How's Working Motherhood Going, You Ask?

EXHAUSTING. In the best way possible.

 I love being a mother. I love being her mother. She's the best, most beautiful, sweetest, smartest baby girl born to me EVER. (Yes, she's my first child.) Considering the road I took to get to this point, writing this is even more sweet.

One of the things preventing me from posting was that I suffered from postpartum depression. Because I don't really want to go into it, as this is a public blog and I still want to maintain SOME semblance of privacy for professional reasons, just suffice it to say that it got bad and took some time to get better. I still have bad days, but they're not nearly as bad as they were. Like, 10% of the previous level of bad, which I will GLADLY deal with to never feel like that again and to be so in love with my little girl finally. I loved her even during the PPD, but there was fear and anxiety mixed with it which confused me and hurt me.

That said, I've been receiving treatment to get better and I'm doing much better. I've been back at work for a while, and I feel like I'm almost back to my strongest when it comes to teaching, which feels great. I'm trying to find the balance, but I'm not going to lie... it's HARD. And I'm nowhere near finding it! And in sacrifice of doing my jobs of both teacher and mother, I've been neglecting my physical health. (Better that than my recently-threatened mental health, but still.) I could list all the terrible things I've been doing, but instead I'll list what unhealthy things I haven't been doing to make myself feel better:

• heroin!
• crack!
• any drugs that aren't prescribed for me!
• abusing prescribed drugs!
• forgoing any chance for sleep!
• drinking alcohol! (well, abusing alcohol - I've had maybe 1 drink a month since giving birth)
• walking around nuclear plants!
• texting while driving!
• pouring sugar directly into my mouth! (Not yet, anyway.)

 So see? I'm not THAT bad... right?

Oy, I know. It's finally getting to the point where it's not only the spirit that's willing, I'm tired of feeling gross. Plus my clothes are getting tight, and I can't afford new ones right now, so I gotta knock that crap off! Plus I have a little girl who's going to watch what I put in my mouth and want to run around being a little kid, so I need to be a good role model and be able to keep up with her.

That said, BABY STEPS.

Here's what I want to do ultimately: Eat clean food that consists of protein, vegetables, and good carbs; exercise regularly doing things I enjoy; cut out the junk food - both fast food and processed; cut out SUGAR.

For now, I'm focusing on drinking more water than soda, adding in more vegetables, and starting to incorporate exercise slowly. I want to get in some sort of cardio for 15 minutes a day. Yes, that's not a lot, but I'm THAT out of shape. (For now I'm going to play "Just Dance" on Xbox 360 Kinect - it's fun AND it makes me sweat! I might also do some beginner yoga videos on YouTube.)  I also want to do my back stretches; I have a lot of back pain that's lasted for at LEAST a month, and I need to get rid of it. Obviously, losing weight would help, but when I focus on weight loss I tend to fail quicker. Focusing on building healthy habits keeps me sane while also having the nice side effect of losing a little weight.

Yeah, this totally detracted from talking about my beautiful girl and motherhood. What can I say, I need to be a good, healthy person, and that will help me be a good mother ultimately. Besides, this would be even MORE boring if all I did was talk about how beautiful and perfect my child is - which no one will believe because all parents are biased when, in fact, my child IS the most beautiful and perfect 6-month-old ever. ;D

Wish me luck in my health pursuits! I've got a lot of unhealthy demons to blast.

Mommy Guilt

I can't stop feeling guilty. 

Like right now, the baby is sleeping, and instead of doing something productive I'm typing out my feelings. 

Am I not giving her enough tummy time? Am I encouraging her growth properly or am I stifling it?

Am I watching too much TV with her in the room? (Probably.)

How can I bear to leave her alone with her dad just so I can have some time alone? Or even more evil, so I can sleep?

How can I leave my child in the care of another and go back to work? This is looming over my head right now, as my maternity leave ends in 2 weeks from today. I miss my job, but it's a demanding job that requires a lot of attention, and I resent it a little already because I'm trying to figure out how to split my time so my job duties and MY CHILD aren't neglected. And it makes me feel like a bad mother already. 

I'm just so tired of feeling guilty all the time. No one is making me feel guilty other than me, and I am my worse critic. She is healthy and (I think) happy, and she appears to feel safe and secure in my arms. I just worry about everything. She deserves the world, and I feel incapable of giving it to her. 

 

What I've Learned in the First Month of Parenthood

Our beautiful little blessing turned 1 month old, and I've learned a lot in this first month about being a parent. Obviously, I will continue to learn with each passing day, but for now let's just focus on this month's lessons learned. 

- The Hubs is an angel in human form. He is keeping me sane and making sure I take care of myself. 

- Babies are the only age group that can get away with farting and burping and it actually be considered adorable. 

- Babies are surprisingly strong burpers  and farters, and both sounds are HILARIOUS when they come from something so tiny. 

- At some point you can get used to only getting 3 hours of sleep at a time. The last time I slept for longer than 3 hours was my birthday, and that was because it was my birthday present (The Hubs woke up with her and gave her a bottle instead). It was actually almost too much sleep after 3 weeks of not getting that kind of sleep, and I got a little sick due to the overindulgence. 

- Your parents will (gently) laugh and roll their eyes at your fretting because they know EXACTLY how you feel. 

- People love to buy baby clothes because they're adorable, and she will probably outgrow them before she gets to wear them more than once. 

- Also, baby clothes sizing is insane - some brands are tight while others are still big and they're supposedly the same size! Sheesh. 

- If you're lucky, your loved ones will bring you food when they visit. If you're REALLY lucky, they'll clean your house. We were REALLY lucky! ;)

- Every thing you do for yourself (e.g., leaving her in the bassinet so you can pee) will make you feel guilty and like a bad parent, no matter how necessary or inconsequential. 

- You are stronger than you realize, even as you cry and cry, as you watch your 2-week-old go through blood tests, IVs, and catheters to make sure she's ultimately ok (which she is now, thank goodness, but I never want to have to take her to the hospital again. It was a mere UTI, but in someone so young they have to make sure the infection doesn't spread, hence all the horrible tests.) You also again realize how blessed you are by The Hubs. Seriously, I will figure out how to clone his heart and brain into duplicate bodies of hot celebrities, then sell him as a mail-order groom and we will become GAZILLIONAIRES. 

- You will miss your baby when it is sleeping in its bassinet and you finally have time to sit and do something for yourself. You will also still check its breathing every 10 minutes despite all the precautions you took before placing her in there. 

- You will miss your partner even when they're sitting in the same room as you. We have resolved this by cuddling on the couch when she's sleeping. 

- The best part of the day is any moment holding her when she's not crying. When she's crying and being in your arms starts to soothe her, and she burrows into you and sighs. When she falls asleep on your chest listening to your heartbeat, and you smell the top of her head and inhale the sweetness that emanates. All the good moments outweigh the lack of sleep and stress of keeping this tiny human safe. 

And to think there is still so much to learn. 

What's Happening Lately - 8 Months Overdue Edition

SO. Long time no post! I doubt anyone's reading this at this point (and why would you? I never update!), but what the hell, let's catch up.

• I put on my first play! It was a middle school play, and it was terrible, but I learned from it and I'm still proud of myself for getting it on. I'm putting on another play this spring, and I'm about as prepared now as I was for the last one, but I will start working on it next month. Right now I'm a little busy. 
• Despite my terrible debut, I was hired back at my job! This is my first time returning to a teaching position, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. I really love the student population and my coworkers, so I was so excited to be asked back, and I worked my butt off for a fair amount of the summer to prepare for the school year. I'm so excited to be a contributor to making my school the best program it can be. To the point where my current big life change makes me feel a little guilty that I can't devote myself to contributing as much as I want to (but they're totally accepting and understanding of it at my school, which makes me want to do as much as I can with what time I can devote there)! At the moment, though, I'm not at work and I won't be back until December. Why? Well...
• I kind of hinted in my last entry at some news I wanted to share but couldn't share? Well, I can finally share it!
  
  
  
  
  
  And I'm 8 months overdue on it! Not only was I pregnant, but I gave birth! Yeah, I'm WAY behind. I wrote my last entry when I was just 6 weeks, and we hadn't gone to the doctor yet to get the official "Yup, you're knocked up" confirmation yet. But I'd taken 3 pregnancy tests and they'd all come out positive, so it was looking fairly good. Luckily, it stuck and our beautiful baby girl was born just on the brink of the Libra astrology time frame. As silly as it sounds, I love that she was born a Libra, as I am a Libra as well and I think Libras are awesome.
  
  I wish I'd posted while pregnant, but there wasn't much to post and I was just so tired I usually slept when I had a free moment. I was lucky in that most of the pregnancy was easy until the last few months. I had gestational diabetes, which required insulin injections (ow) and twice weekly non-stress tests (ugh), but that was about as hard as it got. Not saying I want to jump right into the next pregnancy, but I'm hoping if we are lucky enough to have a second one (planned or happy accident) that it will be similarly easy.
  
  The Hubs and I love being parents so far, as exhausting as it is. She's the cutest baby ever, of course, because she's our baby and we're totally biased, but she gets lots of compliments from strangers so we're feeling pretty good that it's not just our bias blinding us and that she is, in fact, adorable. So far she's a good baby, too. She's a good sleeper and a good eater, and when she's fussy it's usually easily resolved. Babies are fairly simple - they're either hungry, wet, gassy, or lonely. The only problem is figuring out which one is the issue in order to stop the crying. ;) Whichever scientist creates a legitimate baby translator will win the Nobel Prize that year, I swear.
• Speaking of Libras, tomorrow is my 33rd birthday! I usually live for my birthday, but I'm too braindead and tired from the little angel pictured above to really give a crap at the moment. The Hubs has promised to pick up dinner from wherever I want for dinner, and I think I'll treat myself to a long shower and an attempt at shaving my legs. I haven't shaved them since I was at least 8 months pregnant, because it hurt to bend over. I could braid my leg hair at this point. Otherwise, eh. I'm too tired to care, and leaving the house with a newborn is just too daunting a task right now. I know we need to leave the house eventually for reasons other than her pediatric appointments, but I'm still not quite ready. Luckily, most people are willing to come to us, which I greatly appreciate. 

So yes, I've gone from a Hot Mess Housewife to a Hot Mess Momma! We'll see how it goes, but I will post cute stories when I have a moment. No guarantees! But I want those who've been through it to have the opportunity to laugh at my naivety, of course. 

What's Happening Lately

This'll be quick, because I have lesson planning to do if I want to go have fun at the super bowl party we're going to today. :)

• Life has been crazy. End of the semester/transition to the new semester is always hectic because of grades being due, classes changing, etc. I have a crazy amount of work, and it's my own dumb fault for wanting to prep certain classes differently, so I'm really giving myself more work than I need to. But, you know, I want to teach my students the best I can, so it's a Catch-22. Still, things should be calming down work-wise... until I get the next big project that should arrive any day now. If I can get ahead of grading and planning a little bit, though, life will be easier. 
• I have been taking full advantage of my weekends, though. Teacher guilt makes me want to be in the classroom, though, haha. Luckily, my tiredness wins out and I force myself to rest (aside from lesson planning, which I actually enjoy because I'm a weirdo).
• Still house-(rental)hunting. The few we've attempted to rent had already been snatched up, but here's hoping we will find one soon. We need the space, and soon! Not that I'm looking forward to all the packing and lifting, but it'll be worth it when we find the right place for us. 
• Do you ever have huge news, but you have to sit on it because it's not 100% confirmed yet? We're in that situation right now. I hope it gets confirmed, and that we can share it sooner rather than later. Please keep your fingers crossed/say prayers for us/do a rain dance/whatever for us!

More when I have time. Duty calls!

What's Happening Lately: Goal Progress and Baby-Steps Back to Blogging

Let's bullet-point this b****.

• Goal progress is slow, but there IS progress! I haven't been regulating my internet time as much as I should, but I HAVE been closing it down and finding something else to do, like reading or crocheting! I do need to start timing myself, though. I've managed to cook from home twice last week, too! Pre-cooking meat really helped. I'm planning on pre-cooking meat again today since I have today off for MLK, Jr. day, just taco meat and crumbled Italian sausage. I've been craving tostadas, so I'm definitely planning on having that tonight! :) I also might actually have the ingredients for a small roast tonight, too, in the slow-cooker... gonna look into that as soon as this is posted! (I use this recipe, and it is AMAZING. The carrots especially absorb the delicious broth, yuuuuum!)
• One of my bestest friends is pregnant with her first child! (It's ok, she Facebook-announced it, so I'm clear to acknowledge it now ;D) I'm throwing her one of many baby showers - she's very loved. It's so fun clicking for ideas on Pinterest - I'm thinking the theme will be "little gentlemen", as she posted a very cute picture of her sonogram with a top-hat and bowtie added, which inspired me. :) Bowties and mustaches for the little man who's coming into their family! Of course there will be a post about it eventually. The shower is planned for mid-April!
• It is not looking like I will have my job come next school year. On the plus side, it's because the woman who had to take time off this year is healthy enough to come back! On the minus side, I really love it there and I am hardcore bumming about it. :( I have yet to feel so welcome, supported, and like I really fit in at a school before, and I wish there was a way to keep me there. At least I'll get really great letters of recommendation. 
• We're in the process of rental house-hunting! We checked out 4 places this weekend - the first two were great, the second pair weren't quite right for us. We'll be checking out more options this week to go for another round, as the company we'd be renting through for the 1st 2 properties we like takes applications on a 1st-come 1st served basis. Best to have a few more choices in case we didn't get our applications in soon enough. (There were a lot of lookers at both places, so it's very possible we didn't get our applications in first.) It's exciting and stressful at the same time, but I'm proud of ourselves that we're at the point in our adult lives where we can move forward in this manner; we've worked very hard to get to this point. Plus think of all the awesome home decorating I'll get to do now! AND THE SPACE OH MY GOSH WE ARE SO READY TO GET OUT OF THIS 1-BEDROOM APARTMENT. (We're looking at 3-bedroom houses - planning in advance in case we are lucky enough to be blessed with children while living there, and in the meantime I get a craft room, whooooo!)
• Daisy got a furcut! It cracks me up, when we take her to PetsMart for grooming, it is almost guaranteed that she will come back to us with bows in her hair if she gets a female groomer working on her. I'm not complaining! It's the only time I could get away with bows in her fur, The Hubs hates that kind of thing. (This one didn't last very long, unfortunately.)

This week is the start of our second semester, which means wrapping up grades from last semester! So my week will be filled with grading like a madwoman, and starting a whole new class - Drama! It'll be my first year teaching a drama class (Don't worry, I have a degree in theater) AND my first time directing a school play! So excited! (I'm taking the easy way out and using a Broadway Jr. show, it's kind of designed to be directed by anyone regardless of theater background.) Despite my imminent unemployment (again), I'm feeling fairly positive. I had a breakdown on Friday, but The Hubs really worked on making me see that it's not the end of the world, even if it feels like it is. Can't guarantee that I'll stay so positive as the end of year nears, but right now I'm feeling ok. The world tends to work out as it should. Maybe I was here for this year only to help out the school while they were missing a vital cog in their machine, and I served that purpose and now it's time to move on to a school that needs me even more! (Here's hoping, anyway. :D)

Have a good week!

The First Week of School 2.0

It is amazing how little time it takes to completely lose one's stamina when the daily routine goes on vacation.

We just had our first week back to school, and it felt as if it was the first week of school all over again! My body wasn't used to all the work after two weeks off, and I couldn't sleep well because I had so much stuff to catch up on/do which is of course the thing I needed most was sleep.

Unfortunately, next week looks just as nutty, but my body seems to be re-adapting again. I failed to mention in last week's posts that I'm additionally hindered right now with a calf muscle strain that requires me to baby it, not exert myself too much (which as a teacher is kind of impossible), and wear a walking boot for support - which slows me down and DRIVES ME NUTS, UGH. My uninjured leg is suffering from the additional work it has to do, too. Needless to say, today was mostly resting it, but with the fun of babysitting our adorable goddaughter Emily with The Hubs. Luckily, for being just over 1 year old, she's remarkably easy to watch! We didn't have to chase her too much, and she was a breeze - all giggles and smiles!

In regards to the mini-goals for Jan.-March I posted about, I was better about my internet time, but cooking dinner at home pretty much didn't happen thanks to how hectic last week was. I was honestly not home earlier than 6pm any day last week! This week should be better, though, and I am planning on going grocery shopping Sunday, and pre-prepping my meals as much as I can after the grocery store so all I have to do is (hopefully) heat it in the oven, or mix the ingredients for 5 minutes before throwing it in the oven/saucepan. (Also, because I'm not busy enough, I'm also making a meal to take to a coworker who's out for health issues right now - but it's a recipe that I can easily double and make one for us at the same time!)

What am I making, you ask?

Spinach Tortellini Soup - it's delicious! I'm going to add turkey Italian sausage "meatballs" (where I squeezed the sausage filling out of the casing and rolled them into balls).

Enchilada casserole (This is the one I'm making two of - one for me, one for the coworker)

Chicken Broccoli casserole to serve over brown rice

Baked pork chops with Stove Top stuffing and veggies (this one I won't prep ahead, 'cuz pork chops don't take that long).

I plan to prep ahead by making the enchilada casserole ahead, then cooking the proteins ahead of time (except the pork chops). I only did four meals because Fridays are usually nights we eat out anyway - I'm just trying to make it the ONLY night we eat out this week. Fingers crossed!

2014: Goals for the Year, January-March

While I am nowhere near an expert at making goals, I have learned from teaching students how to set academic goals that they have to be reasonable, they have to be measurable, and they have to be ACCOMPLISH-ABLE. If you set a goal beyond the time frame available, then you're setting yourself up to fail. (For example, there's no way I could lose 50 lbs in 3 months, at least not without doing it in a very unhealthy manner.)

I also think setting goals for an entire year is a bit too much; stuff happens, and we can't always control what happens to us, just how we react to it. So it makes more sense to set a goal for a few months, and then re-assess at that point. If it's going well, keep going; if it's not working, try to figure out what the problem is and figure out a fix. So my 2014 goals will be for the overall year, with measurable steps along the way.

So what do I want out of 2014?

To be happy,

and

To be healthy.

So how do you measure happiness in a way to achieve a goal? By taking steps to fix the things that make me unhappy.

So as to not overwhelm myself, I have two mini-goals to help me achieve the two overarching goals of 2014, one for each.

Happiness: Break my internet habit. (Don't think I don't see the irony in blogging about this.) Seriously, though, when I come home, I zone out with my computer and iPhone. Some people use the TV, I use the internet. So much time is wasted where I could be doing something much more fulfilling, like crafting, or reading, or stuff around the house that needs to get done. I mean, we're hoping to move in the next 2 months, so I'll need to use at least a couple of evenings for packing, for example. Not to mention I just feel like I'm wasting my life away on the internet when I could be doing something more interesting or personally fulfilling.

So how will I stay off my favorite time-killer? 

• Make plans on the weekends. Can't be on the computer if I'm out of the house. Luckily, I usually have plans on the weekend, so this won't be that much of a stretch. I'll just need to find ways to get out of the house during the day, esp. if The Hubs isn't interested in joining me. 
• I want to stay off the internet at least 3 nights a week for now. Mondays and Fridays will be long days at work due to tutoring after school, so I think it's only fair to decompress with my internet crutch on those days, but I'll aim to stay off the internet Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I'll give myself an hour on a timer after dinner, and once that timer goes off, the computer is shut down. 
• Of course, as we are house-hunting (renting, not buying) at the moment, I might have to go on if The Hubs needs me to check something out related to that. 
• No using the internet on the phone if I've shut the computer down for the night. Leave my wifi off. NOTHING is so important that it can't wait until tomorrow. 
• Playing games on my phone doesn't count as "more fulfilling activities". I can play on the phone a little before bed as long as it's not internet and it doesn't keep me up later than I need to be. (If it does, then it'll get limited. To be fair, though, I do read books on my iPhone.)

Health: Only eat out 4 times a week (including weekends). We have gotten into a NASTY take-out addiction. Part of it is my fault; my main household chore is cooking, and I haven't been doing it. Part of the problem was that I injured my calf, which has required me to be off of my feet for most of November, but it was a problem before that (which we blamed my coaching schedule for). The point is that I was working myself overtime, and using it as an excuse to not cook at home. Which means bad food, more money than we need to spend, and actually more time and effort than if I'd just cooked at home half the time. Seriously. We also tend to not cook on the weekends, which meant we were eating out a LOT. We're both tired of it, we're both frustrated that it wastes money, and honestly most convenient fast food doesn't taste that great. And since I'm the main cook, guess whose responsibility it is to fix this problem? That's right, THIS GAL.

So how will I ensure this happens?

• When I'm cooking the current dinner, take out the meat from the freezer for the next meal and put it in the fridge. I tend to use this as an excuse for not cooking, because if I forgot (or "forgot") to defrost the meat, and I'm tired when I get home, then I don't want to wait for the meat to defrost in order to eat, right? GUESS I SHOULD ORDER OUT. So no more, darn it! Take out the food for tomorrow while cooking this evening's meal. Simple!
• Get back to meal planning. It's not even that hard, and I have about a GAZILLION recipes saved to Pinterest - I even have an Excel spreadsheet AND a Google calendar set up for meal planning! So not only do I need to meal plan, but when I'm picking out the food from the freezer to defrost, I'll choose which meal to cook from the plan. 
• Buy a frozen meal or two for "emergencies" (like something comes up that keeps me late, or I just am TOO DANG TIRED). Even buying a pre-made frozen meal is still cheaper than buying a fast-food meal. 

Fairly simple and attainable, and I've still left myself some squidge room to help me transition to these better behaviors. I feel confident going into these because they're not totally overwhelming, they feel manageable, and they're measurable. Even if I end up buying 5 meals out one week, but we've been doing better before then, I'll still feel successful.

I can't guarantee that I'll update regularly with my success, but I'll try. Baby steps into blogging regularly. ;D

What's Happening Lately: 2013 in Review

It's amazing how fast time flies by. For example, I can't believe I haven't posted since September! Being a teacher is very busy, but not so busy that I couldn't have posted on here more, I'll admit. To be honest, though, I didn't have the time to do the types of posts I WANT to do. Recipes, projects, etc. I wasn't doing them like I wanted to before I took an unplanned sabbatical, though, so there ya go. I will confess that teaching/education is my passion, and while I could blog about that as well, I find I prefer to learn more than share at the moment in that area. Maybe when I'm feeling a little more experienced and feel I have new insight to provide. :)

Left to right, top to bottom: Volleyball signed by the team I coached, The Hubs and our dog Daisy, My goddaughter Emily and I taking selfies, the set from OSF's "A Streetcar Named Desire" which we saw on our summer vacation!

Let's do a little recap, though, to share what I've been up to/how this year has gone:

• Professionally, it's been on an upswing, but 2013 was AWFUL job-wise. Without going into details (because you never know who cyberstalks you), I was in a bad situation at my last school that was just... it messed me up emotionally. Seriously, it induced regular panic attacks that even after the job was over I was still suffering from for months afterwards. I'm happy to say that I haven't had a panic attack since at least August! The fact that I'm at a school where I'm supported and encouraged really helps with this, though. My students are wonderful for the most part (there's always some knuckleheads, but most of them are just knuckleheads who need to test if someone cares), the staff is friendly and encouraging, and the support staff is on it like comet. I'm really happy there, and while there's a chance I might not be back next year (I'm on a temporary contract), it's nice to feel confident that the reason I might not be back has 100% NOTHING to do with me, and I'll always be grateful for this school reinvigorating my love for teaching and reaffirming that I AM a good teacher. 
• Personally, things are mostly good. Friendships have strengthened, for the most part, and the few that have weakened aren't due to fights or hurt, just distance and time apart. It sucks, but it's also a part of life. Marriage is mostly good as well; there are things to work on, because we are human and we are fallible, but we have pledged to work on those things together, and we still love each other very much.

The highlights of this year have been:

• My new job! Seriously, I love it there. 
• Adding to the job enjoyment was coaching our middle school girls volleyball team - we made the playoffs! I was so proud of my girls. :)
• My husband's job seriously improved as well, in very positive ways!
• We became godparents to the adorable Emily, and it's been a blast spending time with her while also becoming closer to her mom (I am an old friend of her dad's, but I've grown closer to his wife/Emily's mom over this year also). 
• Our trip to Ashland, Oregon! A great weekend away with wonderful theater, cute boutiques, and great food. :)
• My 32nd birthday was just all-around awesome, for some reason. Probably because I forced myself to not make a big deal out of it, which resulted in my not over-thinking it and just ENJOYING the time with family and friends! :)

Overall, I've ended 2013 on a happy note, and I'm hoping it continues into 2014. We have a lot of stuff happening early this year - a trip to the Chicago area for my grandmother's 80th bday, moving to a bigger place, buying a new car for The Hubs (which is long overdue), and *sigh* possibly finding a new job. We're also hoping our family will be closer to expanding this year as well, but that depends on my continuing to control my health issues. 2014 is full of possibility, and I hope I will maximize those possibilities as much as I can!

What's Happening Lately: Back to School Edition

So as I mentioned before, I've been away due to achieving the (for a while there) seemingly impossible in the form of a teaching position for the 2013-2014 school year. So far, it's been good! Hectic, exhausting, and stressful as all get out, but good. I'm enjoying where I work, and as frantic and overwhelming as it can be, I love what I do! While I always have a few knuckleheads (its the nature of the beast), so far I'm getting lots of good feedback from admins, fellow teachers, and even the students, who seem to like me and our lessons! :) (I'm teaching 7th grade English and an art elective - so far, so fun!) The stress is mostly caused from spreading myself a leetle thin at the moment because I'm a volleyball addict as well, so I took on the volleyball coach position for our school on very short notice, and now I'm getting ready for volleyball at the last minute while still catching up from being hired just before the school year started! GENIUS. Oh, did I mention progress reports are due this week? *sigh* One of these years I'll catch up.

Regardless, I'm not QUITE ready to resume blog duties, as I still come home most nights around 6pm. So, yeah. Blogging is important to me, but not as important as my actual life and its needs. I'm still finding my housewifery groove - the last few weeks AND weekends have left little time for recuperation, and this was the first weekend where I actually RELAXED. (Unfortunately, the relaxation was kind of ruined by other personal stuff - nothing major, and it'll get dealt with, it just helped me realize how stressed I've been and how poorly I've been dealing with it.)

My goal is to work on entries when I have time, pre-post them, and when I have a decent backlog of non-"What's Happening Lately"-style ones to supplement my "current events" posts, I'll post them! I look forward to sharing my own tips and tricks that I've had to develop as part of my survival and make my day-to-day life easier. Once I'm back on track, I'll let you know! I'm giving myself until October 1st, which I think is very reasonable AND allows me some motivation to plan some fun Autumn-related stuff. It's on the brink of my favorite holiday season, after all - HalloThanksXmas! ;D

See you in October!

Unintentional Vacation - It's a GOOD Thing!

Hey y'all!

I have to take a little time away from el blog-o. Nothing serious, just BUSY.

Life took a crazy turn last week (which, since I wrote all those posts in advance, I didn't have a chance to share and edit), and ended on a good note. I've attained a teaching position, which is great! School starts Wednesday, though, and I have had very little time to prepare for it, so I want to just focus on doing my job well. Children are the future and all that happy crap. ;D

I'll be back in September, aiming to post at least 2-3 times a week again. Promise!

Until then...

Foodie Friday: Healthy Eating Recipes!

Let's be honest: You're here for the recipes, right? ;D I understand. Let's cover the food first, then if you're curious how I'm eating/exercising, that'll be below the "Read More" link!

Here are some of my favorite recipes that are low-calorie, and easily served alongside some veggies (if they don't incorporate veggies already)!

The one pictured above is my own mish-mash that I like to call "Asian Goulash" (even though it has nothing in common with actual goulash). I love Chicken Lettuce Wraps from P.F. Chang's, but it's an awfully expensive option. ;) I found this recipe from YumSugar years ago, and basically mish-mashed the recipe into my own combination of them. If I don't feel like scooping it into lettuce, I'll serve it over rice instead with a little extra sauce. This recipe doubles easily if you have more people to feed; I designed it for one large serving each for 2 people (The Hubs and myself).

Asian "Goulash"
Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground meat (I used turkey)
1/2 of an 8oz can of water chestnuts, chopped into bite-size pieces
2-3 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
1 Tbsp minced garlic (or less, if you're not as into garlic as I am - I loooove garlic)
1 tsp minced fresh ginger OR 1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, split
1 Tbsp hoisin or oyster sauce (whatever you prefer), split
1 tsp corn starch, split
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
dash of sesame oil (optional)
minced green onions (optional)
lettuce leaves (I love butter lettuce for this) or cooked rice

Instructions:

1. Chop your veggies and aromatics first! Sprinkle 1/2 a tsp of cornstarch over the ground turkey and mix it up. (The cornstarch will help give the sauce something to adhere to later.)
2. Mix 1.5 Tbsp of soy sauce and 1/2 a Tbsp of hoisin/oyster (whichever you chose). Go ahead and mix the remaining soy and hoisin, 1/2 a tsp of cornstarch, pepper flakes, and  sesame oil (if including); it'll be your sauce for pouring over the meat and rice. We're prepping all this stuff ahead because the cooking process will go FAST.
3. Spray a little cooking spray on your skillet. Throw in the garlic and ginger, and stir around a little, about 1 minute. Add the cornstarched-mixed meat, and cook until meat is cooked through. 
4. Add in the celery and water chestnuts. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring around. 
5. Pour the soy/hoisin-only mixture over the meat and veggies, and stir around to make sure everything's covered. You're done!
6. Serve over rice or in washed lettuce leaves, pouring the sauce over it if you desire. (If you don't think you'll want sauce, use it during the cooking process. The Hubs likes having extra sauce so I save half for serving.) Enjoy!

Served over rice, each serving is 352 calories, 9.4g fat, 37.3g carbs (4g of fiber!), and 28g of protein! SUPER-filling.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I actually typed the recipe up over on SparkRecipes already. But it's mine! I modified it from a vegan recipe on thekitchn.com because I like cheese too much to substitute the fake stuff. ;p

Other healthy recipes I like that I didn't create:
Sausage and Brown Rice casserole (I sub in carrots and cauliflower for the bell pepper)
Slow-Cooker Teriyaki Pork  (I serve it over brown rice and steamed broccoli!)
Fagioli Soup - pasta fagioli soup without the pasta
Cheeseburger Soup - Low carb and deeee-lish!

What's great about all of these recipes is that they HAPPEN to be healthy while also being super-tasty! The Hubs does NOT complain when we eat these, and I don't feel like all I'm eating is lettuce.

If you'd like to know what my general eating and exercise practices are, click on "Read More"!

What Works for Me: Healthy Habits Checklist (Free Printable!)

  Download link: JPG  PDF

So not only am I doing all that healthy eating junk, but I'm ALSO getting my teeth health junk in order, too! Nothing serious, but my dentist would like me to brush my teeth twice a day (I'm a mornings-only brusher) and floss at least once a day (Yup, I'm REALLY bad). I'm naturally blessed with good quality teeth; I'll be 32 this year, and I still have only had one official cavity! My gums aren't great, though, and I went through a deep root planing 2 years ago and I will be DARNED if I have to go through THAT again, ugh. (I'm sure it's nowhere near as bad as a root canal, but it was bad enough to make me want to be better about my teeth!)

I've been pretty good the last week or so, but it's not a habit yet, so I thought it might help to put a little checklist near my bathroom mirror so I can check it off. I wanted it to be reusable, and then I decided I wanted it to be cute, too! So my solution: Make a cute graphic (like the one above - yup, I made that!), and use one of my favorite teacher tricks for cheap whiteboards: Put it in a document protector and use wet/dry erase markers for the writing and checking!

Use the wet-erase marker for the habits you want to work on, and the dry-erase marker for the check marks. This way, you can erase your check marks without having to re-write your goals every day. (Of course, you could always use PicMonkey to "write" it on the image itself.)

I haven't had a chance to take a picture of it in action, but it's nothing fancy, just in the clear sheet protector. :)

Hopefully this checklist helps you keep track of your daily goals! You can do it!

What Works For Me: Healthy Changes

As I've mentioned before, I have health issues that I'm treating. One of the best ways to treat these issues is eating healthy and exercise - you know, the two things that were, like, ZERO fun for me. ;)

I'm a firm believer that people only change when they're ready, regardless of how necessary those changes may be. I notice when I'm open to the change, and I try to seize the moment. As such, I've been slowly working my way towards eating better and exercise over the last year... VERY slowly on the exercise front. Now things are starting to come together, and I'm starting to feel really great about my progress!

Don't worry, this is NOT turning into a health-based blog. (There are way better ones out there!) It's been my focus of late, though, so I needed to "blog it out". All these changes don't make me an expert, but I like to share what works for me because it might work for someone else, too! Here are the unofficial "rules" I live by which are helping me succeed at the moment:

• Start small, and find compromises when you can! This was the best advice I've read, and I wish I'd saved the blog where I found it! Specifically, the advice was to just focus on giving up something you know is bad for you for now, and as you become accustomed, try giving up another bad thing. It was easy to switch my chemical-laden coffee creamer to all-natural half-and-half (as the entry suggested), but I knew diet soda was going to be harder and I'd have to find a happy medium. My endocrinologist says stevia is ok for my dietary needs - so I've switched to Zevia-brand soda, which is the only one I've found made with stevia. I make sure to have no more than 2 a day, usually as a "treat" with my lunch and dinner. It keeps me sane, it's better for me, and I've noticed that it doesn't dehydrate me as much as other artificial sweeteners did!  
• Make the end goal reasonable. A specific measurable goal that's reasonable is good: right now my goal is to lose 5% of my body weight overall. The number on the scale is just a measurement tool, though, and it doesn't decide my overall success, especially considering my PCOS makes weight loss veeeeeery slow-going, so I don't want to make the scale my main measurement. My overall goal in this is to improve my overall health; if I only lose 2 pounds, but my endocrinologist sees an overall improvement in my numbers, I'm going to feel successful! Losing 5% of my current weight might make a marginal change in my appearance, but it will improve my overall health a LOT.
• Find the easiest way to do it. Veggies was the hardest thing to add to my diet when it hasn't been a regular part of it. So I found the easiest ways to incorporate them! Aside from the recipes I linked, I buy a big box of mixed greens and spinach for easy salads, and frozen broccoli or cauliflower that I steam in the microwave for a quick dinner side (I'll dress them with a sprinkle of salt and garlic powder). Those are veggies that I like and don't feel annoyed to eat, and that take mere minutes to prepare. I eat a big salad typically with lunch, and then veggies with dinner (If I'm feeling esp. sassy, I'll have a salad AND frozen veg with dinner!) Do the same with your health bugaboo - find the easiest way to incorporate or address it. 
• Give in to a craving - within reason. You've probably seen this before, but it's really true; if you are legitimately craving something to the point of distraction, give in and get it out of your system. BUT do it in moderation! Here are my rules for myself when it comes to cravings: I have to have thought about it for at least 3 days in a row, I don't substitute it with something that won't quell the craving, and I have to buy the smallest 1 serving amount of it that I can (and that's ALL I buy).  I love nacho cheese Doritos, but I know I can eat a whole bag in one sitting - so I keep them out of the house. If a craving hits, I'll buy the smallest 1 serving bag I can find, and I'll enjoy it. It gets the craving out of my system, I don't feel like I've deprived myself, and there's no more in the house because I only bought the 1 serving.
• When eating out, pick one indulgence.  The point of eating out, in my opinion, is to indulge. When you're trying to eat better, though, eating out often is NOT going to help. So I'm trying to eat better when I do eat out by sacrificing something or including something I might not normally. If it's a burger place, I will usually get the burger I want and sacrifice the fries for veggies instead. Yes, I'm still eating a not-great food, but I'm only eating one "naughty" element as opposed to an entire "naughty" meal, and I'm also getting my veggies in with it and the tastes that made me want to eat out in the first place.
• Don't beat yourself up over a bad day. This is the hardest truth, but it's the most important one. We're human and we're going to make mistakes. I am extremely susceptible to the "Well, I screwed up, might as well just give up entirely" attitude. So far, I've managed to get over myself and just start fresh with the next meal. For example, I'd been craving beef broccoli with fried rice from my fave local Chinese place for a week, so I indulged the other day. It was waaaay too much food, and I felt STUFFED and regretted a little. BUT I recognized that it got the craving out of my system, and I had a very reasonable dinner to make up for it. I moved on from my mistake instead of drowning in it.
• Figure out what works for YOU - you may have to switch it up until you find your best method! These are all tips that work for me: gradual small changes that add up to good health. Some people, though, can just completely turn a 180 from old habits and thrive! If that works for you, then keep on keepin' on! When something's not working, try something else. My eating changes are all manageable for me, and I can feel the change (and see it - my clothes are a little loose and friends are asking if I've lost weight). This first week of incorporating exercise is working well for me because I know what works for me and my attitudes, and I also know to not push myself, lest I hurt myself and have to stop, which will make me lose momentum; I figure as long as I break a sweat and am slightly out of breath by the end, I did my job for now. As it gets easier, I'll push myself harder. Consider your habits and your natural inclinations, and work with them, not against them.

For Foodie Friday, I'll share my eating and exercising changes, along with my favorite healthy meal ideas; this entry's long enough! Come back Wednesday for another helpful idea in making healthy habits stick!

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram to keep me accountable! I figure if I'm going to talk the talk, I better walk the walk, so I'll be posting picture collages of my meals for the day and logging my exercise! I won't spam your feeds, most likely 1-3 posts a day at the most.

Foodie Friday - 3 Fast Meal Ideas!

As I've mentioned before (multiple times), I am a lazy cook. If I can afford to go pick up the meal, I'm probably gonna go pick up the meal.

Of course, when one is trying to eat healthy, picking up a meal that's healthy-ish and cheap is a near-impossible feat! Good for you food fast tends to be more expensive; seriously, getting a meal-sized salad or adding a side of steamed veggies is more expensive than just eating the fries that come with most meals!Of course, when funds are limited, that's not an option, either. So what's left to do but order the cheap, bad-for-you option? Especially when cooking just takes sooooo long...

Not necessarily!

I've found that, for myself, the less time I have to spend prepping, the happier I am to cook from home. One thing that saves prep time is to buy cheap shortcuts, such as frozen veggies and frozen sides like rice; I try to avoid processed sides like Carb-A-Ronis because there's so much unknown crap in them! Even cheaper is to buy the stuff fresh and freeze it yourself, which I'll do when I can with things like rice or beans.

Here's three of my favorite quick meal ideas for when I want something fast, tasty, and don't want to eat from a fast food restaurant!

5 Favorite Things (About Sacramento!)

So I live near the state capitol of California - Sacramento! This past July 1st was our 7-year anniversary; we still live in the same apartment, even. (Although that time is probably coming to an end soon - we'll discuss that some other time.)

When we moved here, we thought this would be somewhat temporary; we both grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and figured we'd move back once we were a little more financially viable. We never considered Sacramento a possible permanent home, but now I can't imagine moving back to the Bay. I'm NOT saying I don't miss it like crazy sometimes, but it's become a nice place to visit and reminisce. Sacramento is where The Hubs and I have spent most of our time together, and it feels more like home now.

So here are my 5 favorite things about Sacramento and the surrounding area:

• The Capitol building. It's GORGEOUS, and I love seeing it from various cross streets. During the day or at night, it's a sight to see. Also adding to its gorgeousness: Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom. YUM. Despite his working regularly in close proximity, I've yet to actually see him. Mainly because stalking is illegal and I also know I would make a damn fool out of m'self if I saw him, squeeing like a teen girl at a One Direction concert.
• The Crocker Art Museum - I lived here for 6 years before I finally checked it out - then I checked it out twice in six months! First time was with my fellow art/theater nerd N, and second time was with The Hubs (they had a fantastic Norman Rockwell exhibit that we were both interested in viewing). It was just the old Crocker mansion, but then they expanded it into a modern building in addition to the original mansion. 
• The Sacramento Rivercats, our local minor league baseball team - The Hubs is a huge SF Giants fan - and unfortunately, the Rivercats are the feeder team for the Oakland A's (doh!). We don't hold it against them, though. Raley Field, where they play, is a very nice park with good concessions, and I enjoy the little extra entertainments they throw in for the kids and between innings. All this makes for a fun night out during the summer months!
• Ghostbusters! That's right, who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! I first saw them during a local 4th of July parade, but I've seen the car driving around at least twice since. It always makes me smile. They're committed cosplayers (so as a huge nerd I LOVE that), and they do charity work. How can you not love that? Plus what other city can claim to actually have the Ghostbusters? ;D
•  The FOOD. So many great restaurants to check out! Plus fancy grocery stores (I'm such a sucker for that stuff), from chains like Trader Joe's and Whole Paycheck Foods to local favorites like Taylor's Market and Corti Bros. My favorite local restaurants so far have been in Midtown Sacramento, for the most part; our favorite place to take out-of-towners is to Chicago Fire because the buffalo wings are perfect, the pizza is AMAZING, and their chocolate chip cookie a la mode is heaven. We've checked out tons of places that we loved and keep meaning to go back to, but just haven't (we try to keep the pricy meals out limited to once a month indulgences), and with so many options it's too tempting to try something new every time! I'm just happy to have my local sushi favorite, my local Chinese food favorite, and my local sandwich place favorite for quick meals, and then so many options to explore for fancier meals out! Off the top of my head, I highly recommend the Squeeze Inn for burgers, Paesano's for a unique Italian-style meal, the Buckhorn Grill for yummy tri-tip, and Thai House for Thai food.

Ok, 1 more thing that I HAVE to include and is not technically IN Sacramento: 

• Location, Location, Location! - I love that Sacramento is so close to so many things! Ok, "close" is a relative term. What I mean by this is Sacramento is only a couple hours away from a wealth of different activities. Major attractions like Reno/South Lake Tahoe is only a few hours away, the Napa Valley is about an hour and a half, San Francisco is about 2 hours away (excluding traffic), San Jose is just over 3 hours away (we go there at least once a year to see the SJ Sharks). Then there's local attractions that are less than an hour away (or right in town), like Apple Hill, Historic Folsom, the Jelly Belly factory, the state fair (which just ended!), and Old Sacramento. It's great to have so many interesting options for when you want to get out of town for a day or a weekend! 

I could go on! We have a great theater scene that I'm still discovering, nearby Placer county has lots of unique sites to visit, there's farmland all over the place (if you're into that sort of thing - having taught students in FFA clubs, though, it is kind of neat if you're a city mouse like m'self), lots of local breweries (if you're into that sort of thing)... there's so much about Sacramento to experience! It's only in the last few years that I finally warmed up to the city, and at this point it feels like home. I look forward to raising our family around here!

Link Parties I've linked up to

What's Happening Lately

Confession time: I like to update 3 times a week minimum, but lately my inspiration has only given me two ideas at the most, and then goes back to sleep. PFFT. Maybe if I build a shrine or something, my muse will work a little harder. So when I'm at a loss for what to talk about, I resort to myself and what's going on in my life! Y'know, 'cuz I'm SO fascinating.

So the biggest thing that's going on in my life right now is unfortunately my looming unemployment. Well, technically I've been unemployed since January, when my last position informed me they were letting my contract expire, but I still had to finish the school year, obviously. I'm currently 0 for 6 on the interview front, and the school year starts very soon, so I'm having to start with the Plan B.

Foodie Friday - Fast, Cheap, and Easy: Breakfast Options!

So far, every job I've had since we moved here has required me to commute at least 30 minutes (if not more). I HAVE to eat breakfast, and as I value my sleep, I prefer it to be quick to make or reheat and something I can eat while driving. Even better if I can make/prep everything on Sunday night in as little amount of time as possible! Plus the easier and faster I can make a breakfast at home, the less tempting it is to spend money in a drive-thru!

There are a few options I have come up with that work really well for me; I need a healthy-ish carb, protein, and if I can squeeze in some veggies, all the better! I've sorted them between "ridiculously easy", "needs a little prep", and "needs a LOT of prep". Enjoy!

Ridiculously Easy

What's Happening Lately

I swear, this isn't why I haven't been posting as often.

 Sorry for the relative silence up on this here blog. Lots of reasons why, listed below:

• It is currently what I refer to as "hunting season"; teaching jobs are only really available from April-August for the following school year, and if you don't get a job before the end of "hunting season" it's unlikely you will be getting a full-time job for the school year. (It can happen, but it's rare; one year I was still getting interviews for jobs in December!) If you do get a job once the school year has started, you hit the ground running which is even MORE stressful. Ugh. I had at least one interview/week for most of May and June, then it dried up, and now it's picking up again... but I still don't have a job. One more opportunity this week; fingers crossed! It's a stomach-turning situation. In my "career" thus far, I have had a total of 3 jobs in 5 years, in a distinct on-and-off pattern (1 year on, 1 year off), and I'm terrified that the pattern will continue. If I don't get a job this year, I'm strongly considering just dropping the profession for a while (maybe forever). Frankly, I'm tired of having my summer's ruined and the constant job/financial uncertainty. I love what I do and really felt I was meant to do it, but the circumstances surrounding it are less than desirable and it's been incredibly emotionally wearing over the years.
• We've also been out of town! We took a lovely weekend jaunt to Ashland, Oregon for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The Hubs was kind enough to suffer through copious amounts of window shopping in chichi boutique stores, two plays, and some lovely food (well, that part was less insufferable ;D). It was relaxing, gorgeous, and just what we needed! If you live on the west coast (or are willing to travel), here's what I recommend doing:
• Go to the festival. Duh-doy. It's high-quality theater - great acting, great production values, great play selection. 
• If you're the outdoorsy type, check out some of the nature options - the Rogue Valley and Mt. Ashland offer lots of hiking, whitewater rafting, and fishing options. There are several companies that offer a range of guided tours - if we'd done one, I'd have a recommendation, but we're not that outdoorsy (although The Hubs went rafting once and LOVED it, so we think next time we come up here we'll plan to do a 1/2 day tour and not see a show that night so we can recover). 
• If you're the wine type, there are at least a half-dozen wineries offering tastings in a 20-mile radius. I am not able to drink a ton of wine anymore (stupid blood sugar issues!), so I passed up this opportunity. But if you like wine, take advantage!
• Save your pennies and treat yo' self to a meal at Larks restaurant. It's not a cheap dinner, but it's SO WORTH IT. We've eaten there twice now, and it's some of the best freakin' food we've ever had. We've yet to try dessert there because we're always STUFFED by the time we are done! Which kind of sucks, because oh my GOSH they look scrumptious. The only downside is that they change the menu every so often, so what we had last year wasn't available anymore (but what we had this year was YUM, so no biggie). 
• Still eating fairly healthy, but it's been tricky (esp. with vacation indulging, but I still managed to eat veggies with most meals). If I'm needing to indulge in something naughty-ish, I try to make up for it with huge vegetable servings. They knock each other out, right? ;D *sigh* I know they don't, but at least I'm getting in some vegetables with my horrific entree. Plus I can really feel the difference when I haven't eaten something good-for-me; I just feel BETTER with fruits, veggies, and whole foods in my system. Now I'm getting ready to add in the exercise element; my friend V and I are talking about being accountabilibuddies! I think it'll really help me, plus while she doesn't live SUPER-close by, she lives close enough that we could meet up 1-2 times a week for a workout "in the middle" of our two cities!
• While I'm still unemployed (hopefully not for too terribly long), I'm trying to declutter our home. You know, finally get rid of stuff that I keep around for no particular reason because "I'll use it someday!" I'm a classic rat-packer, a.k.a. a hoarder who's self-aware. I'm tired of having too much stuff, so I'm in the process of being brutally honest with myself and tossing some of it. Well, tossing what's worthless and donating what's decent. I'm going to make our local St. Vincent De Paul very happy when I'm done, esp. for the plus-size shoppers! ;D

Let's end this with a gorgeous shot of downtown Ashland to lure you to check it out! I'm hoping to lure my BFF N there for a girl's trip next year - we're both theater/art nerds and I think she'd REALLY like it, plus we've NEVER taken a trip together! Friends for 14 years and it's never happened! A problem that must be remedied immediately. ;D Happy Wednesday!

Downtown, just past the OSF campus, majestic mountains in the background - just a typical view while walking around!

5 Random Things: Heritage

Whooo, 5 Random Things post! Long time no see, randomness.

This time's theme: Heritage! However I want to interpret it, because reasons.

• I am utterly fascinated by genetics. If I had been better at science and I knew what jobs were available to study how we're made up via DNA, I would probably get a job in it. The only thing I really remember, though, is how dominant genes and recessive genes work. Considering brown eyes are dominant and will ALWAYS win over light-colored eyes, the only way light-colored eyes can happen in a child of a dark-eyed parent and a light-eyed parent is if the dark-eyed parent has a recessive gene with their dominant gene. That means my Mexican-American dad with the dark brown eyes has a recessive gene somewhere in his bloodline that allowed me to inherit my German/Dutch-American mom's hazel eyes! WEIRD.
• Speaking of other weird stuff I've inherited, my curly hair is something of an anomaly that we can't exactly figure out WHERE it came from. Mom's hair is stick straight, and my dad's hair is mostly straight as well (there's a very loose wave in it, but having seen him with long hair I would not call it "curly" or "wavy"). Our suspicion is that I have a trait that skipped a generation - my maternal grandpa had a very distinctive wave in his hair (but it wasn't long enough for us to tell), and my paternal great-uncle also had a wave in his hair... so it's from SOMEWHERE, but we're still not sure from where!
• I'm totally angling to inherit the ring I borrowed from my maternal grandma for my wedding; she had it made from her engagement and wedding ring. My grandpa and she were married for over 50 years when he died in 2003. My mom currently has it, and as long as I don't piss her off, I should get it. It's more for sentimental reasons than for money reasons; our family has so few passed-down heirlooms that I want all I can get (so I can lock them away forever!)
  

  

  The ring - I wore it on my right pinky finger for my "something borrowed"

• Do you know the difference between ethnicity and race? I didn't for the longest time - I used to get so confused on forms when it asked if I was Hispanic/Latino (which, as a 50% heritage, would be a yes), then ask me what my race is - and my only option was "white, not hispanic". It was like, whaaaaaa? So it turns out I'm racially white and ethnically hispanic/latino and caucasian. SO CONFUSING. Plus according to the U.S. Census, Hispanic/Latino IS considered a different race. WHAT THE HECK. This is the burden of multi-racial kids - having to pick a side. 
• When I fantasize about what our kids will look like, should The Hubs and I be so blessed as to have them naturally, we have decided that we hope our kids inherit The Hubs' lovely blue eye color and totally adorable dimples along with my eye shape and chubby cheeks. Both of our smiles are nice, so we're not being picky, and we're both brunettes so our kid would be stuck with that hair color (but will probably start out blonde like we both did). It's nice to fantasize about. 

I mean, come on, look at how cute we were - how could our (hopefully future) kiddos NOT be adorable?

Moi at 1-2 years old

The Hubs at 1 year old