Ten on Tuesday {Volume 2}

This post brought to you by phone blogging, since morning sickness still hasn't disappeared, so I'm doing lots of lying in bed...

{1}





I'm 15 weeks pregnant! And getting ready to schedule the 20-week ultrasound, which I just realized *could* coincide with the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, who were twins. Last time we had an ultrasound on that date, we found out we were having twins... So... I'm going to go ahead and try to avoid that one.

{2}

Andrew offered the kids a nickel for each rotten apple they picked up from under the tree a few weeks ago. They would have done it for a penny each! Now he knows just how quickly the money adds up, because he ended up out almost $10 before they got tired.

However! This actually ended up working really well to our advantage, because the younger kids still hadn't quite wrapped their heads around the value of coins, and now that they're "rich" they know what each coin is, how much it's worth, and how to add money correctly! Way better than trying to do worksheets.

{3}

However again... This has led to certain children solving problems through bribery rather than actual negotiation. Mary Claire paid John Paul a quarter just to get off her swing! And Peter told John Paul he'd buy him candy at the penny candy store if he'd stop whacking him on the head with a toy tennis racket. Once the money dries up, I guess the full-force fighting will be back.

{4}

I was chatting with some friends about "freezer meals" and how they never actually taste good... Which is why I never stock up on freezer meals before having a baby! Certain things like casseroles work well, but you generally have to defrost them before cooking, and that requires the foresight I rarely have when I'm post partum.

My strategy is generally more one of freezing meal *components* rather than entire meals. So cook a ton of meat at once and freeze half for an easy meal. Prep a bunch of veggies and freeze for meal bases (I did this with hot peppers last year and am still using them! Need to do it with onions and garlic too...). Bake a ton of bread and freeze loaves to pull out for easy meals. Make a ton of soup and freeze half. Pesto, pasta sauce, pizza sauce... These are the things that work for *me* when I'm trying to make life a little easier post partum.

Although honestly, I'm always SO HAPPY NOT TO BE PREGNANT that after the first week post partum I'm really excited to cook food that won't give me heartburn.

What's your post partum meal strategy?

{5}

I got a maternity Stitch Fix last week and really wanted to take pictures of everything but... I was too tired. I did keep a maxi skirt and a cute floral top, and I got a picture of the top if you're curious!



I probably won't do another fix until after the baby's here - I feel like I have my maternity style down pretty well, and I don't want to pay Stitch Fix prices for third trimester clothes that I can't generally use post partum.

If you still haven't tried Stitch Fix, they're running a promo right now! $25 towards your first fix if you use my referral link :)

(Old maternity fashion posts here: third trimester, first & fourth trimester, and where to shop)

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Guys, Edith is in the *cutest* stage right now. Just that really fun talking-a-ton-and-working-on-mechanics stage where she's trying very hard to make complete sentences but gets very confused about articles and subject-verb agreement and everything's very William Shatner-ish. I love it.

Every afternoon she wakes up from her nap and tells me, "Wote. Up... Nap! Had. Dood... West!" And then tells me the specific snack she would like to eat, and the color of dish she needs to eat it out of, little Goldilocks.



{7}

The kids are suggesting baby names, and zero are serious. So far they're big fans of Caligula and Nebuchadnezzar, which are... Not in the running. Edith, who names every baby doll "Madeline" (because that's her baby cousin's name), suggests "Yes." Because yes, we SHOULD name the baby!

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I mean, at least she's saying yes? She's taken to arguing about basically everything with the kids, particularly when it's something she's absolutely wrong about. Like when we were lying in bed in pajamas and she kept telling Peter it was dinnertime.

Edith: It. Dinner. TIME.
Peter: No, it's not.
Edith: Yes, IS.
Peter: No, it's not.
Edith: Yes, IS dinner time!
Peter: Then how come I'm in my jammies?
Edith, grumpy: It dinner time...

{9}

And right after that same conversation, we were lying in bed and she was giggling uncontrollably while I... Turned my head to look at her repeatedly. Then she stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "I yuv you Mom." No more giggles. Also my heart melted.

{10}

We got books from a couple publishers recently, and I really like both! If you're looking for some spiritual reads to add to your children's bookshelf, here are a couple (+affiliate links!):

I Went to Mass: What Did I See? is a super-sweet, very simple & formulaic book that evokes Brown Bear, Brown Bear, but with the things children see at Mass. It's perfect for the 18-month-5 year age range in our house, and I really appreciate that when the dust cover comes off, the regular cover is the same! Great for preparing kids for church every week, and for pointing out different things in the church to help younger children focus during Mass. My *only* issue is that somewhere along the way, the artwork got reversed so the child in the book is genuflecting on the wrong knee and dipping the wrong hand in the holy water. But let's be real, half the time my little kids do the same!

Shhh... God Is in the Silence is a calmly repetitive, meditative book that encourages children (and adults!) to focus on being silent and listening to God. I think it's a *perfect* bedtime book, and really adds another element of prayer, especially to families that are more comfortable with rote prayers (guilty!!) and want to expand their horizons. There's also a bilingual edition!