a sunday thought

a couple of weekends ago, i was listening to the radio on my way to church and there was a segment on the radio called keep the faith. since i listen to this christian radio station every sunday on my way to church, i always hear this segment and it is truly inspiring.

two sundays ago, one of the guests on the radio spoke about sharing our struggles and that we shouldn't hide our struggles because that is what makes each of us. also, our struggles can help others and help build one another.

as i drove to church, i thought how true that is. most people don't want to be vulnerable and share the failures and sadness in our lives, but often when we share those things, that is when we can help others and at the same time, others can help us.

i hope that whatever you struggle with, that you will have someone to share that burden with. and also, that you know that everyone has struggles, and you aren't alone.

 

@ 29 weeks

the second trimester

this pregnancy has gone by slow, but fast at the same time. slow when i am eager to meet him, fast when i think about all that i still have left to do.

the second half of my second trimester was by far when I felt the best. although I wasn't as tired at the beginning of my second trimester, I still had food issues. 

i ate jason's deli for about four weeks. my usual? smoky panini and tomato basil soup. oh goodness, that tomato basil soup was absolutely heavenly. i just could not get enough!!! one of my coworkers even told me that i should name my first born jason in memory of my craving episode!!! my coworkers definitely got tired of jason's deli before I did. but boy, that tomato basil soup just satisfied me and this little boy during that time.

we had the worst weather during my second trimester. It snowed twice during my biggest client. the cold was absolutely unbearable to me. It was hard to get up when it's gray and cold. And when I got home in the evening, I didn't want to do anything but sneak under the cover and sulk. 

 

exercising during my second trimester was nonexistent. the long hours at work and the cold did not help at all.

during my second trimester was when i started feeling the little man. it was amazing.

my love for him grows each and every day. and bd can't wait to meet him either.

-kaolee

 

let's be honest

i grew up in a household that used regular cleaning supplies found at the grocery store, mainly strong stuff to help keep our house clean. it never bothered me too much, besides the harsh smell sometimes. however, when bd and i got married, i noticed that all that strong stuff was bothering him. so i have been trying to find alternatives to the strong stuff. last year, i started reading jessica alba's book, the honest life. there was so many helpful information and so many things that i'm still learning about, but it was a great starting point for me.



after reading her book, and looking at the honest website, i decided to order some of the honest products. i've been using a couple of their items so i wanted to share my thoughts on some of these.

honest 4 in 1 laundry pods - i'm more of a liquid laundry detergent girl, but i was intrigued with these pods. i like that i can just drop in a pod and be done with it. one thing that i noticed was that it doesn't dissolve in cold water although it claims to dissolve quickly in hot & cold water. you get 50 pods and it's suitable for both regular and high efficiency washers.

 

honest laundry detergent - i'm a big fan of this liquid laundry detergent. i like the scent, very understated and clean. if you are used to the strong fragrance, you may not prefer this, but i definitely prefer it. it's suitable for both regular and high efficiency washers. you'll get 70 high efficiency loads.

 

honest floor cleaner - i love this floor cleaner. it has a citrus rosemary smell which i really like. you get 26 fl. oz. this is suitable for hardwoods, bamboo, laminate & other sealed floors so i like to use it on the kitchen floor. since our apartment is quite tiny, i love that i can clean the floor and it won't bother bd. i can definitely see myself still using this when our little one comes along.

 

honest stain remover - i wanted to love this stain remover as i feel like the ones out there can be so harsh; however, when i cleaned one of bd's pants, the stain didn't come out completely. i think it's good for fresh stains, but not on old stains. it supposedly works great on baby food, coffee & tea, berry juices, grass, wine, ketchup, and blood. i haven't had the chance to try it on all of those, but will continue to experiment with different stains, especially when the little one comes. it does have a french lavender smell and smells great.

 

honest bathroom cleaner - i love this bathroom cleaner. it has an eucalyptus mint smell which i think is perfect for the bathroom. since we don't have a window in our bathroom, i like that i can spray this in there and not freak out about our bathroom not being able to air itself out. this is a tub, tile and shower cleaner so i'll usually spray this on the shower and use a brush to scrub the shower.

 

honest glass & window cleaner - i don't use a ton of this since we don't have a bunch of glass or windows in our apartment but it does leave our mirror and windows streak-free when we use it. it doesn't have a smell.

 

honest conditioner - i actually haven't used this conditioner since i have a ton of other conditioners that i still have to get through. i'll definitely save this for my little boy since it's suitable for everyone in the family. it supposedly has a sweet orange vanilla scent.

 

honest face & body lotion - i haven't used this lotion yet either since i have a ton of other lotions to get through. this has olive, shea, jojoba & safflower oils to help hydrate your skin.

 

honest belly balm - i love using this on my belly. it has shea butter, olive oil, tamanu oil & calendula. i typically like to put this on right after i shower so it gets a chance to soak in. this is usda organic.

 

honest toilet cleaner - this has a tea tree eucalyptus scent. i like the smell of it and thinks it's absolutely perfect for the toilet. this is free of a lot of those chemicals that you find in toilet cleaners.

 

honest multi-surface cleaner (not pictured) - this has a white grapefruit scent. we both absolutely love this and ours is almost completely gone since we use it for everything.

 

honest bubble bath (not pictured) - i'm saving this one for after my pregnancy since i've heard conflicting things about taking baths while pregnant.

 

honest shampoo & body wash (not pictured) - bd was using this when he ran out of his regular shampoo. i used this as my body wash. this supposedly has a sweet orange vanilla smell, but it smells more like a cleaning product, and not the smell i was wanting on my body.

 

are there any brands that you have tried that you really like? i'm constantly trying to find products that will be a good fit for my family, especially since we'll have a little guy crawling around soon. due to the price, i will probably start making some of these at home, but am always open to products that are more budget friendly as well since we'll be attacking our budget and trying to find out how to still keep the same level of savings while starting our little family.

 

-kaolee

finger licking good

nothing says summertime like some good ole' ribs. bd and i tried a new recipe, and it was absolutely delicious.

 

our recipe included some of this yummy rub. we rubbed some of this on the ribs and let it sit on the ribs for about 3 hours. we then cooked the ribs in the oven for 3 hours at 300, covered.

 

 

we then uncovered the ribs, added a coating of this onto the ribs and then cooked it for another hour in the oven.

 

 

the meat fell off the bones. the rub added just enough kick and the sauce was spectacular. i have a feeling we'll be enjoying this recipe all summer long. we bought everything from whole foods, including the meat. this was our first time trying whole foods' meat, and i have to say that the quality of the meat was a lot better and really contributed to the tastefulness.

 

and what else says summertime? sandals! target had a sale and i knew being pregnant in the summer meant sandals all summer long so i have been loving these.

 

-kaolee

 

third trimester

i can't believe i'm onto my third trimester now. that means three months left. my test for gestational diabetes came back and i'm negative for gestational diabetes which i am so relieved about. this pregnancy has been going well, and i want to keep that trend going.

the little guy has been quite active. especially at night. i tend to spoon the baby daddy at night and he keeps complaining that the little guy kicks him at night. it's amazing that he can actually feel the little guy's kicks. he also moves during the day, especially after i eat. he'll just be moving around and making my belly move as well. i'm getting used to his kicks and movements, but sometimes, it's fun to look down and wonder what kind of movements are going on in my belly.

i haven't had an ultrasound for a while now so i have been so curious where his head is and where his feet are. i'm excited for my next ultrasound and to see how he is positioned in my belly.

my taste buds was calming down, but lately, everything is leaving a weird after taste so i'm having to figure out what is working with my taste buds again. i was really hoping this part was over. however, this week, i did find that pulled pork bbq is hitting the spot, and not leaving that yucky after taste.

breakfast is another story. i was loving on some special k breakfast sandwich, but those aren't quite tasting right these days and so i tend to starve a little in the morning. oatmeal isn't quite tasting right either so i need to figure that out since i rather not starve in the morning.

i've also been feeling a little dehydrated so i'm making sure to drink plenty of water. for some reason, it's just not quite enough, but i'm working on it, always making sure to keep a bottled water close by. maybe my dehydration might explain why i am having this weird after taste.

anyways, thank goodness it's the weekend. good night.

-kaolee