The finale of Bachelor was last week. Usually, I watch the Bachelor the night afterwards on Hulu with TJ, but my friend Sarah told me and a couple other girls about a viewing party hosted by The House that Lars Built with games, giveaways, and food. I almost said no but then realized I’m always complaining to TJ about feeling like I live a monotonous life, so I convinced myself into it! I’m so glad I did because I had an amazing time catching up with some old friends who I don’t get to see too often. We watched the Bachelor, played trivia (and won, duh!), drank fancy mocktails, got awesome SWAG, and snacked on delicious cupcakes. It was a perfect evening out!
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2016-03-25 09:00:052016-03-24 09:01:51Do you take this rose?
For months now, I’ve been wanting to make Eva a mermaid tail blanket. Now that I have a sewing machine, one afternoon after school, I took Eva to the Hobby Lobby where she picked out her fabric then I got to work that night once the kids were in bed. I should have used a pattern, but kind of wanted to try my hand at doing it all by myself. I made it a little shorter than I planned, but Eva likes it that way because it fits more like a mermaid. So, win-win!
It was really easy to make and only took me a couple of hours!
I cut out the top leg parts (blue) using an elastic waisted maxi skirt of Eva’s as a guide.
Hemmed the top of both sides so there was room for elastic
Cut out the bottom fin parts
Sewed one pink fin to one top blue part, repeat with second set
Sewed the two pieces together
Hand stitched the sequins ribbons to the top
Looped elastic inside the waist (upon Eva’s request) so it would be tight and stay up around her stomach
Have Eva wear it nonstop for days… I didn’t have to make her do this, she did it by herself, obviously!
I got a sewing machine for Christmas from TJ which is probably one of the best gifts I have ever received! The first project I used it for (which actually barely required the use of the machine) was to turn an old tulle skirt of mine into a maxi skirt for Eva. I bought it online a couple years ago and it looked terrrrrrible on me. I held on to it because Eva always liked to wear it and have me tie it up one her. So I finally took in the elastic then cut off a couple inches so it goes to her feet. She LOVES it and wears it all the time!
Our biggest loser competition finished this week and two winners lost 7.92% (Way to go to my cousin Cordelia in Australia!) and 6.64% (Nice work, Lisa!)! Each loser is getting $120! I wish I could say one of those scores was mine, but I’m still content with my month and happy we all did it together!
After seeing all the results, it has motivated me to host the competition for another five weeks, so if you want in, read the details below! We were sick for the majority of January so I didn’t work out much nor did I have the energy to keep up with all my meal planning since we were taking care of sick kids so much. But this is the month. We can do it!
It will be on the honor system (so, honest people only, please 🙂 ).
To enter, send $10 to my PayPal Account by Monday, February 22.
Personally record your starting weight on Monday, February 22.
I will post how many people entered the competition on Tuesday, February 23, meaning you’ll find out how much you could potentially win-giving you the motivation you need to lose!
Personally record your ending weight on Monday, March 28.
Calculate your weight loss percentage by dividing the number of pounds you have lost by your beginning weight, and then multiplying this number by 100. For instance, if your starting body weight was 200 pounds and your present weight is 180 pounds, subtract180 from 200 to get the total sum of pounds lost, which in this case is 20 pounds. Now divide20 by 200 to get the 0.1. Then multiply0.1 by 100 to alter it to a percentage, which in this case is 10%.
Last week Finn got ear infections and a respiratory infection. He was inconsolable at times, up tons in the night, and only wanted to be held. At times I thought I was just too tired to even get out of bed. But here’s the thing. I also have an active four year old who wants to play all the time and also needs attention. I can’t just lay in bed watching Netflix all day long. So, I figured out a couple things that helped me wake up and get into “mom mode” every day.
Wake up and immediately take a shower. On the days I shower and get ready for the day (even if it’s just to throw on a clean set of sweats) it helps me feel so much better!
Drink tons of water and a big breakfast.
Make your bed. Not only will it make you get out of bed physically, you’ll feel like you accomplished something and won’t want to mess it up by getting back in.
Going along with number four, accomplish a couple things off of your to-do list so at the end of the day you feel like you actually did something. I mean, we tend for our kids all day long and that’s a huge chore in itself. But by accomplishing something like vacuuming or emptying and loading the dishwasher, then you’ll have some physical evidence of your work!
Get down and play with your kids. Once you start to get out of your rut of laying around and being lazy, you just feel better. Even if it’s just for ten minutes!
Drink a diet coke, duh.
Get up when your husband gets up. It probably varies from family to family, but TJ wakes up a little earlier than the kids to get ready for work, but always has about twenty minutes of extra time to eat breakfast and such. This morning I had him take the kids downstairs for breakfast while I showered. Usually, I just lay in bed and savor those final moments of sleep, but then I don’t have time for a shower and I feel gross all day. So, use the time your husband is home wisely!
Pray, pray, pray! I’m so terrible at saying my morning prayers. Nighttime I’ve got down. But usually I wake up to Eva by my side with so much energy, asking for breakfast, and Finny Babe begging to nurse. Well, this morning when I got in the shower and the kids were downstairs, I actually used that time to ponder and pray. I prayed for patience, and most importantly, the energy I needed to be a good mom for the day! It may not be as good as praying down on my knees as soon as I wake up, but at least I got an uninterrupted prayer in!
Ask for help and set up a schedule. If you have family around, ask them to help tend your kids. About once a week, we crash at my in-laws help for a little break. The help is so great and I have a chance to recharge physically and mentally. It also helps to set up play dates and co-ops so you can have something fun for your kids to do and possibly take a nap if they’re at someone else’s house.
When all else fails, when your house is a wreck, you watched a whole season of Sophia the First, and the kids just ate cereal all day (this never happens in my house…….), tell yourself you’ll do better tomorrow. Sometimes you’ve got to give yourself a break!
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2016-02-01 13:26:412016-02-01 13:26:41When you are just too tired to carry on...
When we lived in Jersey, we saw homeless people every day. I remember one of the first few days of being in NYC when looking for an apartment, there was a homeless man, laying on the ground while the rain poured on him. He looked so dirty, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever seen. But the sad thing is, you end up seeing so many homeless and needy people every day when living in NYC/Jersey, that you almost become numb to the fact and stop noticing them. It just becomes part of the everyday sights.
But there was one homeless man in Jersey I saw nearly every single day. He had crutches, always was holding the door outside the Newport mall, and generally always had a smile on his face. It started hitting me that I was seeing this man more than my family. He literally saw Eva more than her grandparents saw her. So, I kind of had a change of heart towards him. If I was going to see the same man every single day while I was out walking, I thought I should try and make a small difference in his life. Try and make his day a little better. I rarely gave him money, but I did start carrying extra granola bars or fruit snacks to give to him. Mostly, I tried to just tell him to have a good day, while making eye contact. We never look homeless people in the eyes, have you noticed that? I think it’s because it makes us uncomfortable.
Well, months have passed, we moved away and I’ll never see that man again. I haven’t thought about him really at all since moving. But the other day, I was driving to the grocery store and there was a man asking for money on the corner, a typical sight. I really doubt he was homeless, he’s just a man looking for handouts. Usually out here in Utah, I’m so negative towards these panhandlers. “Come on, go get a real job! There’s a McDonalds RIGHT there!” So, I drove by and didn’t do anything. And I definitely didn’t make eye contact. But when I came out of the grocery store, there he was again on the corner. Suddenly, that homeless man in Jersey City popped into my mind, out of the blue. He taught me that we should be kind to those we come across everyday. We should be sensitive towards those around us. And we should spread God’s love, especially to those in need. I thought to myself, “Look, who cares if this man is not homeless. If he’s in a place where he is on the side of the road asking for money, he definitely isn’t in a great place.” So, I handed him a protein drink I had just bought from the store, smiled and told him to have a good day.
It wasn’t much and I definitely am not saying to give handouts to everyone you see. But I am grateful for the chance I had to serve that man back in Jersey and for the lessons he taught me. When we feel a prompting to do something, to help out in some way, or just smile and look someone in the eyes, we should do so. You never know what impact you can make by just stepping out of your comfort zone a bit.
“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.”
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2016-01-27 11:10:572016-01-27 11:14:23To the Homeless Man in Jersey
Eva went to a Birthday party where they got to meet Elsa and all dress up as princesses. Obviously, she had a wonderful time.
Finn started sitting in his jumper this month and loves it so much! He gets so proud of himself. Adorable. Eva gets very jealous that she can’t get in.
I learned how to carry Finn front-facing in my wrap. Total game changer! He doesn’t look like he loves it from the picture, but I promise he does!
We drove through Thanksgiving Point’s light display one evening while we ate our dinner in the car and listened to Christmas music. It was a fun Christmas activity which we will probably do again since we don’t have to get out in the cold with the kids.
One afternoon, I took Eva and Finn to the Christmas puppet show at the Library. I love all the little free events and activities they put on!
I put Finn down on his playmat for one second and the next, I looked over and Eva had put antlers on him. She was laughing up a storm! So funny!
They sang Happy Birthday to Eva and her friend at church one Sunday. I still can’t believe she is four years old!
Eva LOVES playing (and eating) in the snow. We have an enclosed backyard, so I send her out there to play while Finn and I watch from inside!
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2016-01-22 10:00:042016-01-17 22:53:14Odds and Ends from December
Guys, we are ONE week down. How did it go? Have you lost weight? I did really well in the beginning of the week, planned out my meals and workouts but didn’t plan it for the weekend. And guess what? I did terribly this weekend and probably gained a pound back (I’m too scared to check!). But I learned my lesson. To have success, you must plan ahead. I also learned a couple other things this week. Found a couple things that really worked and thought I’d share them with you!
Like I said earlier, success starts with planning. So, plan out ALL of your meals and snacks ahead of time. Then prepare as much as possible ahead of time. Also, schedule your workouts. Side note: I went to a fitness dance class this week and it was so fun! I was the most out of shape person there which was kind of embarrassing, but I still enjoyed it!
Make snack bags! Last Monday, I cut up and bagged up all the veggies I wanted to eat every day. Then each day, all I had to was grab the new baggie and just snack on those through the day if I was getting hungry. I also washed my fruit ahead of time and bagged up servings of grapes too. Snacking is really what gets me in trouble so having those baggies ready really helped.
Drink tons of water. Whenever I felt hungry for a snack, I tried to drink a big glass of water first.
Keep track of what you eat. I use the app MyFitnessPal on my phone (you can also do it on their website) and track everything! It looks at the nutrition breakdown too, which gets really addicting. It turns out I eat way too much sugar (duh!), never enough potassium, and at first not enough protein. So, to fix the protein deficiency, I decided to add more to my breakfast. I’m one who typically skips breakfast or just will snack on some dry cereal. But this week I really made an effort to eat a big breakfast everyday. Most days I ate a hard boiled egg white, turkey sausage links, light & fit vanilla Greek Yogurt sprinkled with oats (I like that for the texture), and a cup of carbmaster chocolate milk. That big breakfast prevented me from snacking every day in the morning/early afternoon,gave me a lot of energy, and got me 100% of my DV of protein! Seriously, get the app, it’s awesome. And add me as friend on there!
Have a support system! I got TJ on board with me (he’s not doing the competition though because if we BOTH won, it would look like we rigged the whole thing haha!) and was open and up front with him about my weight. I don’t know if I have ever told him what I’ve weighed in the past, it just has seemed embarrassing. But he told me his weight, his goal weight, and so I did the exact same. Then when we have success we can cheer each other on and also find ways to eat healthy and exercise together! Oh, and talking about success… he’s down two pounds and I’m down five! Yeah!
Good luck on week 2! I guess I shouldn’t be sharing what worked for me because I don’t want you guys to beat me! But hopefully you all can share with me any other tips you guys have… Maybe you can give me tips on how to do well on the weekend. I have it in my mind that weekend=cheat days but if I cheat for 2.5 days a week then I’m going to definitely fail. Help!
Like many women, I’ve had some postpartum anxiety and sadness (I don’t want to say depression because I don’t think it’s ever gotten to that point) since having Finn. Nothing to be too concerned about, but it is something I finally came to terms with in December and am trying to deal with everyday.
Since realizing I’ve got these postpartum issues, I’ve been trying to figure out the triggers. Obviously my emotions and hormones have a lot to do with it, but there are definite things in my life that make it worse/better. Here are some of the things that give me the most anxiety:
Running late
Dirty house
Lack of sleep
Getting everything done in the day
Finn screaming
I feel like figuring out those five biggest things was a really good step because I can now be aware of them (and let TJ know about it) and learn how to relieve the stress that comes with each.
Running late: Prepare better and give myself a break! Wake up earlier, take my showers at night when the kids are asleep, plan out meals and activities ahead of time. And when all else fails, tell yourself, “It’s okay! So, you’re ten minutes late…. It’s fine.” One Sunday I was taking both kids to church by myself (TJ was already there early to pass the Sacrament) and we were running late. I found myself yelling, telling Eva to go faster, in tears because of how stressed out I was. Then I told myself, “It’s okay. You’re doing your best. At least you’re going to church. God sees your efforts.” It was such a huge relief. I just need to give myself a break sometimes. And the next week, get my church clothes and bag all ready to go so we are out the door earlier.
Dirty house: Do a little each day and… give myself a break! I used to have one day a week where I did a deep clean. I spent hours working on it but those days are long gone. I can no longer spend four straight hours cleaning the house now that I have a newborn. So, I’ve got to do a little each day. I used to never ever leave dishes in the sink at night but now, if I have so many things to do like tending Finn, reading to Eva, getting my work done for my Dad, sometimes I’ve got to tell myself, “They’re just dishes. I can do them in the morning.” Why does that cause me so much anxiety? Why do I even have to tell myself that? I just need to give myself a break! Happy kids are more important than a clean house. BUT it does need to get done because I cannot live in a dirty house. I’m in no means a clean freak, but I definitely feel stressed when there’s clutter, dirty floors, or laundry to be done. I’m still trying to find a balance with this.
Lack of sleep: Go to bed earlier, eat healthy, take naps. I love watching TV. That’s not a secret. At the end of the night, I just want to lay in bed and watch episode after episode of whatever series I’m currently binge watching. I also have it in my head that anything before midnight is too early to go to sleep. I’m just a night owl! But with a new baby, this is completely ridiculous. Go to bed, Katie! You’re nuts! I’ve also trying to eat healthier and drink more water (Thanks Danica for that resolution idea, instead of saying drink less diet coke, just drink more water!). I’m sure the more I do this, I’ll feel better and more awake each day!
Getting everything done in the day: Make a to-do list. I’ve started making a to-list on my phone and it has been awesome! I write everything down, including just “take Eva to school” so at the end of the day, I can check lots of stuff off and feel like I really got a lot done! And then the things I didn’t get to that day, I can finish up the next. Scheduling my activities and meals ahead of time also has helped with this. I’m trying to waste less time and get things done like a boss! And on the days I’m tired (see number 3), give myself a break (see number 1 and 2).
Finn Screaming: Hmmm… Yeah this one is still a huge anxiety trigger for me. If I’m trying to get out the door on time, Finn is screaming in his car seat, and Eva is being a crazy four year old, I almost LOSE IT! Like 75% of the time I start to cry. You’d think I’d be used to his crying by now, but I’m not. I just want peace in my life, kids! I find myself shouting, “SERENITY NOW!” (Seinfeld, anyone?) It’s so hard sometimes, it’s worth it, but it’s hard. I think working on numbers 1-4 though should help number five because my life will be more organized and I’ll have more time to tend Finn and be happier when doing so. In the end, just lots of prayer and singing lots of hymns… those are the the two biggest ways to help me deal with this.
There you have it. My five biggest anxiety triggers right now and how I’m trying to deal with them. I haven’t written about my New Year’s Resolutions yet, but a lot of those are centered around these five things so I can be happier everyday and try to relieve stress in my life! Motherhood is a journey (and hormones are a major B), but it’s worth it. I know it is.
I’d love to hear your stories about your postpartum aftermath and how you’ve dealt with it! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2016-01-13 14:15:442016-01-13 14:15:44The Aftermath of Having a Baby
To my friends who entered the Biggest Loser competition, we have 22 participants. That means that the two biggest losers will win $110 each!
Can’t wait to hear how you all do! I’m hoping a combination of meal planning (I planned all of my meals and snacks for the week), scheduling my workouts, and tracking everything what I eat (I use the app MyFitnessPal), the weight will naturally come off. Good luck!
