But among the zaniness, the craziness, the general ridiculousness involved in many of these circumstances, there have been some things that I, for one, am personally grateful for. You'll probably notice a few common themes here...
1. Being More Mindful About Our Health
In my last post (yep, like 3 weeks ago), I explained that Red Beard and I are making some changes in our eating. We haven't stuck to the plan 100%, but we have made some definite improvements. For example, Red Beard has been super sick this week with a sinus infection. We're talking 3 days off from work sick (and that has NEVER happened since we've been married).
Yesterday he wanted soup, and I offered to make a vegetable soup, to which, surprisingly, he agreed. I made, with a few minor substitutions, the Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup from Love and Lemons. It is hands down THE best vegetable soup I've ever had. Even better than that, I love the fact that those much-needed vitamins from all those veggies are getting into Red Beard's healing body.
Eating cleaner just makes you feel better.
I've also noticed a huge difference with all the strength training and toning I've been doing. My legs and arms are getting leaner and stronger.
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| His & Hers... Guess which ones are mine? lol. |
- The Ballet Baby Inner Thigh Workout from Ballet Beautiful. (It's worth the $8.) As with any Ballet Beautiful workout I've done, if you're not in pain, you're not doing the exercises properly!
- The Leg and Butt Workout, Prenatal Fitness from POPSugar Fitness. (Free.) When I first previewed this workout, I thought it would be lame. But here in the end of my 2nd trimester, it's been great.
I rotate between these two, completing each 2-3 times a week, in addition to arm weights, Swan Arms (also Ballet Beautiful), walking, and some outer thigh exercises.
2. Bringing Up Bebe, by Pamela Druckerman
We're not big on parenting books. They tend to be a bit... lop-sided. Unbalanced. Even many Christian parenting books are not good. Or in keeping with Scripture (which is disturbing). Of course, this could get me on a tangent about how angry Christian book stores make me, but I won't go there today.
This book, though not penned by a Christian author, is completely different. It's written like a novel, but it presents well-researched information about why French kids behave so well. I plan to give a copy to each of my closest friends that gets pregnant in the future. (No joke!)
It's witty, it's thought-provoking, at times a bit racy, and I don't agree with every French parenting notion, but it is well worth the read for soon-to-be mothers or mothers of young kids. Highly recommend it!
Bonjour! Salut! Yours truly is learning French.
Why? Because we want Baby Boy to be bilingual. If you're interested in learning French, and you are an absolute beginner, I definitely recommend this resource. Many things on the site are free, including a trial of Premium Membership. We are still deciding whether or not to become FT Premium Members and pay the monthly fee (hey--we're saving money for a car), but if you want a fast way to learn French, my friends... this is it!
This documentary (that we watched online on one of Red Beard's recent sick days) was super inspiring to me. It shows the come-back of a world-class down-hill skier after 2 major knee surgeries in just 2 years.
I love the fact that she didn't give up. She chose not to be a victim of her circumstances, but rise above it by working hard. If you want workout motivation, this is it!
5. Baby Books
I can't wait to read to our little boy! My mom bought us Goodnight Moon. And, in keeping with the French theme, we got Baby Boy a bilingual board book.
The books are so cute that I couldn't resist displaying them around the apartment.
6. Tea Kettle and Tea Cups
Red Beard got these for me for Christmas. The kettle, a Wolfgang Puck model, is a much sleeker and more efficient model than our old Walmart special. The cups are authentic oriental tea cups. As in it took about 6 weeks for them to arrive! I love the design he chose. :)
I hope your January has been less hectic than ours has! But even if it's been nuttier than ours, I pray you've been able to find some things to be grateful for in the new year. ~Mrs. D.
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