2 Years Down!

     School officially ends for this school year on Wednesday, but because we are going to be in Destin then, it ended for me today! I officially have 2 years of teaching experience. The 2 years could not have been more different. I was terrified going into this school year, a new grade, maternity leave, trying to learn from my first year mistakes, but it turned out to be an amazing year! I love my Kinder-babies so much, and I was sad to see them go!

    This week has been insane! Monday, I had to benchmark my students' IRL levels and individually test for report cards, while keeping the others occupied somehow. Tuesday, we had playday, and I had to begin packing up my classroom and turning in items. Wednesday, we had a field trip to Fort Pillow Park. Thursday, we had field day, and permanent records had to be done, and today, I had to finish packing up my classroom and make sure everything was ready for summer break. I also spent a lot of time just enjoy my kiddos. We did sidewalk chalk, watched movies, and I even brought them over to the first grade playground to play for a few minutes since they are going to be first graders very soon!

     The girls both had crazy last weeks, too. Payton got a double ear infection last week that she was still getting over at the beginning of this week, Rylee got severe poison ivy last Friday and spent all week trying to get over that, then developed high fever and cough, so she had to miss school Wednesday and Thursday. She was very excited to be able to go to school and see her teacher and all her friends for her last day today, though! Hopefully they can both stay well throughout our vacation next week.

Lactation cookies that actually taste good!

     Most nursing moms, especially working, nursing moms, will encounter supply issues at some point or another. I have no problem feeding my baby when I am able to nurse all day, but when I'm at work and pumping, it's an entirely different story especially since as a teacher, I don't get frequent breaks to pump, like some other working moms may. One of the best ways to increase milk supply is the consumption of certain foods and herbs that are natural galactagogues (stimulants of milk production) along with frequent nursing and/or pumping. Oatmeal, brewer's yeast, and flax seed are the 3 galactagogues that are used in this recipe.

     These 2 ingredients, Brewer's Yeast and Milled Flax Seed, were ingredients that I was unfamiliar with until recently. I was able to find the Flax Seed Meal at my local Walmart in the baking section, but because there aren't an abundance of health food stores nearby, I had to order the Brewer's Yeast on amazon.com.
      To boost my supply, I've tried taking fenugreek (9 capsules per day), drinking Mother's Milk tea (3-5 cups per day), and I recently made a recipe of lactation cookies that I had found online(3-4 cookies per day). The cookies worked the best for me, but I thought they were kind of gross. The texture was weird, and the flavor was just bland. If I'm supposed to be eating 3-4 cookies per day to stimulate milk supply, I want to eat something I like. So I was determined to make some lactation cookies that tasted good! My mind immediately went to a no bake chocolate cookie recipe my mother used to make, and I had to tweak it to add in the milled flax seed and brewer's yeast (I used the same amounts that were used in the other lactation cookie recipe I had tried to be sure I would get the same results), and also some extra sugar to balance the bitterness of those 2 ingredients. They turned out divine, so it no longer feels like work to eat the recommended 3-4 cookies per day! :)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups              Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup                   Milk

1/2 cup or 1 stick  Butter

1/4 cup                  Baking Cocoa

3/4 cup                  Milled Flax Seed (Flax Seed Meal, Ground Flax Seed)

4 tbsp                     Brewer's Yeast

4 tbsp                     Peanut Butter

2 tsp                      Vanilla Extract

3 cups                   Old Fashioned Oats

Directions:

-Stir together sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat.

-Add milled flax seed and brewer's yeast.

-Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

-Add peanut butter and boil 2 additional minutes.

-Remove from heat and add vanilla and oats.

-Immediately drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.

-Cool on countertop (not in fridge or freezer) until solid and then enjoy!

*Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

**Eat 3-4 lactation cookies daily to boost milk supply. Eat 1-2 cookies daily to maintain supply.

Disclaimer: No amount of galactagogues are going to stimulate your milk supply without frequent nursing and/or pumping on your part. Typical nursing mothers need to completely empty their breasts every 3-4 hours to maintain adequate supply. (source: kellymoms.com)

5 Years!

     5 years ago yesterday, 2 families united, and 1 new family began. On May 16, 2009, Ryan became my family, and I became his. So many people said our marriage wouldn't work out. We were told things were moving to fast, and we were too young, but if you really know us, you know neither one of us has ever been one to care too much about what others have to say. We can both be pretty stubborn especially once we make up ours minds, and when it came to how much we loved each other, we knew no one could possibly know our love better than we did. We have made a lot of mistakes along the way, and things have been difficult for us at times because we got married so young, but neither of us will ever say that we wish we didn't get married exactly when we did. We do wish people could have been more supportive, and we could have some happier memories of that time in our lives, but the past is the past, and everything has fallen into place exactly the way it has for a reason.

     Yesterday, I started off the day by packing Ryan and entirely cheesy "lunch-o-love." His exact response was, "I was glad no one was sitting next to me when I opened my lunch." Haha! But I could tell he liked the extra mushy attention. Nonna picked up the girls from daycare, so we could have a date night to celebrate our anniversary after work. We headed to Jackson and enjoyed a nice dinner together. We talked and laughed and kissed throughout dinner like we used to when we were dating. It was a lot of fun, and just what we needed after what have been a difficult few months. Rylee, however, would have been mortified if she was there. She has gotten to where if we kiss at all in front of her she says, "Ew! Yuck!" I swear she is 3 going on 13...

       We have changed so much since we first got together. A lot of that has to do with the fact that we are parents now. I couldn't ever have guessed how amazing Ryan would be as a Daddy. He is so amazing with our little princesses. Both of them just adore him so. He is patient yet firm, funny yet comforting, and he cares about every single aspect of their lives. I love how involved he is with them both. I read a study once that most fathers admitted to not really feeling a deep bond with their child until around age 2 when they became more playful and less needy. I can say for a fact that Ryan fell head over heels for each of these girls on the very first day they were born and he was always by my side helping me with all their needs throughout infanthood and now with Rylee into toddlerhood. I could not have a better partner to parent these 2 princesses with. When we were talking about what we love most about each other, the first thing he said to me was that I was a good mommy to our girls, and honestly his parenting is one of the things I love most about him as well.

    And there are tons of other things I love about him as well. We are so incredibly goofy together, and I love that we have a life together filled with laughter. These last few months have been very hard, he had been working a TON of overtime and his work was getting more and more stressful. This time of year for teachers is stressful because it's filled with test prep, then testing, then report cards and permanent records and packing up for the end of the year, not to mention the classroom filled with students who have Spring Fever and would rather be anywhere but inside learning. It all gets very overwhelming. It was a bad season for us, from about February until recently, we were arguing a lot and not working together, and everything was just hard. But we never gave up on one another. We learned a lot about what we want and who we want to be and I feel like now we are happier than ever. That is the best thing about us, I know that no matter how bad it seems, we will never give up, and we will always choose to be together. Always. My biggest fear is losing one or both of my girls or losing Ryan. I honestly don't know how I would go through this life without him, and I certainly would never choose to. When we said our vows, we meant them forever, and that's how long we intend to be together! :)

Mother's Day 2014

      Rylee and I started our Mother's Day celebration off Friday night with a mother-daughter double date with Mary and Bailey. We went to dinner at Applebee's then went to see Rio 2. The girls were so funny, they both watched the movie so intently and did not take their eyes off the screen. We had a blast together.

     Saturday, we had errands to run, so we decided to make it fun by heading out for a family lunch first. I dressed the girls in matching tshirts and Rylee thought that was the best thing ever. I'm going to take advantage of this while I can because be fore long they won't enjoy matching outfits I'm sure!

    When we got home from our errands, Payton and I took a nice nap. I was TIRED from SAT 10 testing and hyped-up kindergartners at school all week, and being out at the movies the night before, so it was a much-needed rest!

       Sunday morning, Rylee couldn't wait to give me my card. She was so proud that she signed her and Payton's names all by herself. She also drew me a sweet picture of us 3. I love that little girl and her big heart so much! We were making a card for my mom one afternoon, and she signed her name and then she drew a big cross and she drew Jesus on that cross. Then she handed me the marker and said , "Mama, can you write to Grandma?" I asked her what she wanted me to write, and she said, "You need to write: Did you know Jesus died on the cross for you? He loves you and I love you, too." I cried, and I still tear up thinking about her precious heart. I am so blessed to be her mommy.

       Sunday, we got dressed up and headed to church. I missed the sermon because Payton was rowdy, so I took her out, then Rylee came and found us, so I spent most of church in the back playing with my princesses, but I guess that was a fitting way to spend Mother's Day. :)

     After church, we headed home. Ryan helped me clean the house since it was Mother's Day and all, then Mel, Austin, Nonna, and Granddaddy came over for a little bit. Rylee and Austin played and played. They are too funny together. After they headed home, Ryan made me a delicious dinner of grilled steaks and french fries. Yum!

      I lack adequate words to describe how I feel about these 2 princesses. I love them so much; I can feel it from my head to my toes. It kills me to see them hurting or upset, and it lifts my spirits to soaring heights just to see them smile or laugh. I am a weirdo. I do things differently than other people do. I feel strongly about certain things that others do not, and things that do bother some parents don't bother me. But I know that these 2 girls love me, and I surely know I love them. I feel so blessed that God has entrusted these 2 precious souls to my care, and I take my job as their mother very seriously. Motherhood humbles me, overwhelms me, drains me, fills me, gives me purpose, motivates me, frightens me, and overjoys me. I want the best for these 2 girls every single day, and part of wanting the best for them is making sure I am doing the best I can for them. The only way for me to do that is to give it all over to God and allow him to guide me as a parent and as his child. I know that I make mistakes, but I hope these angels always know that I love them and everything I do, I do because I love them so.