the Desire and the Dose

DomesticatedWorkingWoman

Blame it on Pinterest, or Blog World, or our generation, but there are so many incredible moms out there that I find myself with a strong desire to be Super Mom.  You know... cloth diapers, homemade organic baby food, breast feeding for 16+ months...

It hit me the other day that some women are extremely talented and maybe even called to do ALL those things.  It is their job to be a stay at home mommy and bless them for that.  Unfortunately staying at home is not in my cards...at least not right now.  Therefore I needed my own mom to give me a dose of reality when I was carrying on about all these magnificent things I'm going to do on top of being a wife, mother, teacher, student, and keeping the child alive!

She brought to my attention that I cannot do all of those things and do them 100%.  And she is right.  I am the type of person that does things 100% or I don't do them at all.  So, it was time for me to sit down and prioritize what is best for me, my husband, and our growing family.  It is okay not to do everything ourselves.  It is okay to spend money on conveniences that save us time.  It is okay to admit that there will be times that I will be too tired, busy, or stressed to be Super Mom.

None of these things will affect the love I demonstrate to my baby.  So, it's okay.

I've realized that the best moms capitalize on their strengths and make up for their weaknesses in other ways.  The best moms focus more time and energy on their baby and less on cleaning, cooking, and worrying.  So, as I come into mommyhood there are things you will and will not see on this blog and there are things I will try to do and fail at.  There are things I will not want to do that may work out for the best.  I promise to share it all with you: the good and the bad, the success and the failure.

You will not see me using cloth diapers.  I wish I could and I know there are so many women out there just as busy as I am that do.  However, after looking at expense, time, and effort I have realized that this is one area where convenience is worth the money.  It is difficult to find a daycare willing to use cloth diapers and this is a decision we have made for our family.

You will not see me making ALL my baby's food.  I will make most of the food, but this is another area where at times convenience will be worth the time saved.  My husband and I eat many steamed veggies so I will definitely be preparing those for baby, but I cannot commit myself to spending a few hours each week preparing all the food myself.  When the time comes, if I realize I enjoy making the food and it is not super time-consuming, perhaps I will change my mind.

You will see me attempting to breast feed for as long as physically possible, but this will include pumping as I will be going back to work full time.  I've heard horror stories and blessings about breast feeding and I'm praying already that I have the blessing of this bonding moment with my babe.

You will see me loving this baby, unconditionally with all my being each and every moment of every day.  I'm sure you will get sick of pictures, tweets, stories, and celebrations.  I'm also sure you will forgive me.  After all, this is the most essential thing I can do for this child.

I think every mom is a Super Mom.  

Navigating motherhood and raising children is not an easy job.  

Any woman who does so with grace, humility, and love is a Super Mom in my book.

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5 Things I did this week

Summer is quickly ending.  Sad face.
I go back to school in just 18 short days so I'm trying to do as much FUN stuff as possible
before I'm back to the alarm clocks, schedules, lesson plans, and after school meetings.

Here are 5 fun things I did this week!

1.  Working out.  I do it for stress relief, exercise, enjoyment, you name it.  Running is my cure for ______________.  In fact, even throughout this pregnancy, I'm continuing to run.  The month of July was a great one for me; between running, hiking, and walking the dogs I completed 36 miles.  This week I tried a new workout: water aerobics.  I have done water aerobics before, but each instructor is so different so I was really excited.  Not to mention being in the water when you are pregnant is absolutely amazing!  I also did my prenatal yoga classes on Saturday morning and Wednesday evening.

2.  Dined out.  I ate out several times this week with friends.  It is always so nice to catch up.  One evening I met up with my friend, Hannah, who is expecting her first baby in October.  It was so fun to sit and talk baby talk.  We shared first trimester stories and nursery ideas.  Another day, I met up with 2 friends that I always have fun with for lunch and then....

3.  Fro-Yo.  I make no apologies for all the junk I put on there.  It was my indulgence for the day.

4.  I started reading this book after purchasing it at a consignment sale and it is hilarious.  If you ever want to be a mom, already are a mom, or just enjoy reading really funny books, pick this up.  The author is one of Chelsea Handler's best friends and I loved all her books - every single one.  Not to mention, I could read the back of a cereal box at the pool and enjoy myself.

5.  Went on a fun date night with my man to an Italian restaurant and The Comedy Zone.  Comedians crack me up.  Seriously, there is no way I could come up with one funny joke about my life the way they do.  The lady we heard the other night was hilarious!  It was our second time going and we will definitely return.

What fun stuff did you do this week?

Oriental Shrimp Salad Recipe

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I had a similar salad for lunch while I was home with my best friend from high school.  It was so delicious I knew I would be recreating it at home.  Here is my take on it and what I would do differently next time.

Ingredients:
Coconut Shrimp (I used SeaPak frozen, but an easy recipe can be found here.)
       *Important Note: Pregnant women should limit their shrimp servings to 2 per week*
Artisan Lettuce
Veggies of choice (I used carrots, green peppers, and tomatoes because that is what I had on hand.  I would definitely add cucumbers next time.)
Ginger (This was a little strong for me.  I ended up taking it off.  After talking to my friend, we decided it must have been pickled ginger on top of the salad we had.)
Ginger Dressing (I used Trader Joe's Soy Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette and it was delicious!)

1. Prepare shrimp as directed on box (or in recipe).
2. Clean and prepare all veggies.
3. If using ginger, slice extremely thin (I used a veggie peeler) and place in middle of lettuce.
4. Add light amounts of dressing all over salad.  This dressing is strong and a little bit goes a long way so don't be too generous - remember, you can always add more.
5. Place coconut shrimp on top of lettuce and enjoy!

*If I were to make this again, I would also prepare pork pot stickers to have on top of the salad.