Trader Joe's: "Honesty Is The Best Policy!"

Last week I went shopping on a whim at Trader Joe's.  I had been there in previous years, but it is out of the way and I just hadn't been able to work it into my schedule.  After an appointment, I found that I had extra time to run down to Trader Joe's, compare prices and check out the grass fed beef.

I was so excited about the prices, having spent only $85.67 for my weekly grocery trip!  It was a surprise to me to see how much cheaper some of their products were compared to my regular go-to stores of Giant and Redner's.

Surprisingly, things ran at least $1 cheaper per item and these were organic to boot!  I loaded up on fresh fruits, veggies, fish and several pounds of the grass fed beef.  Considering, all the meat and produce I purchased I was expecting to run a bill closer to the $130 range.  I was ecstatic when the teller declared, "$85.67."

As I drove away, thrilled with my cheaper than usual grocery store experience, I called Hubby.  This warranted his praise.  He seemed pleased at the savings, but that really wasn't enough for me.  I reiterated the fact that I had purchased several POUNDS of GRASS FED BEEF and WILD SALMON. He got the hint and lauded, with the appropriate measure of huge appreciation and awe, my excellent ability to hunt and gather at a cheaper rate!

While unloading the groceries at home, I came across the receipt in the bag.  Still elated from my stellar success at savings, I glanced over the bill before intending to recycle it.  Horror struck, I realized that the wild salmon, priced at $13.99, was nowhere on the receipt.

After several searches, my bubble was burst and I stared deflated at my Trader Joe's receipt, knowing that this meant a trip back to the store to pay for my unintended "stolen" fish.

Sigh.

Doing the right thing was quite annoying, especially when living a half hour drive from Trader Joe's.

I glanced back at the receipt for a phone number and promptly called the store.  I explained the situation and the fact that I would not be able to get back down to pay until I was in the area again the next week.  The gentleman thanked me for my honesty and said I could come back and pay for it anytime.

I hung up.  Annoyed.

Naturally, I had expected a "No problem, Ma'am.  Our mistake.  The customer's always right" response.       It had been their fault.  I saw the teller scan it and put it on the side.  Unlike larger chains, Trader Joe's takes your cart behind the cash register, unloads it as they scan each item and puts it aside to be bagged. So it is not as if I forgot to pull it out of the cart like some little candy bar or toothbrush.

Sigh.

I hoped my meatloaf, made with the grass fed beef, would cheer me up.  Unfortunately, I found the texture and taste to be much more like venison than beef: "gamey."  Perhaps the sting of the "stolen" salmon spoiled my appetite and I hoped  that I could find a better dish for the remaining pounds of organic grass fed beef I had purchased.

Sigh.

Today was the day I had planned to stop back in at Trader Joe's after my weekly chiropractor appointment in the area.  My visit went long and I debated if I had enough time to run in and pay for my "stolen" salmon.  Of course, I felt I should go ahead and get it over with as fast as possible so as not to drag it out another week.

Sigh.

I arrived at Trader Joe's, grabbed a few items on my way to customer service and pulled out my old receipt with the salmon price tag stuck to the back of it.  I explained the situation to the managers.

They stared at me in shock, glanced at one another, back at me, hesitated with a few "uh?, uh?"

Clearly, neither of them knew just what to do with me.

Finally, the one gentleman told the lady that they would write it off and happily declared to me, "Honesty is the best policy!"  And they both thanked me immensely for coming back.

No, no, THANK YOU, Trader Joe's!  That salmon is gonna taste even better now!

How Our Family Fights the Flu & Combats Colds

It seems that everywhere I go I'm surrounded by little sickies - in the stores, at church, at school, etc.  Every year we hear about how awful the cold and flu season is, but for our community it truly does seem to be one of the worst years I've seen.

Before Christmas break our rather small school had 50 plus students home in one day!  Considering the high school averages about 35 per grade, that is a substantial percentage of the student body.  In fact the high rate of absences warranted canceling many activities, practices and postponing the Christmas concert until January.  (All of this provided me with lots of "found" time to prepare for the holidays and subsequently enabled me to have quite the relaxing holiday season...unfortunately it was at the expense of many a sick kid!)

Christmas break provided the respite that everyone needed to recover from the various viruses that were making their rounds in our school.  The teens in my life are currently healthy, happy and very active, as are their friends.  It's a different story, however, for the little tykes in my life!

Cupcake tends to be the one who brings home the germs that her little friends were so kind enough to share (or give back!)  For those of you who are just starting out with little ones in school, this is quite common.  In fact, WebMD notes that statistics show that preschool kids have about 9 colds per year, kindergartners about 12, and adolescents and adults have about 7 per year, with most children contracting colds during the months of September through April.

Once kids start attending school and activities they are bound to be exposed to a multitude of germs and, for awhile, it may seem like your child is constantly sick as they build up their immune systems.  This can be a tiresome time of life, but there are some things available that can help reduce the duration of these viruses and help boost your little one's immune system.

Below are some of the natural methods that I have used with my family to combat the colds and fight the flu for me, my teens, my toddler and even Hubby (despite the fact that he asks me to do a little witch doctor dance while I'm whipping him up some of these concoctions!)  Our success has been to cut down the duration and intensity of the symptoms, from a typical 7-10 day cold to 2-4 days.  The times things have lasted a week or more with the kiddos, it ended up being an infection which required antibiotics.

Obviously, I am no doctor, so please consult your physician before implementing any of the following products.  Even though they are natural supplements and vitamins, it is possible for things to interact with other medications, so please ask your doctor before incorporating something new to your regiment.

These are items which I have been able to get at our local health food store, grocery store and my doctor's office (Woodlands Healing Research Center.)  All of these I use in addition to the tried and true mom treatments of : fluids, rest and homemade chicken soup!


Vitamin C -  I use this as a preventative on a daily basis and increase it at the first sneeze or sniffle!  For the older family members, I administer a buffered Vitamin C tablet, which helps combat any stomach issues that can accompany high dosages of Vitamin C (we have been known to take 2 or 3 grams several times a day when ill.)  I use a liquid Vitamin C for Cupcake which gets added to her sippy cup, usually a 1/4- 1/2 tsp when she's sick.

Vitamin D3 - This is also a good preventative, especially in the winter months when the sun goes into hiding.  It too is available in liquid form for little ones, just one drop daily provides 1000 IU of Vitamin D!  The rest of us take a 5,000 I U D3 Plus which includes Vitamin A, K2 and E.

EMP - A homeopathic tincture including Echinacea, Myrrh and Phytolacca.  As soon as cold symptoms appear, I give Cupcake a few drops in her watered down juice a couple times a day and the rest of the family takes 10-15 drops 3 times a day.  There are lots of medicinal teas available too with Echinacea which provide a soothing drink in addition to this helpful herb.

Pulsatilla Nig. 1M - Another homeopathic remedy for colds and runny noses.  Cupcake comes running for this "medcin!"  I give her just a few crystals to dissolve in her mouth and the rest of us take a bit more a couple times a day.  This seems to work best if administered right away, when symptoms first appear.

ViraClear -  This is a yummy tasting syrup for cough, congestion and sore throat.  It too seems to work best if taken at the first sneeze and sniffle!  Sometimes I will add the other liquid remedies into this one and just give Cupcake one little medicine cup with my own concoction.  She receives 1/2 tsp of ViraClear three times a day when she's got a cold and the rest of us take 1 1/2 tsps at the same interval.

Oscillococcinum - This homeopathic is best taken at the first sign of fever and flu symptoms, helping to reduce the duration of chills, fatigue, body aches and fever.  All of us are able to take a capsule full of pellets, dissolved in the mouth, a couple times a day as soon as the symptoms start.


Some other items that come in pill form, I only give to myself, hubby and my teens.  A few of these do have kiddie versions available.

Zinc Citrate:  We take a 30mg capsule at first sign of a cold or flu to help our systems combat the oncoming virus.  I recall giving our teens Zinc lollipops, so that may be an option for little tykes.

Thymucin: This supplement supports the thymus gland and immune system.  I usually hand this out for a few days if anyone in the family comes down with something.  There is a liquid variation, called Thymactiv, that I give Cupcake - just a couple drops while she is sick.

Immune-Assist:  This is probably one of my favorite immune boosting supplements!  I take one a day regularly and up to six  throughout the day if I'm sick.  I have found that this, in combination with the Thymucin, Vitamin C and Vitamin D3, is great for helping me keep healthy while Cupcake brings home plenty of germs during the school year.  In fact, this latter combination is part of the "Flu Protocol" that our doctor's office hands out to all the patients for the winter months.

By using these, and a few other vitamins and supplements in my arsenal, I have certainly seen the benefit of cutting down the duration and intensity of various bugs in our family.  It doesn't necessarily prevent illness, but helps us recover much quicker.  Although, I have found that all of these things do help to boost my immune system, especially when taken as soon as I realize the inevitable, for instance when Cupcake sneezed right into my mouth...yup, welcome to my world!

Hopefully, you can incorporate some of these homeopathic remedies and vitamins into your life to help combat the colds and fight the flu viruses that your toddler might be bringing home this season.  Oh, and word to the wise, keep your mouth shut around a sneezing, sniffling toddler!

Making Healthy Choices

As a busy Mom, I'm always looking for quick, easy, tasty and healthy meal ideas for me and my family.  I am so excited that I had the opportunity to be part of a project that helped me do just that!  Through TheMotherhood I was able to participate in a specific project with Healthy Choice.  Over the years, I have enjoyed many different products from this brand, (I especially love their delicious soups!), so I jumped at the chance to sample some of their meals to review.

This week, Hubby and I headed to the grocery store to pick up a variety of Healthy Choice frozen meals that he and I could have at lunch.  We purchased several meals, regularly priced at $2.69, on sale for $2.00 - you can't beat that price for a cheap date! Plus we received coupons for two free meals for participating in the program.

My goal for the week was to put the Healthy Choice meals to the test by having one for lunch each day and cutting back on high calorie afternoon snacking.  A recent study was done where participants replaced either lunch or dinner with a Healthy Choice option for 30 days.  By the end of the study, participants had lost an average of 6 pounds and trimmed their waistlines by 1 inch!  Consistent with these recent research findings, I found that I did indeed begin to loose weight and circumference after just five days!  Considering that Baby was sick, I didn't make it to the gym for my usual exercise routine, so I'm attributing these results to replacing my lunches and adding healthier snacks in between meals (particularly a whey protein shake to keep the munchies at bay.) 

Most times a diet is drudgery as ya nosh through celery sticks, rice cakes or bland food devoid of any flavor, as if diet really stands for: Don't Ingest Enjoyable Things!  With the Healthy Choice meals, I did not feel deprived of delicious, enjoyable food.  I sampled several different varieties of frozen meals:  Complete Meals, Steaming Entrees and All Natural selections.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my lunches and would readily purchase any of them again for a quick and easy meal.  The meals I chose were all low in fat and calories (from 210-330) and were high in fiber and nutrients.  On the box they list diet exchanges per serving, which is beneficial for those on a diabetic diet.  Interestingly enough, they also list a Weight Watcher's Points value. How nice of them to be so considerate of their customers who may be involved in the WW program and now don't have to do their own calculations. As one who uses the point system, I really appreciated that!

Here's a quick synopsis of my menu this week:

Steaming Entree: Sesame Glazed Chicken - "Chicken tenderloins with whole grain rice, sugar snap peas & red peppers in a sweet sesame glaze."

All Natural: Creamy Basil Pesto - "9 grain cavatappi pasta, broccoli and tomatoes in a creamy pesto sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese."

All Natural: Lobster Cheese Ravioli - "Ricotta cheese and lobster filled ravioli, with green and yellow zucchini in a vodka sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese."

Complete Meal: Country Herb Chicken - "Chicken tenderloins with herb gravy, red potatoes, vegetables & cherry blueberry multi-grain crisp."

Complete Meal: Chicken Balsamico -"Chicken tenderloins in savory Balsamic sauce, whole grain rice pilaf, broccoli and apple cranberry multi-grain crisp."

Doesn't that sound scrumptious?  My mouth is watering as I type each savory description!  I thoroughly enjoyed, and yes, looked forward to my lunch each day.  Much better than the grab-what-ya-can-from-the-fridge-and-hope-for-the-best mentality which I usually live by at noon. I eagerly anticipated my lunch and waited anxiously for the microwave to signal time for me to eat!  The steam fresh meals come in a special container which does not need to be cut or pulled back, and I found them to cook up very nicely and were less messy to deal with when peeling off the plastic film. 

Overall, I found the meals quite delicious!  The Complete Meals were good, but I did like the other, all in one, meals better.  The Complete Meals contain a main dish, veggie and dessert.  In both instances the vegetables needed more seasoning, so I ended up mixing them in with the main entree to enjoy it more.  The fruit crisp desserts were quite yummy, although a little too sweet for my taste.  I think I would prefer a little less syrup and a bit more crisp!  Looking at the ingredients in the Complete Meals, there is an awful lot of sugar for a healthy meal.  Granted, dessert is included in these Healthy Choice complete meals and I'm sure that increases the need for more sugar.  I do like that real sugar or evaporated cane juice is used as I prefer to avoid chemical and artificial sweeteners in general and especially during dieting as they can cause you to crave even more sweets and eat more empty calories.  However, I would prefer a little less sugar use in my healthy meals and definitely NO high fructose corn syrup.  I was disappointed to see high fructose corn syrup listed in the ingredients, although I might add that it is far down the list which made me feel slightly better.

The one dish meals in the All Natural and Steaming Entrees selections were definitely my favorite!  They are full of natural ingredients and did not contain any high fructose corn syrup, which I really appreciated!  When I was eating the Sesame Glazed Chicken, I found myself comparing it to the Chinese food we had ordered the other day and was equally impressed.  It tasted like it had just been made to order!  Hubby also enjoyed the sesame chicken.  He took that and the Steaming Entrees Lemon Herb Chicken to work for lunch.  He reported that his co-workers were envious of the delectable smell as he heated up his lunch!  His only criticism was that the tomatoes were not too pretty, although they tasted fine.  He suggested that perhaps a sun-dried tomato would be a better choice for the lemon chicken meal.

The Creamy Basil Pesto and Lobster Cheese Ravioli were my ultimate favorites of the week!  I felt like I was dining at the local Italian bistro down the road.  The noodles in the pesto sauce even reminded me of their homemade pasta!  The lobster ravioli compared to the same dish at a nearby Italian place which would have charged me nearly eight or nine times what I paid at the grocery store! I loved the ravioli most of all, so much so, that I may even consider purchasing several, heating them all up and serving them family style.  Perhaps a nice candle lit dinner with Hubby?  He doesn't need to know that I didn't slave all day in the kitchen...sshhhh!

I must say that it was quite a treat to enjoy such succulent, scrumptious meals each day and not feel that I was on a D.I.E.T!  The ready-to-eat, pre-portioned meals made it so simple for me to stick to my diet and begin to see improvement before week's end.  If you too, are looking for a simple, inexpensive, tasty way to eat healthfully and reclaim your skinny jeans, then I would recommend incorporating some Healthy Choice meals into your diet plan.  Since portion control seems to be fundamental to weight loss success, this is an easy and delicious way to get yourself accustomed to eating smaller amounts.  I really appreciate not having to weigh and measure things to figure out if I'm eating the right amounts, it's already done for me!

Along with incorporating some Healthy Choice options into my diet plan, here are some other healthy choices that I have been making to improve my overall health.

Exercise:  I try to make it to the gym 3 times a week.  I make sure to do stretches, weight training and aerobic exercise.  If I don't make it to the gym, as happened this week, then I will walk in the neighborhood or enjoy a 10 minute dance party with my toddler (you wouldn't believe how much of a work out that is!)

Water:  Drinking water is vital to any weight loss program.  This keeps you hydrated as you exercise, flushes toxins out of your system, and helps you avoid other tempting drinks or snacks.  I find that a glass of water before each meal helps me control those portion sizes a little better. I am so used to toting my water bottle around with me wherever I go, that I feel a bit lost whenever I may forget it! 

Eat!:  Just because it's time to diet, does not mean ya have to starve yourself!  I find that I do best with controlling my appetite if I do have a healthy snack in between meals, this keeps me from chowing down on less healthy options when I become ravenously hungry.  Filling my plate up with more fruits and veggies and less grains and meats, helps me to feel better all around.  Making sure that our pantry and fridge are stocked with more veggies or fruit, helps our whole family eat less sugary sweets and maintain a more healthy lifestyle.

I hope that some of these ideas, and the scrumptious options from Healthy Choice, will be a help to others, as they have been to me.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.  This puts them at risk for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.  As one who has been in "at risk" for quite a few years, my goal is to climb out of the overweight category, (or should I say shrink down from?) and get back on track to a healthier me!

(Disclosure: Compensation received for my participation, however the opinions given are all mine!  Research was presented by the Rippe Lifestyle Institute at the Experimental Biology Conference in April 2011 & funded by ConAgra Foods.)

Allergy Free Fun Fridays!

As I'm in the packing up and heading out of town mode, I thought I would take a moment to post a quick link to an old post about Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  This is a favorite product of mine that is WF, GF, DF, SF, but not taste free!  A great substitute for soy sauce, but I use it in a lot of my cooking to add flavor.

Hope you can enjoy adding Bragg's to your cooking.  If you have any allergy free recipes or products, please leave a link below!

Allergy Free Fun Fridays!

Welcome to Wheat Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Allergy Free, FUN FREE Fridays!  Many of us have found ourselves in a predicament, trying to figure out what's for dinner that fits into a fairly restrictive diet, doesn't involve ingredients that you can't find at the grocery store and is, well, edible!  It is quite expensive, not to mention disappointing, to buy some of the allergy free substitutes only to find out that it tastes like cardboard!

My hope with this weekly linky is that we can share some easy, tasty recipes that our families enjoy or recommend products that have worked or warn about those that have failed the test.  My request would be that we submit recipes that are easy to make, involve easy to find ingredients, and is something you would serve to company (or my discriminating teens who scoff at anything they think is not made from "real" food!)

Please indicate next to your recipe or product the categories it fits: GF = gluten free, DF = dairy free, WF = wheat free, SF = sugar free, NF = nut free, etc. (feel free to add others where applicable.)  If you add options that enable others to make your recipe fit their needs, then add {} around that category, as I did in the one below.  My original version is not nut or gluten free, but with an easy substitution it can be! 

Below is one of my favorite allergy free desserts to make, with additional options to fit various needs.  I hope your family will enjoy it as much as we have and, yes, our company too!


PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE TREATS (WF, DF, {SF}, {GF}, {NF})

8c. Brown Rice crispy cereal (whole box of  Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal)
1c. Peanut Butter (OR other nut butter or sunflower butter)
1 pkg. Sunspire Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips, 12 oz (OR GF chocolate chips)
1/2 c. - 3/4 c. agave (OR honey)
olive oil spray

Stir together nut butter and agave.  Melt chocolate chips in separate bowl.  Add melted chocolate and rice cereal to nut butter mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Press into sprayed pan. 

NOTES:  Add sweetener to taste, that's why the wide range of measurements in the recipe!  If you prefer to use  1/2 c. xylitol or Splenda, then dissolve that into the melted chocolate and use less cereal and less agave.  I attempted to make this without the agave and it really was too dry, but feel free to experiment and let me know what you do!






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Motherhood on the Sidelines

Over the past four weeks I've been mothering from the sidelines. That's right, officially benched from my duties as cook, maid, dishwasher, taxi driver, party planner, babysitter, diaper changer, bottle washer, and, yes, even nursemaid (pretty much the whole of motherhood, eh?) It all began with one fateful trip to the doctors that ended up with a three hour tour of the ER and subsequently stranded me at the hospital. Just sit right back and you'll read the tale, a tale of that fateful trip. (Cue music)

We arrived at the doctor's office for one of my regular appointments, with 2 out of 3 kids in tow. My 12 year old son headed inside to check in while I hurried to get the diaper bag and baby loaded up in the stroller. I made a mental note of the uneven terrain as I headed to get the baby out of the car and last second, thankfully, decided to keep her in the car seat rather than take the time to pull her out. Grabbing the car seat, I turned and in one motion shut the van door, took a step and down we both went . . . baby and all!

That split second seemed to pass in slow motion as I was aware of that darned right ankle of mine giving way under me as I caught the edge of the rut I had even made a mental note to tread carefully over. I attempted to recover my balance to no avail. Perhaps the 18 pound one year old in the infant car seat I was desperately trying to keep off the ground may have thrown me off kilter a bit?! Aiming to keep her from landing upside down, I managed to set her on the ground on her side as I collapsed in the grass unable to right her or myself. By God's grace the baby was only startled, not a scratch on her and I still shudder at the dozens of "what if's" that filled me with fear. A couple happened to emerge from the doctors office just in time to see my 10 pointer and were able to alert the staff and console the baby 'til her brother returned, wondering why I was laying in the grass playing with his sister.

The doctor checked me out and had an ambulance called. He suspected that my left arm was fractured and my right ankle was dislocated (which was quite obvious to any onlooker without a medical degree - not a pretty sight! Ouch! ) While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, we attempted to contact somebody to come collect the kids. Hubby . . . no answer, my parents . . . no answer . . . yikes! Either one would have been an hour away at the time anyway, so looking through my cell phone I thought of a couple people who lived nearby. My son picked the family in church with 2 sons he could play with (smart cookie!) so we called them and fortunately they were home and able to pick up the kids a.s.a.p.. The staff had been the ones using my cell phone to try to contact a ride as well as my "next of kin" (the phrase my Mom wished they hadn't used when they finally got through to her.) I found out later, that due to HIPAA, they wouldn't tell our friend what happened to me, only that he needed to come pick up my kids (even though I gave them my phone, asking them to call and let him know - ah, government bureaucracy at its finest!)

Before I knew it, our friend had arrived to take the kids. By this time, the baby was contentedly playing with the paper cover on the exam table. She had pretty much calmed down minutes after the accident and didn't seem to mind the attention from all the women in the office. With a few instructions and a quick good-bye, the kids were whisked off to spend the rest of the day having fun with friends while I was left alone attempting to breath through the pain (a frequent occurrence over the next several days.)

As the adrenaline coursing through my veins subsided, the pain levels increased dramatically and the wait for the ambulance seemed to stretch on endlessly. Eventually, I was taken to the hospital to go through a bunch of x-rays and, after about 3 hours in the ER, they finally gave me some pain medication and sedation so they could put my ankle back in place. Soon after, they determined that in addition to dislocating my right ankle, I had indeed broken my left wrist as well as my left foot! So, having never broken a bone in my life, I had somehow won a two-fer with a bonus limb thrown in for good measure. 24 hours later I had been through wrist surgery and was looking forward to a cast on three limbs for the next 4-8 weeks plus a 10 day stay in rehab.

Initially, the tears came quite easily and mostly over all the things I would be missing during the rest of the summer: baby's first birthday bash, trips to the shore, the pool, the gym, showers, kid's activities, emceeing Vacation Bible School, leading our Jr. High Girl's Retreat, preparing a study guide for Ladies' Bible Study, back to school shopping, but above all taking care of baby. With every thought of the baby I would cry harder and harder, realizing that I'd be missing out on so many everyday moments, as well as some big milestones: teaching her to walk, eat certain foods and drink from her sippy cup, giving her baths, changing diapers (well, only slightly), getting her dressed, carrying her upstairs to tuck her in bed, and especially, nursing.

The baby and I were still nursing up to the day of the accident, which happened to be the day before she turned 11 months old. My goal with each baby had been to nurse one year. I had gone 9 months with my first and 4 months with my second, so this was my most successful nurser of all and yet, I was devastated. This was not how I imagined ending our nursing - abruptly - with no gradual weaning or that one last nuzzle that you know is your last (especially when, at 41, you know it's your last baby, so weaning is the official close of a door that will not be opened again . . . sniff . . . sniff. . . .)

As if the realization of the end of our nursing days were not enough insult added to my injuries, I spent the first night away from my baby, ever, in the hospital listening to a disturbed person screaming someone's name all night from across the hall. In keeping with Murphy's Law, the name she was yelling just happened to be my baby's name, Clara! I mean, c'mon, what about Sue or Sarah? I could've slept through that, but no, 'course not. I can laugh at it now, but at the time it was just heartbreaking for me.

After the surgery, I was moved to the rehab floor where I lived for the rest of the 10 days. With the pain subsiding a bit everyday, lots of visitors and calls, physical and occupational therapy sessions, chats with my teenage daughter who was away on a mission trip, plus the daily family visits, my spirits were pretty good while I was stranded. In fact, I became pretty used to being a walking (well, more like hobbling) punch line. Most people just can't help but shake their heads and laugh when they get a glimpse of me. I certainly felt like I was stuck in a Leslie Nielson movie!

Everyday of my hospital stay my wonderful husband would faithfully visit and bring the little one along for my daily baby fix. As they would stroll into my room she would light up at the sight of me, raise her hand and excitedly yelp "Hi!". She always enjoyed crawling back and forth on the hospital bed and trying to play with the call button (amazingly she never rang the nurse!) I tried to cuddle with her, but trying to contain a wriggly baby with one arm ain't easy when all she wants to do is crawl. She did, however, enjoy sitting between my legs and drumming or scratching the casts! When it was time to leave I would receive my customary flying kisses from my little angel and she would give me a big smile, a shy little wave and an airy, "bye!" How adorable is that?! No screaming upon arrival after realizing she's been away from Mommy nor tears when leaving me again at the end of the visit. Overall, I was pleased that she adjusted well without me and did not resent my absence during our visits, although at times a few sobs would have made me feel a wee bit missed! Of course, any separation anxiety on her part would have made the whole ordeal much worse for me and would have made life at home with a screaming baby miserable for everyone else. So, I am counting my blessings to have such a well adjusted, social, confident and secure baby.

Finally, after 10 days in the hospital I was able to go home. The two leg casts confined me to the first floor, so our dining room was turned into my bedroom with the hospital bed replacing our table. My homecoming was bittersweet. On the one hand it was nice to be amid the chaos of my family again. The hustle and bustle of everyone talking, joking, pitching in, helping me and taking care of baby. What a joy to watch my son and daughter teach their baby sister how to crawl up the stairs, walk her round and round the house as she learns to toddle, feeding her bottles, entertaining her with their antics and delighting in hearing her say "Hi!" every time the phone rings.

On the other hand, with a 14, 12 and nearly 1 year old you can imagine the constant activity: laughing, crying, piano playing, whining, drama, teasing, bickering, playing, baby talk and picture taking that occurs on a daily basis. Add to it, Mom Mom, who is thrust back into "chief maid and bottle washer mode", (as she likes to tell ya); Dad, who is attempting to juggle my doctor's visits with his job; and me, Mommy, who is stuck in the bed or recliner watching everyone else take care of it all while I'm faced with an ever growing to do list in the clutter that surrounds me. Can you spell s-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l?

Despite the fact that it was hard to be replaced at first, I've been able to do more each day to feel a little more like Mommy again. Domestically: helping to fold laundry, putting dishes away, loading dishwasher a bit, keeping track of family activities and appointments. Baby wise: feeding baby, reading to her, singing with her and keeping an eye on her in the play yard. After two days at home, I became quite distraught over the fact that we had been forced to stop nursing the day of the accident and I longed to cuddle her at least one more time. To my surprise I discovered that I still had milk, (after 12 days hiatus!), so I decided to see if baby would be interested at all. At least this way I felt I could have an official farewell to nursing.

At first baby only seemed interested in playing, but eventually nursed a bit that first time back at the breast. I was just elated to finally hold her in my arms without her wriggling away to reach for a toy or crane to see what her siblings were watching on TV. Rather we enjoyed the moment, cuddling, nuzzling, smiling, kissing her little toes and fingers. Since then we've attempted to nurse a bit at night. Unfortunately, she really is done. Most nights she sucks for about five seconds and that's it. Perhaps once or twice we had another tender time nursing before bed and I'm so glad we had those opportunities to wean a bit more gradually providing some precious moments to hide in my heart. Thank you Lord for providing that mini maternal miracle for me!

Wednesday my two left casts come off, so I look forward to being able to hold baby without an uncomfortable, cumbersome cast in the way by her birthday on Friday the 13th. Even though we postponed the big birthday bash until I'm cast free next month, we intend on celebrating her birthday down the shore - an event I thought would elude me for a few more weeks. The casts come off at the lower end of the estimated time table, which will enable me to do some of those summery things I thought I would miss.

God certainly has been gracious through this whole trial. Thankfully, Clara was protected, my dominant right hand was spared, the hospital was only minutes from home, Hubby was able to work from home when needed, Mom Mom (as well as others) were able to help because it happened during the summer, super siblings capable of helping baby sister, time for me to catch up on my reading and devotional, a loving husband who too often seems to have to deal with the my "worse" while I am blessed by his "better", and an amazing church family providing meals, childcare, rides and visitors.

Sometimes being benched is humbling and depressing, but sitting on the sidelines allowed me to see the many blessings God has bestowed upon me. I can honestly say with the Psalmist that I have seen the goodness of the Lord! (Ps.27:13-14)

What A Difference A Year Makes

It is hard to fathom that a year ago I was excited about the prospect of having another baby. Only that one was due April 1st. Exactly a year ago this week I had begun to suffer a miscarriage. Interestingly, the Lord has redeemed that time by choosing to bless me with a new baby almost a year to the day later. His timing couldn't be more perfect. The emotional and physical pain of last summer will soon be replaced by joy - along with a lot of worthwhile pain!

Miscarriages are actually more common than most people realize. With the onset of early pregnancy tests more and more women have been aware of pregnancy much earlier than previous generations. Prior to these over-the-counter tests, women had to wait later for the blood test confirmation or word about that poor old rabbit.

Personally, I have suffered through two, quite different, miscarriages exactly thirteen years apart (ironically both were due in April.) I'm not sure which was more devastating. The first that sent me to the ER in the middle of the night or the second which took weeks to complete. To be honest, neither one was fun at all. Yet in God's timing He saw fit to bless me with a daughter and son at just the right time in my life. Now I see His hand again as this next child will be making a debut very shortly.

What a difference the past year has made in my life!

Third Trimester Trials

For the most part this has been the best pregnancy I have ever had. I have been more energetic, healthier, happier and amazingly relatively dizzy and pain free...praise the Lord!

Once the end of June arrived, and along with it the last trimester stretch, I hit a few bumps in the road. Considering that I haven't landed on bed rest or have any serious problems, I really can't complain. Just in case some of you out there may struggle with some of the same issues, I thought I would document these few third trimester trials.

Pregnancy Tachycardia:

This is a fancy medical word for your-heart-is-racing-s0-fast-you'd-think-you-were-running-a-marathon-but-all-you-did-was-walk-to-the-fridge! It hit me all of the sudden one day while I was at the gym. I had not even started to work out and yet I had the sensation that I had just done some high intensity aerobics (in reality all I had done was walk through the door!) Fortunately, I work out at my physical therapist's office, where you pay a small monthly fee if you have ever been a patient and can use all the fancy equipment - this comes in handy for some of the specialized exercises I do for my vertigo. They were able to check me out and recommended that I head home and call my doctor right away.

After consulting with my midwife, primary doctor, and eventually a cardiologist, I was officially diagnosed with pregnancy tachycardia (as well as some minute long Latin sounding thing that is benign and just means my heart adds a few beats here and there to make things interesting!) All this was determined via a 24 hour heart monitor and an echo cardiogram.

Since my heart rate only got up to 144 and did not top off at 190 or over 200, the cardiologist determined that I did not need to take any kind of beta blocker (meds typically prescribed for such a condition.) Apparently, the beta blockers can be bad for baby to be on for a prolonged period of time. All I need to do when I do go into labor is make sure that a cardiologist is aware of my situation and can administer meds if needed during labor.

The only glitch to the pregnancy tachycardia is that I had to abide by a few rules: resting when the heart raced, no more exercising, and no more caffeine! Originally, I thought that the resting restriction would be the hardest as it was taking me several hours to get my heart rate to calm down. I truly feared that I would be on self-imposed bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Fortunately, due to my vertigo and fibromyalgia, I have seen a chiropractor for years and I have continued to see him once a week throughout my pregnancy. He noticed that my rib cage was twisted and sometimes that can aggravate rapid heart rate symptoms. After a few gentle adjustments my heart rate calmed down dramatically. Now, instead of taking hours to get my heart rate to come down from 144 to 120, it really hasn't bothered me much and it only takes a few minutes to get it from 120 to 100.

Since the heart rate has improved, I have been allowed to partake of small amounts of caffeine (decaf coffee, some chocolate and decaf iced tea). At first, it was quite difficult to go completely cold turkey on the caffeine - as I had previously been faithful to get my permitted daily 8 oz dose - but I have survived!

"Basketball Belly"

Stop now if you're trying to google this next bump (pun intended) on my pregnancy road. This is not an official medical term of any sort, just a way of describing the unfortunate event that occurred a week after the rapid heart rate onset.

I was intently watching my two older kids playing basketball for the first time with our church. My daughter had played on her school team this past year, but this was pretty much the first organized basketball game that my son had ever played (unless you count the YMCA class they took when they were really young...quite humorous I must admit!) Both of them were doing so well, making passes, taking shots, stealing balls and scoring points. I am quite proud of how well they have been doing, especially considering that neither hubby nor I have any athletic abilities whatsoever!

The whole time they were playing I had my eyes on that ball like a hawk. I wasn't taking any chances of getting hit with a basketball at 32 weeks. Baby was enjoying the game, moving around a lot and sticking her own little round ball out the top of my belly - head or rump I wasn't sure.

During one of the breaks my husband came in to the gym. Naturally, I looked up adoringly for a split second (as no one was playing at the moment) and WHAM! Out of nowhere a basketball whacked me right on the belly, just at the spot where baby had been protruding.

I tried to remain calm until the end of the game, but it really smarted. I was also greatly concerned that it could have been the baby's head that got hit and in my panic was not feeling as much movement as before. Fortunately, my parents had come up to pick up the kids for the weekend after the game, so I sent them on their way and promptly called my midwife.

After consulting with her on the phone she determined that because I'm RH Negative I needed to get to the hospital right away. Hmmm, not the reaction I had been hoping for - a little more panic welled within me. Apparently, if there was any kind of blood transfer from me to baby it could be quite harmful to the baby.

Hubby and I hopped into the van and took our first test run to the maternity ward. Not exactly the tour I had planned! We were admitted right away and placed on a monitor. I cannot tell you how relieved I was to hear the heart beat and movements of the baby. In fact, she was so wiggly that they had an extremely hard time monitoring her for a straight 20 minutes. It was pretty humorous to hear her heartbeat start out strong and then actually fade into the distance. C'mon, where in the world could she go in there?!

Due to her elusive heart beat, they eventually had to do an ultrasound to determine her position. Sure enough her head was up - she had indeed been knocked in the noggin! However, after hours of monitoring and blood tests we finished our late night "tour" of the maternity ward and headed home, having been reassured of baby's well being.

High Blood Pressure

Believe it or not, just a few days after my encounter with the wayward basketball my blood pressure was registering on the high side. Nothing to be alarmed at, but the midwife performs a routine test when the numbers get to 130 over 80 or higher. Mine fluctuated between 130 and 140 over a few visits.

So for 24 hours it was necessary to relieve oneself in a huge jug (and yes it would be so much easier to be a boy during tests like these!) It is still a mystery to me what high blood pressure has to do with kidney trouble, but the test was to determine if the kidneys were spilling protein. This would be a sign of pre-eclampsia, which can be very dangerous for mother and baby. Again, slight panic at the thought of bed rest and a high risk delivery. Fortunately, all the tests came back fine and the slightly elevated blood pressure was attributed to my run in with the basketball and the tachycardia.

Breech Baby

Of course the fun did not stop there. Remember when they did the ultrasound and found that baby had been head up when she got whacked with the basketball? She stubbornly decided to stay in that position instead of assuming the head down stance in preparation for delivery.

We were told that if she didn't turn down on her own by week 37 then the doctor would have to turn her manually (ouch!) The procedure is called external version. I must admit, of all the ups and downs of the previous weeks this was the one that had me most panicked.

If she didn't turn on her own then I was faced with what sounded like a really painful procedure. If the external version was not successful then it would be an automatic c-section. If I have a c-section then I'm more likely to have a much tougher recovery due to the fact that fibromyalgia usually doubles recovery time for any injury. None of these options suited my fancy.

Over the weeks that followed I tried ever conceivable tip to try and encourage baby to turn before necessitating medical intervention. First and foremost was prayer followed by various and sundry methods gleaned from friends and the internet.

I tried lying head down with my feet up, but that made me feel quite ill because of the annoying acid reflux and the rapid heart rate thumping ever louder in my head. I did the cat and dog stretch, Kegels and pelvic tilts. I tried to coax baby down by shining a flash light on the belly hoping she would follow the light. However, the oddest thing I did was sit on a cd player every evening for roughly a week with Beethoven blaring at full volume!

Yes, I felt silly and yes, my bum got numb, but it may have been worth it. Every time I sat on the cd player she would definitely react to the music - only I had the sensation that she was trying to get away from it. This theory seemed consistent with how she responded in general to outside stimulus. When people try to catch her moving, she usually stops until they remove their hand and then she promptly starts up the acrobatic routine again. At the hospital she had constantly tried to get away from the heart monitor. This behavior made me take a step back and rethink my tactics. So I put the cd player on top of the belly in the hope that she might try to run away from it. She definitely kicked and attempted to wriggle down, but not head down.

Two days before we were scheduled for the external version I went for an additional visit to the chiropractor for him to do a particular adjustment that is supposed to encourage breech babies to turn. He had already done this several times and my pelvis was becoming looser each time - which should allow the baby a bit more room to maneuver.

The evening before our appointment I decided to try some soothing harp music to sit on, supposing that Beethoven might just be a tad to erratic. Or it just could be that baby had inherited my music preferences, which have never included classical music. (Don't worry, my kids still benefit from Mozart and others as they've done Suzuki piano for 7 years. Still, I'm not a fan of classical music. I just put up with it because I know it's good for their brain development! Kinda like spinach.)

That night I went to bed a bit apprehensive about the upcoming procedure in the morning. I had a really hard time getting to sleep, but finally succumbed around 1 am. I awoke around 2:30 am feeling quite uncomfortable and had the strange sensation that baby was lying sideways. My first thought was that God had listened to the prayers of His people and baby had begun to turn on her own.

I tried to get some sleep, but to no avail. Around 3:30 am the contractions started. After about an hour and a half I finally called the midwife and woke up hubby. I figured that since she was still breech I probably shouldn't wait too much longer - especially since my labor with my son was only an hour and twenty minutes start to finish!

We rushed around a bit and finished packing bags just in case the contractions led to a baby. (And why wouldn't they? That's always what happened previously.) We arrived at the hospital around 6 am and I was placed on the monitor. It did show contractions, but nothing significant. An ultrasound revealed that the baby had tried to turn on her own and was transverse with her head down slightly to the right - praise God!

The doctor came in around 8 am to perform the external version to get baby all the way down. Just before he grabbed the belly he warned me that he would not stop if I yelled, only if I told him "stop!" Uh, oh. I really didn't like the sound of that. Well, he grabbed and pushed and I concentrated on my breathing. It was over in a matter of a minute with only a push or two to get her into place. Considering I was sore for days, I am so thankful that she turned most of the way on her own - I really don't think I could have handled the doctor turning her an entire 180 degrees!

So now baby is still in the correct position, my belly looks and feels different since she turned. I had forgotten what the pregnancy waddle in the last few weeks felt like! The pressure is on, literally, and I'm anxious to have the baby in my arms. All things considered, the Lord has really blessed me with a great pregnancy and I have learned a lot about trusting Him during these few bumps in the road.

Baby is scheduled to be induced a week from today. Full moon tonight. Hmm, wonder what the chances are...?