Baby Makes Three...

So I'm now 35 weeks pregnant with Little Miss Margaret, and I could hate myself for not writing about this journey any sooner. In my defense, this year has been crazy. On top of being pregnant, I rushed off the heels of traveling as South Carolina's Teacher of the Year and immediately entered a new job in a new district with new people doing new things. It's been a period of adjustment, and then in late July, we found out we were adding a pregnancy and a new March baby on top of all that!

I'll be honest. I am not good at being pregnant. I have been sick since about eight weeks in and have been nearly impossible to live with. If there was ever a doubt in my mind that Hank was not a good man (there wasn't), then the fact that he has not left my side over the past 35 weeks was all the proof I needed.

In November, we found out that the precious baby (who Hank had nicknamed Cecil) that I was carrying around was indeed a little girl. We would have been thrilled either way that ultrasound went, and I was fairly convinced I was having a boy. I have the blue sleeper gowns purchased the day before the ultrasound to prove it. However, watching Hank transform from my husband into the daddy of a little girl has been magical.

Menu Plan Monday (A Day Early)

I'm attempting to link up with the other folks at Organizing Junkie.

So, it's no secret that I am desperately trying to shed some pounds in hopes of making a baby in the future. The last few weeks I have not done so well with my goals, and I think I can attribute that to my lack of menu planning. When we don't have a menu in place, we tend to go all willy-nily and eat Mexican four times in a week (yes, that was our culinary life story last week). This week, we've made a menu, bought the groceries, and will stick to it.

Sunday:
Baked Chicken Parmesan from Skinnytaste (so good)

Monday:
Diet Coke BBQ Chicken Strips
Green beans

Tuesday:
Rotisserie Chicken
Steamed Cabbage

Wednesday:
Due to my Master's class, this is "fend for yourself" night in our house.

Thursday:
Tacos (How sad is it that this is my favorite night?)

Friday:
We have scheduled in a Mexican feast at our local Mexican restaurant. Only one, however! This is an improvement.

Saturday:
Pizza Crescent Rolls (Thank you, Pinterest, for this deliciousness!)

So that's what we're eating. And on top of all that goodness, I plan to get in at least four days of some hardcore walking with some Zumba and Shredding in the mix.

Bell Peppers

I used to love bell peppers. I would get them on my sub, chop them up in a salad, dip them in ranch. However, I have never been able to wrap my head around the idea of "stuffed peppers." Something about that concept just doesn't sit well with me. My stomach is literally lurching just thinking about it. Eww.

My love for peppers ended circa Spring Break 2009. We decided to go to the beach as a whole entire family and spend the whole entire week in one house as a whole entire family. I'm sure you're starting to realize that probably wasn't the best idea. I should pause to let it sink in that whole entire family includes the following: me, Hank, sister 1, sister 2, brother-in-law 1, brother-in-law 2, mom, dad, brother-in-law 2's mom, nephew, niece 1, niece 2, step-niece 1, and step-niece 2. Oh, and the nephew/niece pair? They brought friends. Yeah, let that settle for a moment.

Anyway, this blog is about bell pepper, not about my inability to spend an entire week with my whole entire family + 2. We went to eat at Ultimate California Pizza, which of course made my sweet husband, the pizza lover, extremely happy. We got our usual, a pizza (light on the sauce on my side) with pepperoni, mushrooms, and bell pepper. It was divine. Really, it was.

We left the restaurant to head to play laser tag (something my husband swears he will never participate in again as long as he lives). En route to laser tag, he sneezed a ginormous sneeze. Then he immediately began screaming and took both hands off the steering wheel. Yep, he was driving.

I grabbed the wheel and tried to talk him through the pain while keeping my eyes on the road. His hands were on the side of his face and he was screaming in pain, and, I kid you not, an entire bell pepper strip (think Subway), was coming out of his nose. Once he got it out, his eyes watered for probably 30 minutes or more, and then he was fine.

The moral of the story: bell peppers don't come in my house. They remind me of snot and boogers and all things nostril.

Oh Saturday...

My sweet, patient husband and I slept in until 10:47 this morning. I feel horrible when I do that because I feel like I've wasted so much of my day. My momma always says my body wouldn't let me sleep that long if it didn't really need it. I hope she's right. I do feel slightly better today after battling two weeks of ickyness.

I'm still feeling overwhelmed by life, and really, by yearbook. This too shall pass, I guess.

I began this post last Saturday (2/11), and I'm just getting back to it now. I'm thinking that says a lot about how my days have gone.

This past week, I got to go to the SC Teacher of the Year Winter Workshop, and I left feeling rejuvenated and immensely proud of my profession. As the National Teacher of the Year, Michelle Shearer, said, "There are 47,000 teachers in public schools in South Carolina, and every single one of them could be doing something else. Teaching is a choice that we make to impact the future." My only wish as I left the beach on Friday was that every teacher could experience that workshop and be reminded of why they started down this path and why teachers matter so much.

Settlin' In

It's cold. Who knew? Yesterday, my husband and I strolled around the neighborhood while I wore flip-flops and capris and joked about getting a tan. It was only a partial joke as I really think I could have had some serious bronzing going on. Today, it's cold and rainy and our heat is running again. Global warming is no joke.

I'm currently trying to get in the mindset to read 20 papers on topics my students value. These are personal supported opinion essays where each student picks a topic about which he or she is passionate and then supports his or her opinion with research. I'm hoping some of them will be fun. Praying, is probably more accurate.

Speaking of praying, I've been spending my 20-minute trek to school in prayer and worship. It honestly seems like the absolute best start I could have to a day. This morning, I was listening to my David Crowder Band Church Music cd, and my favorite song touched my heart in the perfect way. Know that this song always moves me, but not in quite the way it did today...



Isn't it amazing that God would be jealous for someone like me? That love is amazing, and I am so unworthy...yet so very honored and grateful.

Above Water

I am so busy. It is my own fault. I don't say "no." It is simply not a part of my vocabulary. However, I am working extremely hard to keep my pretty brown-haired head bobbing just above the water. Luckily, life hasn't capsized me yet. Still yet, I don't know that being just ahead is something I should be proud of...should I?

I start each day with a "to-do list" that seems to be a mile long. Everything on it is not something I have to do; some of the list is made up of wants. I never get everything marked off in a given day. I'm beginning to accept that this is life...at least what life looks like for a responsible adult.

I guess this is all to say, I haven't been blogging with any sense of regularity. I am busy. I am "Weight Watching" (8 pounds gone). I am teaching. I am being a wife. This week, I'm working on making some time for me.

I Failed at Blogging This Week

I'm not really sure what happened to me keeping up with my blog this week. Oh yes, I do. It's called having 67 new students to get to know. That has consumed my life this week. By Friday, I was tired, worn out, and in desperate need of a lengthy nap. And to think, we only had school for four days. Wow.

This week, I will only be teaching for four days again because I will be attending the SCCTE conference in breathtaking Kiawah. I can't wait, but I still have a lot of preparing to do. I am an eternal procrastinator.

My fasting is still going well, though there have been days that I might have wanted a Coke so badly I wanted to validate my drinking one. I still haven't. I'm spending more time in prayer and believe in my breakthroughs.

It's late. I need sleep. School starts way too early.