Pregnancy Update and Holiday Happenings

Pregnancy Update!!!

So, here I am, 5 days away from my due date and very ready to give birth!  For one, I cannot wait to have my hips in working order again!  This relaxin hormone is seriously NO joke!  Every morning I have to pop my legs back into place and shuffle my way to and from where I’m trying to get too while trying to lift my leg an inch off the ground (if I’m lucky)!  But even more than all of the aches and pains that my body is going through in preparation for labor, I’m even more excited to meet my little man!  I cannot wait to look into those adorable newborn eyes and fall madly in love with this little one.  I already have such a strong connection with him and as much as the kicks and jabs hurt at times, they remind me that I have a strong and healthy boy growing inside me who is very much alert and ready to enter this world, and for that, I am so grateful!

       Hopefully the next post that you read from me will be about my birth story and I can share all of the glorious “blog appropriate” details while introducing you to my new little guy!  But for this post, since I took a couple weeks off from blogging I will update you on what happened over the holiday break. :)

Over Break:
       One of the things I love most is a good party!  I love to attend them, help set up (tearing down is a whole different ball game though ;)), and host them!  Every year my friends and I have a Christmas party and it’s always filled with laughter, good food, and loads of fantastic memories!  This year we decided to jump on the bandwagon of the ever popular “Ugly Sweater” theme and rummage the thrift stores to find the most hideous sweaters that made you wonder if there was EVER a good reason for people to actually wear the sweater in public.



Below is just a glimpse of the party.


First you need a fun photo booth with silly props.

 Then strut your stuff in an Ugly Sweater Runway Show (my friend was singing "What Does The Fox Say") and have guests choose their favorite model and sweater!

Have a wide range of team and individual games.  These are just a few of the ones we played.

 

 Snowman race!  
Each team will need:
- Toilet Paper                       - Scarf
-  Black Paper                      - Carrot
- Pair of Scissors                  - Tape
- Plastic Drinking Cup

Directions:  Divide into two or more teams and put the supplies in the middle of the room.  Each team will need to choose one person and dress them up as a snowman!  The first team to have the best looking snowman and grab the carrot wins!





Nut Stacker Game:
Each person will need:
- 5 + nuts from a hardware store
- 1 Candy Cane
Directions:  When you say "Go" each person has to lift the nut using only the end of a candy cane and stack them on top of one another.  The first person to successfully stack 5 + nuts is the winner!

Snowball Fight
What you will need:
- Two teams
- Lots of white paper
Directions:  When you say "Go" everyone runs to the center of the room where the paper is, begins to wad it into a ball and throws it at the other side.  Whoever has the least amount of paper "snowballs" at the end of the time is the winner!

Ball of Tape Game

What you will need:

- A Roll Of Clear Duct Tape (I bought some from the Dollar Tree)

- Lots of little things (i.e. candy, pennies, tiny figures)

- Dice

Before you play:  Wrap the tape around a bunch of items until it's in the shape of a huge ball.  I used an entire roll of tape for this game!

Directions:  Hand the dice and ball to one person.  You choose a couple numbers and if that person rolls that selected number then they begin unwrapping the ball as fast as they can.  The dice continues to move around the room and each person who rolls the specified number jumps up and grabs the ball of tape to get the prizes stashed inside.  

This game was a lot of fun and kept everyone occupied for quite awhile!  Most everyone was able to get a "prize" from the ball.

 Set up a Hot Chocolate Bar.  I was going to make little signs and such, but at nine months pregnant you only have so much energy to give!  So I decided to cut out the signage this time, but still managed to set up a cute and delicious set up that left everyone happy and content with a yummy chocolate fix!  I found some cute little hexagon shaped plates in the dollar section at Target and snatched them up for this and future use.  Used a couple of delicious crockpot chocolate recipes found here and here and put some fun toppings and mix ins in some mason jars.  Simple, fast, and delicious!

It was a fun time and definitely something I think we should continue doing every year!

I hope that you all enjoyed your holiday break and made the most of it surrounded by loved ones and fun memories.


Until next time!
xoxo
Lady Sunshine

Just a ray of Sunshine...

Hi :)!

First off, let me say how excited I am to be here writing this right now!  I was approached by Lady Hurricane to be a part of this project and I instantly jumped at the opportunity.  I fell in love with the concept of a community of women who can come to together and unite in the ups and downs of motherhood… where we can laugh together, cry together, and celebrate the joys and sometimes pains of being moms without all of the judgement, because it’s definitely not an easy job and nobody is perfect.

Here’s a little about my family:

*  Wife to a pretty awesome guy.  We have been together for almost 8 years and he is 100% my rock.  I love him dearly and I am very blessed to have him as my partner in this life.

*  3 fur babies (1 dog and 2 cats).

*  1 five year old son (Z) who just loves his mama!  He looks after me with the sweetest little heart, but idolizes his father in every way and can’t wait to grow up to be “just like daddy”.

*  After trying for nearly 3 frustrating years to conceive we were delighted to hear that we were expecting.  But sadly, we lost our little one as a result of a missed miscarriage.  We were devastated, confused, and broken.  I had a D&C and we decided to ease off trying for awhile and see what was in store for us.  There are good days and there are bad, but I will never forget my precious angel baby and I feel lucky to have had her in my life for the brief time she was here. She will forever be a part of me and in my heart.

*  5 months after having my D&C we received the news that we were expecting again.  We were cautiously optimistic and decided to take it one day at a time… fast forward to now.  I am currently 31 weeks, expecting another boy (M), and he is due exactly one year from the date of my D&C.  I am nervous and I am scared, but I am also overflowing with joy.  My heart jumps every time M kicks and squirms around inside me letting me know that everything will be okay and he will be in my arms soon.

Besides the love I have for being a wife and mother, here is a little about me personally:

*  I LOVE to travel.  We usually take crazy whirlwind road trips every summer that wind us through several states and leave us full of fun memories.

*  As a one income family I have learned to develop frugal habits. I may not contribute much financially wise, but I make up for that in not only providing a loving and welcoming atmosphere at home, but by saving us money any way that I can.  

*  If there’s a reason to party, I’m already planning out the details months in advance.  I adore hosting parties and everything that comes along with it!

*  I love to provide delicious food for my family and those around me.  The kitchen is my favorite part of my home and you can pretty much always find me there working on something.

*  I am on a journey to educating myself, my family, and those around me on ways to live healthier by using more natural remedies and reading the labels of products to make more informed decisions when we decide what to put onto and into our bodies.

--- These, plus more will be topics that you can be sure I’ll be bringing up in my weekly posts.  I am eager to get started and can already think of a million different things that I want to talk about, but for now I’ll leave you with a little BOGO deal from Starbucks.  I'll see you next Tuesday :).

xoxo

Lady Sunshine

The drinks included in this deal are:

Caramel Brulée Latte

Peppermint Mocha

Gingerbread Latte

Eggnog Latte