Five on Friday ~ Februray

This is a big month for me, it's not only Valentine's Day, but also my wedding anniversary! My husband and I will celebrate 4 years as a married couple. Wow, have those years been packed is all I can say... Having babies really makes time seem to accelerate extra fast.

Here's one of my favorite pics from 2/22/2014:

We were very lucky with the weather, even by NC standards!

Here are some things we are up to this month...




1. February Meal Plan

I tried to do a little better with planning for this month. Last month I realized (during the week we were consuming the food) that I had planned 2 curry dishes for the same week. Luckily, everyone likes curry! We had both chicken curry and red lentil dal with cauliflower (coconut milk based). 

Notes for this month... I've added a "V" for the vegetarian meals. I'm going to attempt to make the red lentil dal in my Instant Pot. I find it always takes much longer than anticipated to cook on the stove top, probably because I overfill my pot, and I think the recipe will be pressure cooker friendly. I'll update you on how it goes! I'm short a meal the first week because I planned pizza for Saturday and we won't have leftovers, but my husband makes a huge pot of chili! I also stopped planning at the point my in-laws arrive as I think we will go out to eat some and I am confident that my mother-in-law will want to hit the store and plan some meals. My in-laws also often show up with a cooler full of food, basically everything that was left in their fridge so we've smartened up and keep things sparse for their arrival.

New recipe on the menu: Sweet Potato Quinoa Fiesta Bake.

2. February Goal ~ Weight Loss

My monthly goal for my Ink+Volt Planner is weight loss. I'm still working on the same 5 pounds I was working on last month ;-). Really, I'd like to lose 10, but 5 gets me to my pre-pregnancy weight. I don't recall having trouble with these last 5 pounds after my first pregnancy, I remember them just sort of falling off as Henry's first birthday approached - however it was getting to be summertime (always easier for weight loss in my opinion) and I had the additional incentive that we had planned a beach vacation for Henry's first birthday. 

My action items include:
1. Biking and Yoga 4 days per week (Monday-Thursday evenings)
2. Jog and Yoga once per week (Saturday during afternoon naps)
3. No alcohol or evening snacks (Monday-Thursday)
4. No afternoon snacks except a yogurt (if I'm hungry)


3. Toddler Behavior Tips 

I'm nearing the end of No Bad Kids. Some of my key take-aways so far:

1. Don't offer false choices. My husband recently asked Henry if he wanted eggs for breakfast. Henry promptly replied No. Well, it was a weekday and I hadn't prepared Overnight Oats so we were having eggs for breakfast...
2. Always acknowledge feelings out loud. This is difficult for us and we are working on it.
3. Calmly explain situations and then give TIME to consider. We are working on cleaning up. I explained he couldn't have another toy until he picked up the toys he was finished with. Then we sat there and waited and waited and waited. I could almost see him thinking. Then he picked up the toys.
4. Offer an acceptable (to you) choice when an activity is met with resistance. Do you want to take your bath now or in a few minutes? Henry was getting really upset at bath time. This isn't really a choice, but he ponders it for a while and then he's been  happy to take his bath.
5. Speak in first person. "I don't want you to throw your food on the floor." This encourages accountability and autonomy.

A friend of mine was recommended, Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by her daughter's new part-time preschool. She's had some luck with the suggestions so I may read that next. Her daughter is 4 months younger than Henry.

4. Mouth Injuries in Babies

Lucas has had his first bloody injury (and hopefully his last!). He tends to slip and fall on occasion, as all crawling/newly walking babies will do... But on this occasion, he was standing and slipped and caught his mouth just right on something on the way down. A few tips... 

1. Mouth injuries can look worse than they are, especially if baby is teething the blood is mixing with all that drool. Calm baby down first before you attempt to get a look at things.
2. Check teeth and locate the source of the bleeding.
3. A soft cloth (a clean towel works well) can be used to stop the bleeding. Sterile gauze is also a good choice if you have some on hand.
4. Once bleeding has stopped, apply a cold cloth to the outside of the mouth for 10 minutes to help reduce swelling.
5. Sutures greatly increase the chance of infection and are not needed unless the bleeding will not stop. 
6. If bleeding will not stop or you have concerns, call your pediatrician or visit an urgent care center!




5. Anniversary Gift

I have no idea what to buy my husband! He has instructed me to not get him any more mugs or other Shutterfly products. Although he really liked the Father's Day book I made him for his first Father's Day:

I wonder what the traditional gift for 4 years is... 

Happy Friday and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!