Cutting Back on the Drugstore Game

During my time of feeling especially sick during this pregnancy, I simply stopped shopping. My husband was great about getting whatever we needed, despite his packed schedule. Being away from the kind of shopping I had been doing, which included using coupons at the grocery store and also doing the CVS, Rite Aid and sometimes Walgreens deals, gave me an opportunity to think about it more.

So far, I'm just back to shopping at Whole Foods. I have a hard time with smells still, and that seems to be the least smelly grocery store. I'm also being more careful about organics, keeping the baby in mind. So this leaves few couponing options.

I've been thinking about what I was best able to stock up on with the drugstore game - the toothbrushes were surely useful (I still have tons), but the toothpaste and other toiletries were not necessarily the kind of would have picked, and we have since decided we did not like some of them. Of course, since they were close to free, this is not a big issue. There is no question that being as well stocked as we were is part of why it was easy to make it through this difficult time - I haven't bought toilet paper since before I got pregnant, for example. But I'm not sure, overall, that we made out that well with this strategy.

I also found myself totally unable to deal with scented toiletries. This made me think about whether it's really good to be using them even when I'm feeling better. I think that likely, it's not.

I also found that my usual place to donate surplus food and toiletries has had major construction and hasn't been taking donations. I'm sure I can find someone who will take these items, but it's one more problem to deal with.

So, my new shopping plan: I will keep an eye on deals at the drugstores for things I will definitely use. I will focus on buying high quality foods and not just what I can get with coupons - back to saying no to things with artificial or unnecessary ingredients. It does cost more to buy your food at Whole Foods, but I found I somehow spent a bunch of money to "save" at the drugstores and regular grocery stores, so it hasn't been a huge problem. Plus, health is a priority for us right now, and it's worth it to spend a little more for better quality.

I think this plan, which will probably include shopping for very fresh produce more often, but fewer shopping trips on the whole, will work better when the baby comes too.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Different things work best at different times, and I think now is a season for greater simplicity.

Decluttering!

This afternoon I took a whole carload of stuff to the thrift store to donate. It feels great to get unneeded stuff out of the house.

Much of it was baby stuff we were given that I know we won't use - like a used carseat. We were given multiples of many useful things - highchairs and baby bathtubs, for example. I appreciate the sharing, and didn't want to turn anything down, so I just pass along anything that I can't use myself.

I also weeded out some books. First, I looked to see if they could be sold on half.com for more than $1 - if it's something that there are lots of copies of and it's selling for 75 cents, I don't consider it worth listing. If it couldn't be sold, out it went.

I've also been sorting through my clothes, putting aside some things I like but that don't fit anymore, and getting rid of things that aren't in good condition or don't suit me well. It's much better to not have things that don't work getting in the way of my relatively limited clothing choices. I hesitate to buy too much in the way of maternity stuff now, because I will get bigger and because the weather will be so different by the end of the pregnancy (July).

I always find decluttering energizing. It just lifts your mood. For me, it's the perfect job for a grey January day.

Ultrasound

We enjoyed another good ultrasound today. We're up to 15 weeks now, and I am just so happy that things are going so well. It's fascinating how much they can see - down to the parts of the brain and the chambers of the heart. I've been getting more relaxed about the pregnancy with time, and I think having this excellent ultrasound at this point will help a lot. I will always worry (I don't think you ever get to NOT worry about your children), but I believe I will be able to relax and have even more fun. Next time we should find out whether we are having a boy or a girl!

Cooking Fun

As I mentioned last week, I recently re-read French Women Don't Get Fat in an effort to make eating more appealing. It has actually been working pretty well. As long as I get a decent amount of sleep, I am feeling good enough to eat more and more things. I've been trying some of her easier recipes too.

One of my new favorites is Celery Root Remoulade. This is kind of like cole slaw, but I think I like it even better - it's less mushy. It makes a great first course for all kinds of meals, especially sandwiches. She says it is classic bistro fare.

Another favorite - I've already made it three times - is her Tagliatelle with Lemon. I couldn't find tagliatelle at the store and didn't feel like making it (I'm not THAT well yet), so I did linguine. This is mild but tasty. I'm still not up to garlic, onions or tomatoes, so this is a good way to have flavorful pasta without them.

I'm planning to do her Homemade Croissants again this weekend. They are AMAZING! I made them at least three years ago and my husband is still talking about them. (Definitely should have done this sooner.)

I also decided we would have egg salad sandwiches, in an effort to eat more protein. I needed to check how long to cook the eggs, since it had been a while since I had done this. I not only found out how long to cook them, I figured out why my mom's hard boiled eggs were always grayish and mine too! Now I can do it the right way - they came out beautiful and delicious. I can't find the site I read, but basically the trick is not to let them boil. Bring them to a boil, then remove from the heat and let sit for approximately 15 minutes. After that, place in cold water to stop the cooking. I just chop up the eggs, throw in some really good mustard and mayonaise and mix. This, on homemade bread (read on) with some leftover arugula is a very deluxe egg salad sandwich.

I also learned the EASIEST homemade bread ever. I was on the waiting list at the library for the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking - in fact I'm still waiting. It sounded like a great idea, so I was excited when Hannah did this post, which included a video of the process and her filling in of any missing details. I tried it and it is fabulous. I'm making up another batch today. I have realized that when I have a big baking day and freeze bread, it often goes to waste because we just don't like it as much frozen. With this method, it takes very little work to make a fresh loaf of any size at any time. I think this is going to a permanent fixture here - I never imagined bread could be so quick and easy. I'm still looking forward to getting the book and learning whatever variations they have come up with.

I am SO happy to be cooking again. I love the process and it is a million times better than takeout!

Getting Back on Track

I am finally feeling well enough to cook and clean - not up to my usual level of productivity, but getting better. I am still spending small stretches of time focusing on keeping the food down, and realistically, I still need a nap to get through the day happily, but there is still plenty of time to get things done.

Over the last two months, my schedule has been disrupted by morning sickness. Before that, I spent much more time dealing with moving my grandmother out of her apartment than working on my own home. And before that, I had an ovarian cyst that made it necessary for me to stay off my feet for most of the day. So I really haven't been on any normal household routine since August! (This makes me feel a little bit better about feeling so lost.) I've been keeping us up to date in laundry and dishes, and putting out other little fires as they come up - not the best way to do things.

I've been considering how to ease back into a more productive plan. Crystal and Monica's posts offered some good inspiration if you are working in this area too. I have considered going back on Flylady's emails for a little while, but I'm not sure I can stomach her kind of motivation (she's got a good basic system, but I'm just not a "purple puddles" kind of girl). So I've come up with a plan of my own.

Following Crystal's lead, I'm going to make a five item morning routine. I haven't decided if I want to try to get up earlier yet for certain. I am still feeling pretty tired, and I don't want to make it worse. But I love the morning, and it's usually a productive time for me. I think I'll see what my husband has to say about it.

Morning Routine

• Get up, eat something right away (keeps the queasiness away)
• Read Proverbs with DH and chat with him before he leaves for work
• Make the bed, shower, get dressed
• Do the dishes - usually putting away from the dishwasher running overnight, check menu plan for any necessary preparation
• Do a load of laundry

Later in the day, I want to practice viola for at least 15 minutes. There are many other things I want to work on, but others rely on me for this, so it's going in first.

The other approach is to make a list of things not in the routine that need doing. Some of these are weekly items (water the plants, vacuum), and I want to get back on schedule for them. Others are projects that need completing or areas where I have fallen behind. If I have the energy, I'll then have a list of things to do, instead of getting stuck in considering what I should do.

Hopefully between this and gradually getting more energy back, things will be running much more smoothly before long.

Running Some Errands

Today I'm getting out and buying some food as well as looking for some transitional clothes. The baby moved up out of the pelvis last week and my clothing situation has gotten more challenging. Hopefully I can find some good stuff at a thrift store (no luck so far) or on clearance somewhere.

I looked at the local forecast and that motivated me to get out TODAY. Tomorrow the high is just 24 and on Friday 22! That is very cold for around here, and I'd rather stay in as much as possible.

Cooking!

Toward the end of last week, I started to actually WANT to eat food on occasion, and not just because I knew I would throw up if I didn't. I even cooked a little over the weekend. This is a really big improvement. I'm still not feeling great all the time, but I'm glad to be able to cook and not have eating be such a struggle.

I'm not quite up for a menu plan monday yet - I considered it, but who knows how I'll feel each day. Instead, I'm planning to go shopping every few days for what sounds good at the time.

I'm also re-reading French Women Don't Get Fat, which is one of my favorite books about eating. She focuses on eating quality food and thinking about what you are eating. I've been trying to NOT think about what I've been eating for the last few months in the interest of getting it down, so I knew I could use a little help being mindful about it again. Now, I want to focus on eating nutritious things to benefit me and the baby. Because of my PCOS, there is some extra concern about gestational diabetes. I'm not going to stress too much over weight gain regardless, but I will try to avoid junk and hopefully stay in the range they'd like to see me in.

So far I've eaten some good vegetable soup, salads, fruit and yogurt, inspired by the book. I am thinking of making her awesome croissants again next weekend - it's a three day process, but not all that time consuming, and they are SO good. This updated edition has more recipes, so I will have to see what else I want to try. I am still totally grossed out by onions, garlic, tomatoes and peanut butter. I'm just flipping past anything I know I can't handle and trying to get excited about things that look good.

Any suggestions of favorite cookbooks to share?

Get Your Finances in Line in 2009 - Financial Goals

I am a bit late but joining in on the financial goals over at Money Saving Mom.

In 2008, we hit our big goal of paying off all of our debt. It was so exciting, and quickly followed by discovering we were expecting. (To those who are following this, I heard the baby's heartbeat again today and all is well.) So we know we have some expenses coming up this year for baby, and some big financial goals too.

First, we want to build up our emergency fund to having one year of living expenses saved. This is a pretty big goal, but we try to keep our expenses low and we are already much of the way there. I am certain we will accomplish this goal this year.

We also want to increase our retirement savings and start a college savings fund for the baby.

And, after the emergency fund is in place, it will be time to start saving for a house. We want to pay in full in cash, so it's going to take a while.

One thing I'm not sure about is how much we'll have in baby-related costs. While normal medical expenses for a baby aren't much on our insurance plan, I have added expenses for the extra doctors needed for being high risk. Even just paying co-pays and our share of testing costs, I'm sure we've spent at least $400 on this baby already, and we're only a third of the way there. I'm not planning to spend much on baby stuff, as we've already been given a lot and I know much more will come with a shower. I'm not sure how much it will affect my monthly budget either - we'll just have to wait and see. (Any advice from experienced moms?)

There are some job related variables too. My husband's company has done just fine so far, despite being in the generally unstable finance industry. Hopefully that will continue. But it's always possible he'll change jobs at some point. Even more uncertain is whether he'll be getting much of a bonus. There's just not as much to share around this year. We were hoping that would finish off our emergency fund, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Because of these uncertainties, I don't want to put a time frame on the goals, or a wish for a dollar amount saved toward the house by the end of the year. We know our end goals, and we'll just do our best to get as far as we can.

Eating Take Out All the Time...

It's just not as much fun as you'd think. I have friends, primarily those who live in Manhattan, who never ever cook. Having experienced just having mostly takeout dinners for over a month, I have to say I could NEVER do this permanently. It is driving us nuts.

I'm not a very fancy cook for the most part, though I can enjoy making a tricky recipe for a special occasion. Mostly we have simple homemade meals and rarely eat out. But with the difficult "morning" sickness I've been having - all day long - it just hasn't been possible for me to cook as I usually do. So we've had to come up with other plans.

I've tried to avoid ordering out. One technique I've used is to boil water, turn on the exhaust fan, throw whatever you're cooking in the pot (instant soup for instance) and run away. I then come back when it's done and try not to throw up before eating it. (Often things settle down once I start eating.)

The last few weeks we've done the husband-cooks-everything method. That is great, but he felt frustrated that there was so little he could cook. Even with the exhaust fan, it still had to cook quickly and not be smelly. I think he won't say it, but he's probably a little happy to be back to his catered lunches at work this week.

Sadly, many of my favorite cold foods aren't working either. The biggest problem is cheese. For some reason, most cheese (well, most of everything) just smells too strongly and I can't deal with it. So our standard hiking fare of bread and cheese is out. Also, whole grain breads have more smell than the white junk, and have been challenging.

I want to provide good nutrition for the baby, as much as possible, but it's hard. So supplementing what I can stand to make here with takeout has worked reasonably well. But nearly anywhere we order from the food is heavier than what we would have at home. Plus, it's easy to get sick of the same few places, but very little is appealing.

On the other hand, I truly do appreciate that the morning sickness has offered continuing reassurance that things are going along as they should be. It's a small price to pay for a healthy child. Still, I'm hoping that by next month I'll be back to cooking healthy and tasty food for us here at home. It will be better for my budget too.

Goals for 2009

I was planning to do a post on this anyway, so I'm joining in with Crystal's goal setting. I also prefer to think of them as goals rather than resolutions. A goal is something I can drift away from and return to (as always happens). A resolution seems broken once the initial focus is lost.

• Deliver a healthy baby. Much of this is out of my control, but I'm planning to eat well as soon as I can and exercise, and generally do my best with my health.
• Increase our retirement savings.
• Finish our big emergency fund.
• Start saving for a house (in cash!).
• Improve my garden - I recently read All New Square Foot Gardening and I'm getting excited about this.
• Continue to improve my homemaking skills.
• Improve my music skills.
• Improve my art skills. (Both of these I realize I will have less time for once the baby is here.)
• Finish reading through the Bible (continued from last year).
• Finish baby preparations inexpensively, and have fun doing it. (We already have a lot - one advantage of so many pregnancies is lots of time for people to give you stuff - but there's plenty more to do).

Edited to add: We actually wrote up these goals (and a few just for my husband) over the weekend. Each new year we review our big accomplishments for the preceding year and make goals for the next. We try to check in on them quarterly to help us stay on track.

I'm Back

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays!

We had a great time seeing family and friends, and most of all, each other. After two great weeks together, it almost seems strange for my husband to be back at work today.

I have a lot of ideas and things I've been trying that I want to share. New problems always force you to be inventive in new ways, and this pregnancy has definitely done that. (I'm still feeling sick, by the way, at twelve and a half weeks. It's kind of reassuring, but I wouldn't mind if it would like to go away soon.)

Today I'm going to use what energy I have to tidy up some and take down the Christmas decorations. See you soon!