remember for us. We have become closer to God as He has showed us little glimpses of His amazing grace and sovereignty. God blessed us with life and the miracle of medicine and doctors. And through those amazing miracles we are reminded in a sobering manor that His timing is divinely ultimate and He will never give us more than we can handle (have to remind myself that second part often).

Below is a little picture tour through 2011