Not Goodbye But So Long for Now!

Hi Y'all! It's been forever since I blogged so I thought that I'd let you know why! Well, lots has been going on. Remember when I mentioned that DH thew out his back? Well, it ended up being a lot worse than he originally thought. He was out of commission for over a month which means that I've been running this household, taking care of the babies, and taking care of him all by myself. That leaves no extra time for blogging. Girl, Mama is tired! But, thank the Lord that this past week he's finally getting back to normal!

Baby girl just turned 4 months old and she's growing like a weed, just started eating some rice cereal, and she's sleeping from about 9pm to 7am! Yeah!!!

Little Miss Thang (aka Mini-me) is almost 20 months old and just impresses me everyday with how much she's learning. She is my little helper and loves her baby sister so much! The two of them are so precious and I could not be more blessed. Thank you Lord!

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I'm also trying to start a business. Unfortunately, I haven't touched my business plan since right before DH hurt his back. I'm hoping to get back to that soon!

I'm also working on getting up before the rest of the family so I can have some quiet time to do my Bible study and workout. That means I have to wake up at 5am. I've only been able to pull myself out of bed a couple of times but it was worth it! The hard part is resisting the snooze button! Ok y'all I need to wrap this up so that I can hopefully get my hiney out of bed in the morning.

Oh, Operation Hot Mama is still in effect y'all! We just got the Wii Fit this past weekend so I'm having fun with that as well!

I've been debating on shutting down this blog because I just don't have time to post these days. But, I'm going to leave it up for now in the hopes that I can get back to it in the future. I'll still peek in on your blogs when I have the chance! Thanks to my readers for your wonderful comments and emails. It means the world to me! If any of you want to chat sometime, feel free to send me an email!

Much Love,
Southern Savvy

Three Children This Week...and a House Guest!

If you're waiting anxiously on my next post, I apologize (to all 2 or 3 of you!) I did manage to take pictures of my day on Monday and I wanted to get the post up by now. But, DH did something to throw his back out. I mean, he can hardly walk and when he does, he leaves a string of expletives behind him he's in so much pain! So, I've been doing everything around here by myself this week and taking care of him.

Men are the WORST patients. Can I get an Amen?

DH finally got some Rx's and a cortisone shot. Three days at the chiropractor didn't do much good. I'm really hoping and praying that he'll be better by this weekend.

In addition to all of the fun around here, I'm working feverishly to get this place company ready. My Dad is due to arrive for a visit this weekend. This is the first time he's been able to come down to see his new granddaughter. I'm so excited for him to get here!

Hope to be back sometime next week!

Fat Baby Rolls and Still No Sleep!

Baby girl had her 2 month check up yesterday and toddler had her 18 month check up. I have to gloat here for moment...BOTH girls had shots at the same time and I survived! It wasn't easy! But, once I got them both back in the car it only took about two minutes of driving before they were both knocked out. Of course, they were both cranky the rest of the day. :(

Anyway, Doc says that baby girl needs to go on a diet! Well, not really, but I'm supposed to dilute her formula a bit and try to get her to skip her middle of the night feeding. I told him that I would gladly skip her middle of the night bottle if I could get the kid to sleep! I've tried letting her cry, feeding her water, and even putting rice cereal in her bedtime bottle. Nothing is working. As a result, she's one little chunky monkey! She's in the 95% for height (2 ft. tall @ 2 months!) but she's off the chart for weight! LOL Poor little thing...but Mama loves those fat little baby rolls!

So, Doc told me to let her cry 20 minutes when she wakes up at night. Then if she still wants to eat, give her a diluted bottle. He said to keep increasing the diluation until I halve the formula amount. After two weeks, this baby is supposed to be sleeping through the night if I stay consistent. We'll see... Got any tricks to get babies to sleep through the night? I'd be happy with a 6 hour stretch.

Answers to Your Questions!

Thanks for your questions and comments! Here you go...

Short Southern Momma said...I'll go with a generic one....why did you start blogging? What is a typical day like at your house?

I first started reading blogs when I was pregnant with baby girl #1 back in 2008. Somehow I stumbled upon a blog that caught my interest and then from there I just kept clicking on links to other bloggers. Before I knew it, I had a whole list of blogs that I was stalking following anonymously. After a couple of months, I decided that I needed to start my own blog and join in on the fun.

I was going through a hard time at that point - my parents were divorcing after 33 years of marriage, I was pregnant with preeclampsia, I was overworked, overstressed, and just an all over hot mess. On top of that, I was feeling as though we didn't really fit down here in FL. Where we live we're surrounded by transplanted Yankees. Hearing another Southern accent is a rarity. So, I started the blog with the intention of writing about the Southern culture and communicating with other Southern Mamas as a way for me to still feel connected to "home" if that makes any sense...thus the name "Southern Savvy". But, the blog has turned out to just be a bunch of randomness of whatever I'm thinking at the time. Regardless, it's been so much fun and such a blessing to connect with other women out there!

As for my typical day, I'll answer that below.

Courtney said...What kind of coffee do you drink and do you add sugar/cream? How many cups/day? What's your favorite place to get coffee out? What do you get if you go to Starbucks?

Before children, I was an occasional coffee drinker. Now, I get upset if I miss my two daily coffee breaks. As a matter of fact, I'm having one right now while the girls' are having their morning nap. So, I usually have two cups of coffee a day - one with breakfast which I usually don't get a chance to finish until about 10:30 or so. That cup gets heated up in the microwave a couple of times! You know how it is with little kids. The second cup is around 3pm. I can feel the needle go down to empty around 3pm and I know it's coffee time!

We have a Keurig and use that 95% of the time and also an espresso machine that we use the other 5% of the time. Right now, I'm drinking the Caribou Coffee Caribou blend pods. It's a medium brew which is my preference. That's the great thing about the Keurig...I can have what I want quickly and then DH can make his strong bold blend coffees. I ALWAYS use creamer because I'm not as hard core as DH who drinks it black - Yuck! I get a different creamer every week so that I can try different flavors. Some of my favorites are pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha. I'm currently trying the International Delight Coffeehouse Inspirations. They're really good too. Note*: I refuse to buy that fat-free crap again. I don't know what that stuff is, but it's not cream! I work hard raising these youngins and I deserve a little guilt free fat in my life. :)

If we go out for coffee, it's usually Starbucks because there's a Starbucks nearby most of the places I go around here. A Starbucks with a drive-though is even better! I really don't think that their coffee is that stellar but it's convenient. I usually order a grande latte - whatever I'm feeling that day. If I'm not in the mood for anything particular, a skinny hazelnut latte is my "go-to" order.

Solar Powered said...What's your schedule and how has it changed since baby #2? Any advice for someone that may want a baby #2? That someone is waiting a while but any advice you have would be great!
This is a loaded question SP! The answer to your questions is going to be long. So, I'm saving that for my next post. I think that I'm going to include some pictures so that you can have a better idea of what my day looks like. I'm so glad that you asked this question because it also gives me the chance to show my Husband that although I make it look easy, being a SAHM and Housewife is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of patience, love, and humor to make it through the day. A glass of wine after the kids are in bed also helps on occasion! Yesterday was one of those days.

Oh, and DH...I love you but NO, I do not sit around watching 19 Kids and Counting re-runs all day. Stay tuned!

I've Got Nothing. Do You Have Questions?

That's right. I'm also jumping on the bloggersphere bandwagon and opening up to readers' questions because I have nothing interesting to blog about right now. Well, I'm sure that there's something but I'm just too tired or maybe too lazy to think of something right now.

So let me have it. Is there anything that you want to know? I swear that I can be somewhat interesting when I'm not so sleep deprived. Speaking of which...I need to get a refill on this coffee before the babes wake up and we start the night shift around here.

You've Got to Dress for Success!

Day 3 of Operation Hot Momma! (OHM! going forward) = The soreness continues. At first it was just my legs. But, it's moving into my shoulders too so I guess I'm making a little progress! Honestly, I skipped my workout yesterday because I had a bunch of errands to take care of around town. It's amazing how much longer everything takes when you have two little ones in tow. No more just quickly running into a store! Nope. You have to pull out all of the baby gear and diaper bag at each stop. Now, that's a good arm workout too!

I find that if I look the part then I'm more likely to work out and not find excuses. I'm trying to get up out of bed and put on my exercise clothes asap! I'm a big fan of the C9 by Champion line at Target. It's reasonably priced, comfortable, and does a good job of wicking the sweat off (nothing worse than a wet t-shirt that sticks to you during a workout!). There are several cute color and pattern combinations to choose from but I usually keep it simple so I can mix and match my pieces. Here's what I wore today:


C9 by Champion Seamless Bra , $16.99
If you need more support like I do, I suggest you pair this bra with a tank that has a built in bra like this one.


C9 by Champion Racerback Every Day Tank, $14.99 This was the first C9 tank that I've worn and I really like it. The fabric performed much better at wicking away the sweat than other tops that I have. I'm going to buy a couple more because I prefer this tank to a t-shirt!


C9 by Champion Mid Rise Fitted Fitness Knee Pant, $17.99
I don't actually own these pants but they are similar to the pair that I wore today. I like to wear some type of fitted knee length or mid-calf capri when I'm jumping around doing cardio or running. It's comfortable, not too hot, and I don't have to worry about shorts riding up in mid stride. Don't you hate that?

On to Day 4 of OHM! tomorrow!

Operation Hot Momma!

Operation Hot Momma has commenced! As most of my regular readers know, I've had two babies in less than two years. The result is that I have all kinds of jiggly and I'm so NOT happy about it! I really want to be the young, fit, cute, healthy Mom who can play and run around with her kids while I'm actually still somewhat young (just turned 31 last week!). Right now, I feel like an old, flabby, "Mom jean" kind of Mom. Not feeling cute at all!

Yesterday was Day 1 of what I have decided to call "Operation Hot Momma!". I know that this won't be a perfect journey but I'm going to stick to it dangit! I really really want to get back to a point where I can do another half-marathon like I did before I got pregnant with baby #1. I'd be happy if I could just walk the entire time and survive!

I also want to get back to that flat stomach and size 8 jeans that I used to wear when my husband first met me. After we started dating it's been all downhill from there for both of us! ha! You know what happens when you fall in love...you put on the "happy pounds". Then I went to graduate school full time while working full time. That's when I gained the "fast food and caffeine graduate school diet pounds". Then I finished graduate school and kicked my career into high gear. I was working non-stop! My life was my work but I was willing to sacrifice for a few years to get to where I wanted to be. By the age of 30 I was there and making awesome money but I had also gained the "stressed out, overworked, not happy pounds". Then I had two children in less than two years. Add all of that together and from the age of 21 to 30 I had gained about 55lbs!!! I can only blame a small part of that on having kids.

I'm so embarrassed that I let it get this bad! That's why I'm putting all of this out there for everyone to see because enough is enough. I have to regain my fitness level and my health for myself and my family. I want to lose the 55lbs by the end of the year and be able to at least jog/walk a half-marathon. That's a pretty hefty goal considering that I haven't worked out in two years! I just started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred yesterday. I really needed to find something to do at home until baby girl starts sleeping on a normal schedule and Hubby and I can figure out a routine that would allow us both to go to the gym. The result of Day 1 is that I am sooo sore! I think that I'll switch to one of my pilates DVDs today to get some stretching in.

I took measurements and weighed myself last week. I'll post results in another week or two to see if I'm making progress.

Catching Up!

Howdy y'all! Several people have checked in on me and I just want to say thank you! It's so nice to read your comments and emails. You ladies are the best! Things are going pretty well around here and I'm still working on that project that I mentioned in my previous post. Ok, I'll go ahead and spill...I'm starting a business!

It's something that I've always wanted to do. I have so many ideas and I figured that it's now or never! Obviously with the two little ones, I have very limited time so that's why I've been slacking on blogging. Something had to give so that I could find some time to work on this project! I don't want to give out too many details right now because I have so much work ahead of me and I'd feel better when more details are settled. So far, I've registered my website domain through GoDaddy.com and I've started the paperwork I need to register my business with the state of Florida. I'm also doing a lot of research, looking at vendors, and doing various analyses as I work on my business plan. It's going to be a slow process but it's fun for me. I might as well put that Masters degree to work since we're still paying for it! :)

I think that this little venture is going to help me find that balance between being a SAHM and the former suit, high heel wearing, and brief case toting career gal that I was just last year. Wish me luck and stayed tuned. I'll be sure to share more when I can.

On A Little Break

I've been MIA and I have good reason. I've got a little project going on that needs my attention. Plus, I haven't been feeling well lately. We're still not sleeping through the night and it's really taking a toll on me! Also, recuperating after having a second child has been a lot harder on my body than it was the firt time. So, I need to take some time and get better! Hope you understand! I'll still be checking in on your blogs when I have a chance. I hope to give you all an update on my little project in a couple of weeks. Right now, I just need to focus!

Wish you all the best! Thank you for being great bloggy friends and for letting me be a part of your lives. It really means a lot to me!

Flylady Fridays - Evening Routines

If you're just joining us, read more about Flylady Fridays here.

This week we're sharing our Evening Routines!

But, first I wanted to show you the difference 15 minutes really can make in your home! Last week I had a really hard day with the babes and NOTHING got done around here. Then DH requested some cookies and I decided that would be a great way to end a very hectic day. My kitchen was already a wreck so why not?! After I got done with my chocolate chip pecan cookies my kitchen looked like this:

That's just one side, trust me the other side was a wreck too! So, I thought - Hey! This is the perfect opportunity to see what I can do in 15 minutes. So, I set my timer for 15 minutes (I really did!) and ended up with this:

In 15 minutes, I managed to load the dishwasher, wipe down the counters and stove top, and get started on washing baby bottles! Not bad for a quick clean up right? So, the next time that your kitchen seems like an overwhelming mess - don't stress. Set your timer and get it done!

Ok, here's my Evening Routine (starts about 4:30/5:00pm if I'm cooking):

• Get dinner started (cooking takes a long time when you're trying to take care of two little ones at the same time!)
• Feed the babes.
• Do quick clean up of the kitchen and living area before Hubby comes home.
• 5:30-6pm: Hubby is home! Yes, sweet relief! Pass off one of the kids and try to finish cooking dinner.
• ~6:30pm Eat dinner.
• Bath and bedtime for the babes (big girl by 8pm, baby girl - we're still working on a regular schedule).
• Clean up kitchen and make that sink shine for the next morning!
• Whew! Breathe and relax with Hubby, and get ready for bed.
• 11pm - Another baby bottle
• Bed for one exhausted Momma!
  

Don't forget to link up below and share what's going on in your home! Have a happy Friday everyone!

Next Week: Share your Hot Spots! Is there a place in your house where keys, mail, and "stuff" gets dumped throughout the day? How do you keep it organized and deal with all of that "stuff"?

Southern Voice

I'm not the biggest country music fan in the world, but I just can't get enough of this song. It just makes me smile! I mean how could I not love a song that mentions sweet iced tea?

For The Love Of All Things Damask

This pic is for Short Southern Momma. We share a mutual love for all things "damask-ized". LOL!

DH actually remembered that I wanted this new diaper bag for Christmas. He even had it monogrammed!

One Of Those Days...

Yep. It was one of those days...you know, the kind of day where everything goes wrong and you just can't take one more thing? That was my day.

It all started off innocently enough. Baby girl even let me get a little more sleep than usual last night so I was feeling pretty good when I got out of bed this morning. But, for some reason when my Husband left for work it was all downhill from there. Here's a list of things that besmirched my day, in no particular order:

1. The baby has been gassy and fumigating the house with man farts.
2. Because of said man farts baby has been really fussy, wouldn't nap, and is only happy when being held.
3. The toddler has been whiny and demanding my constant and full attention.
4. Because of the lack of my full attention, toddler retaliated by scattering her toys and Baby Einstein learning cards all over the semi-clean house...oh and by screaming at the top of her lungs all day long...oh and by refusing to take a nap either.
5. I don't have the ok to work out yet and the P90X commercials are taunting me.
6. I made the mistake of looking in the mirror and noticed that the amount of gray hairs popping out of my head is beyond scary and my eyebrows could give Frida Kahlo a run for her money.
7. I currently have one pair of jeans that fit. Let's not talk about the muffin top spewing out of them.
8. My Victoria's Secret special order for Valentine's Day arrived. It's not pretty y'all! After two kids, I officially have pancake boobs and I need a tummy tuck.
9. I dropped tuna salad in baby girl's hair while trying to help the toddler eat her own tuna salad sandwich. Then toddler decided to put it in her hair too. Nice.

At this point, my sleep-deprived self couldn't take it anymore and I decided some retail therapy at Target was in order. Target was just the cure I needed. I bought new makeup and nail polish. Now I'm feeling a little more pretty! ;)

Flylady Friday - Morning Routines!

Welcome to our first weekly Flylady Friday party! I'm so glad that you're here! If you're just joining us, read more about Flylady Fridays here.

This week we're sharing our Morning Routines! Although I've previously de-cluttered my house with the Flylady program before, I've since had two babies in less than two years and relocated to a new city last September when I was about 6 months pregnant. I still have a LOT of boxes hidden in our closets and garage that need to be unpacked! Needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me. Ugh!!

Instead of stressing myself out by jumping into the Flylady program where I was at our old house, I'm starting from scratch! Since I also have a one month old and a toddler, I'm keeping it easy and will go from there as I'm able to do so. Here's what I've been doing so far this week:

Morning Routine:

• Shower and get dressed
• Make my bed
• Get a load of laundry started
• Empty dishwasher
• Coffee!!!!!!
• Clean up kitchen from breakfast
• Figure out what's for dinner and take something out of the freezer if needed.
• Get kids dressed
• Coffee!!!!!
• Put laundry in the dryer

Doesn't sound too horrible, right? Throw a couple of kids in the mix and I'm exhausted! To be honest, some days I don't take a shower and get dressed until 3 or 4pm! Baby steps y'all! LOL :) I really wanted to show you a before and after picture of what a difference 15 minutes can make in my kitchen but I didn't get a chance this week. So, I'll show you next week!

Don't forget to link up below and share what's going on in your home! Have a happy Friday everyone!

Next Week: Share your Afternoon/Evening routines and show us a picture of one of your 15 minute projects!

Do You Use Cloth Diapers?

Do any of you use cloth diapers? Now that I'm a SAHM and don't have to worry about a daycare, I'm interested in giving them a try. Any advice for me? I know nothing!

Thanks!!!

It's a Flylady Party!

In the last couple of months of my pregnancy my house has been severely neglected. I'm feeling like my old self now and it's time to get things around here back in order! I'm trying to get back to my old routines with the Flylady's help! If you want to learn more about her program, go check it out here for free and learn how 15 minutes at a time can erase the chaos in your house and help you create a peaceful home for your family. You deserve it!

Join The Flylady Friday Party!

In an effort to support other ladies out there who are struggling to manage all of the chaos in their lives, Sweet Tea and Biscuits and I are going to be hosting a weekly Flylady party! Join us for Flylady Friday and show us what you did in 15 minutes this week to create the home you deserve! Share with others what your routines are, your struggles, your successes, and what works for you!

So, go check out the Flylady and please join my linky party this coming Friday! If you want to join the party, take 15 minutes this week and draft your Morning Routine, then meet me back here on Friday to link up your post!

Start 2010 off right and get your home de-cluttered, organized, and sparkling! See you on Friday!