The kids named her Ellie and loved watching her.

Alas, we couldn’t get her to eat much and she somehow escaped and fell off our kitchen counter; luckily I found her before she got stepped on! But we decided it would be best to return her to her natural habitat. The kids, especially our daughter, were really sad to have to say goodbye to their new little pet.

Ellie, on the other hand, seemed more than eager to get out of her little “cage” and back to her home.

Free! She seemed very happy to be back.

Now whenever we drive by the nature park the kids, led by the two-year old, say, “Hi, Ellie!!” I’m sure she can hear them and misses them too.

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I got creative and invented this pizza the other day. This picture doesn’t do this pizza justice but trust me, this was good.

I used the pizza dough recipe again from

I spread a bit of red salsa over the crust (not too much so it didn’t make the crust soggy), though I wished I had some refried beans as the spread…I’ll try this next time. After the sauce I sprinkled on shredded cheddar cheese…or maybe it was Monterey Jack…whichever you prefer is fine. For the meat, I just browned some ground beef, seasoned it with salt, chili powder, garlic powder and some onion powder (or you could use taco seasoning) and added in a can of diced tomatoes. I used a slotted spoon to add the beef over top the cheese with a tiny bit more cheese sprinkled over that too.

Now you might notice in the picture that some of the pizza is not as cheesy, this is because most of us do not like too much cheese so we use it sparingly but my 5 year old really doesn’t care for it all and so I left out the cheese there for him. You might also see some green peppers–those were for me–I’m the only one that likes green bell peppers so I loaded up my portion for a nice zesty crunch.

For the Grand Finale, I mixed up 2 avocados with some salt, garlic, and onion (too bad I didn’t have a lime) and scooped this onto the pizza. I added sour cream by special request since, again, not everyone in the family is as much a fan as I am of it.

I’m going to try this again next week, this time with all the ingredients I’d like to use available ahead of time. I think this recipe will be a continous “in the works” until it is just perfect. Any suggestions?

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I know that my body has been “beautifully made” and it is truly an amazing thing to watch how it changes and adapts to compensate for the little being developing and growing in me. But it’s hard to ignore the stretch marks shooting across my belly, hips and…ahem…other places. When I was a little girl I remember watching the old ladies at swimming pools walk by and promising myself I would never have legs like theirs; yet, here I am, saggy, wrinkly, flappy thighs and all. You can imagine my horror when I was trying some clothes on in a dressing room a few weeks back and noticed the veins that had popped out and started crawling all over my legs. I had to stifle a scream. My only consolation is that my kids think my veins are really “cool”.

I have no allusions of being a ”skinny” or even ”trim” cute little pregnant woman; let’s face it, those two words and pregnancy just don’t go together. I prefer “healthy” and “toned” for my exercise and “self-image” goals in pregnancy (and also when I’m not pregnant). I have found these goals to be much more realistic and therefore attainable. I’m no expert or health professional but I know that regular exercise during pregnancy is just as important as it is before and after. For me I see this as important not only to have a healthy pregnancy but also for a healthy labor, birth and post-partum time, and it probably benefits the baby for me to healthy too. As soon as I find out I’m pregnant, I go into “training mode” except instead of training for a 5K or marathon I’m trying for labor and birth.

I like to mix up my exercise routines between toning, cardio, relaxation work and ”baby-positioning” techniques. P.S. I like to exercise both in and out of the house, whatever is most convenient. I try and go the Y 1 – 2 times a week to walk and do weights, this past Saturday I did some laps in the pool and it was fantastical; I loved being able to just float with my belly down, so liberating.

At home, I’ve used an assortment of work-out videos in the basement. My kids love going down there with me to “exercise”, which for them usually means watching mama and the “exercise lady”. Before pregnancy I discovered Leslie Sanson and her Walk Away the Pounds series and have really enjoyed these workouts.

I have continued using this one I got as a gift for Christmas on and off again throughout the pregnancy though not quite as much here lately because I’ve been lazy. Her workouts are so simple and I love her realistic approach to exercise and body image.

Then, while searching for simple prenatal exercise videos on YouTube, I discovered Doctor Cathy’s prenatal exercise videos which I’ve included in my Simple Exercises for Pregnant Moms playlist.

If you go through that playlist, you might laugh when you see the last video I included for some belly dancing for pregnancy. Aside from how belly dancing might help encourage good fetal positioning for birth, this video (and others like it) can provide some high quality entertainment and a good laugh a day keeps the epidural away…or at least might help provide some much needed comic relief during pregnancy and labor. ;)

Lastly, aside from the toning, cardio and hip-opening/baby-positioning workouts, I love doing yoga in pregnancy. If there was only one form of exercise I did during pregnancy it would be yoga. I don’t care about all the mumbo-jumbo part spirituality part of yoga, only how it helps me work my body while also relaxing…a very important skill to have when trying to get a baby out a seemingly impossible exit. (Even after doing it 3 times I still have a hard time believing it’s really possible.) Anyway, I discovered this Yoga Journal and Lamaze yoga for pregnancy video with my last pregnancy and really like it.

There’s no crazy stuff, just simple and relaxing yoga for pregnancy. It includes a 30 minute “Energizing & Strengthening” workout, a 15 minute “Relaxing & Rejuvenating” practice as well as some “Birthing-Room yoga techniques that were very helpful with my last birth. There are also some breathing and meditation segments that I honestly haven’t paid attention to.

Now, for the **GIVE-AWAY** part of this post!

So I somehow ended up with 2 copies of this Yoga DVD, both of them have been gently used but are still in very good condition. If you would like to win this extra DVD simply enter your name in the comments below. If you’d like your name to be added into the drawing twice for higher winning chances add a comment about your favorite prenatal workout along with your name.

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT MONDAY, MAY 21!

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Here are some dynamic verbs to practice with:

1. Expiate: Through His Great Sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus expiates even our greatest sins.

2. Importune: As soon as my children hear a candy wrapper, they turn into puppies and importune me for a piece until I either concede or somehow manage to distract them with something better (for them).

3. Impute: It irks me when my children impute their failures or mistakes on me or anyone else except themselves.

4. Scintillate: The bride’s jeweled dress scintillated in the moonlight as she danced with her groom.

5. Mulct: (I’d never heard/seen this word before?) You should be seeing an announcement about a new library thanks to all the fines they’ve mulcted from me for not returning overdue books and movies. (I impute this problem on my children but it’s really my own fault)

6. Ostracize: It is best for a couple to be married before having children but I don’t believe we should ostracize a teenage or young couple if the carriage ends up coming first anyway.

7. Deprecate: Pregnant women, in fact most all women, are incredibly skillful at depracting themselves.

8. Procrastinate: I would like to knit a few more wool soakers for this baby but have been procastinating big time.

9. Rusticate: Maybe I’ll find a nice place to rusticate this summer with some yarn and my needles and a nice cozy book.

10. Vegetate: It will probably be too hot to do that, though, so I’ll end up vegetating on the couch or by the pool all summer instead.

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This has been a great way to stop and be grateful for the small things of your week that you did accomplish. You can share as many as you like now but I still like the idea of keeping the list to a simple 3. Here are mine from the past week (that I can remember):

1. Celebrated our daughter’s 1st Communion! (This is really a BIG success though I’m thankful for being able to truly enjoy all the special small moments of the day. I’ll share some pics soon)

2. Bought some flowers, some veggies and soil for the garden and started planting this week.

3.  Bought a yoga mat and some new weights and have “exercised” in some way [mostly] every day this week.

This is a fun and & easy meme to participate in and you’d be surprised how helpful it can be to take a few moments and reflect on how you spent your time each week. Feel free to comment here below or join the CatholicMom.com community and comment over there as well or even on your own blog!

P.S. I added 3 new super adorable pictures of the baby house finches!

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Looks like 3 fuzzy house finches hatched overnight!

Updated with new pictures:

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Here’s another recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Slow Cooker Magazine. The Saucy Meatball Sandwiches recipe can be found on page 88. Online I found a different BH&G Saucy Meatball Sandwiches recipe you might also like.

I used the French Baguette recipe in Betty Crocker’s Best Bread Machine Cookbook for the bread. (I was so proud of myself for making my own instead of just running to the store for one and it was much softer and tastier this way.) By the way I would highly recommend this bread machine cookbook and I would even highly-er (?) recommend buying it through my link there so I can earn a some extra $ for books I’d like to get)

For this recipe, though I can’t share it in full, I’ll tell you that you can use any basic meatball recipe you like with beef, turkey or pork or whatever you like; then just cook the meatballs in your crockpot, along with some onion wedges, pepper quarters and diced or stewed tomatoes, for 4 – 5 hours on low or 2 – 2 1/2 hours on high after you have browned them a bit first.

For the sauce, blend the onions, peppers and tomatoes together and cover your meatballs with that on the sandwich instead of the regular ol’ pasta sauce. I added swiss cheese also and the recipe suggests dressing the sandwich up with some pretty basil leaves but who I didn’t have any handy.

I would give this recipe a 4 star only because the sauce wasn’t as tasty as “regular ol’ pasta sauce”. Oh and be prepared to drape your kids in napkins with towels on the floor because it’s very messy.

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My husband discovered this bird nest in our hanging flower basket on our front porch about a week or so ago.
The nest belongs to a darling Red House Finch couple.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id

I see the Mrs. House Finch more often than Mr. House Fince and I can peek at her through the office window but she’s always on alert. She’s been staying in the nest a lot more now but will quickly fly away every time we open the front door or when someone comes too close. Hopefully we’ll hear the cute peeps of baby birds soon right outside our window!

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It’s hard to believe I’m already “half-way” through the pregnancy! Now that the end is getting closer I’m definitely starting to think a lot more about this baby, the birth, post-partum time, etc .

In the first part of the pregnancy, when I wasn’t feeling icky and totally discombobulated, I felt a little guilty for not thinking so much about this baby as I did with at least the first two. I am still excited and incredibly humbled and grateful for this amazing miracle of life, but the feelings are so different this time. It’s different having 2 kids in school (2nd and preschool) and it’s different having 3 instead of just 2 to keep me busy and distracted. If it wasn’t for my growing belly and alien-like swirlies and kicking action going on inside, I’d hardly remember there is a tiny little human being living inside me.

In a way though, I have to say I am much more at peace than I was with the others. I don’t know if this is because I feel more confident as a pregnant woman and mother with more experience, or because I’m too busy to obsess as much about all the silly details, or maybe it’s a little bit of both.

That said, I feel like I’ve turned a corner of sorts in the pregnancy; both physically and emotionally. Having the sonogram last week and seeing our little guy in there was so amazing. We usually don’t get sonograms but for some reason I just felt compelled to get one this time and it has helped me feel more emotionally prepared and accepting.

Introducing and adjusting to a third baby was…rough. I immediately loved him sooo much but it was very difficult for me to incorporate him and me with everyone else. I felt very divided; I couldn’t find a good way to be a mother to the new baby and the other two, not to mention a descent wife, all at the same time. Most of the time I just wanted to take the baby and run away. But then I longed for the time I had with just my two and our little family of 4 again. It’s amazing how much one little person can completely change a family.

So my biggest goal this time has been to “accept”. Though I still feel at times I am drowning under water trying to keep up with our cute/ornery now 2 1/2 year old, I am comfortable and happy with our family as it is.

But, I also know that it can’t stay like this forever. And while I might only see three of them now, there already are 4. Soon, 4 little chicks will be following their busy mama hen.

I am going to frame a picture of the three of them and then one of the sonogram pics (probably the scary skull face or foot one) and set them by my bathtub (where I will hopefully hold this baby for the first time also like the last one). It will help me remember that he is already here and part of our family. Together with this goal of “accepting” I hope this will help me avoid some of the more crazy post-partum emotional issues I’ve quietly dealt with in the past. I hope in accepting things as they are I can better embrace this transition from 3 to 4 instead of trying to run away from it or cover up my emotional trauma with “busy work”.  So much of this will be controlled by my hormones (ug!!) but here’s to hoping anyway.

Either way, I am getting more and more excited about meeting this baby on the outside, snuggling his squishy, slippery body, smelling him, looking into his eyes and falling deeply in love with him.

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I’m using 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary as my guide, hopefully working on a different chapter each week instead of each day.

This week’s words deal with the correct names for various specialists/health professionals. Here they are with my sentences.

1. Obstetrician: It is very difficult to find an obstetrician who truly understands and appreciates the amazing miracle of pregnancy and birth.
2. Pediatrician: I would like to find a pediatrician who respects and honors my decisions as a parent even if they go against the “status quo”.
3. Podiatrist: My husband once had a very interesting experience with an in-grown toenail and a podiatrist.
4. Osteopath: I am excited about the osteopath I met who actually knows how to “treat” symptoms by trying to find their root cause instead of masking them with medicine.
5. Optometrist: At my last eye appointment, my optometrist said there really isn’t much else he can do to improve my vision through corrective lenses.
6. Ophthamologist: Maybe it’s time then to visit an opthamologist and discuss laser vision surgery.
7. Optician: I wonder if  an optician can invent some super-powerful yet sleek looking lenses for me?
8. Gynecologist: Wouldn’t it be great if all gynecologists understood and appreciated the way a woman’s body works naturally instead of trying to force it to work abnormally?
9. Dermatologist: After spending too much time and money visiting dermatologists who only wanted to feed me pills, I did my own research and learned how to treat and prevent acne on my own through natural methods.
10. Psychiatrist: My husband is worried I will have to start seeing a psychiatrist now that we have three boys!
11. Orthodontist: I hated braces; I really hope my children can avoid an orthodontist’s torture.

Feel free to join me and add your own sentences with these words below!

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