Winnie uh Pooh

Brendan was asleep when we went running errands today. When he woke up in his carseat, I handed him a Winnie the Pooh sing along DVD I had gotten for him at the library. He immediately started singing…
“Winnie uh Pooh,
Winnie uh Pooh,
Winnie an Tigger,
Winnie an Roo,
Winnie an Pig-it…”
It was adorable! 😀
We went to the movies today and saw “Robots”- a Disney/Pixar film. It was really funny but well above Brendan’s head. He was really good though and watched it all. He even continued to be good throughout an HEB trip. Can’t complain about today!!
BTW, I fit into my really skinny jeans today- yipeee! Still at about 25-26 pounds though. I gained 4 pounds over the beach trip and just lost it back. Mini goals are 3 1/2 more pounds by Sept 5th Schlitterbahn trip and 9 pounds total by RE appt on Oct 4th. That’ll make me roughly 25 pounds lighter than when I got pregnant with Brendan and 35 pounds lost since I began this diet. I am this close -><- to being the skinniest that I have been since starting college.

Midwife or Obstetrician

I need some help deciding how to proceed when I get pregnant. I have found out that my insurance will cover a midwife’s services only if she’s associated with an obstetrician. There is one group of midwives like that here in San Antonio. They deliver you in a hospital, and not the hospital I am used to. If a problem arises, you get turned over to their OB, whom you don’t know.
I really don’t want this. If I have to deliver in a hospital, I want the OB I know and trust and the hospital I came to know from Bren’s birth. But I really don’t want this either.
What I really want is a home waterbirth with a midwife. The idea has captivated me since I first heard it. It has become a dream for me! A dream that is not covered by my very expensive insurance. There are several midwives that do home waterbirths in the area. From website information, complete care and delivery would cost me up to $2500. I am not sure if my insurance would cover any of it. That’s a lot of money when compared to what my OB would charge me- exactly 1 doctor visit copay. Might as well be free.
My insides are warring- a heckuva lot of money or free? A home waterbirth or an unknown birth in a hospital? I just don’t know.

Worth $1.75

I saw something new in the spice and gravy aisle while grocery shopping last Sunday- McCormick VeggieSteamers seasoning packets. I bought the garlic and basil variety, just for something different, and used it tonight with broccoli.

“It’s good,” I proclaimed, “but not $1.75 good.” Not 2 minutes later, I watched in amazement as Brendan dipped his fork into the broccoli bowl and ate a floret. Then another and another. “Mmmm!” he said.
It -> *IS* <- $1.75 good!!!

A healthy toddler lunch

It is hard to get Brendan to eat healthy meals so I thought I’d share one of his favorites- Nachos.
Take 2 chalupa shells and break them into about 10 chip-sized pieces (or use baked tortilla chips). Spread them evenly on a plate. Microwave them for about 10 seconds. On a separate plate, microwave 1/2 of a black bean burger patty (Morningstar Farms) until heated through. Mash it with a fork until it resembles cooked ground beef.
Sprinkle lowfat shredded cheese on the warm chips. Top with the burger mixture and more shredded cheese (the bottom layer holds the meat onto the chips, the top layer hides the bits of corn and bean in the burger). Microwave about 20-30 seconds or until the cheese melts. Allow to cool.
Bren loves this stuff and I love feeding him things with fiber! These patties are made with things like beans, corn, vegetable protein and rice.

Strawberry Almond Cream Muffins

Bren and I have been enjoying cooking together. We made pancakes together yesterday and muffins today. These muffins were awesome!!! It’s a recipe that’s on the back of the package, modified slightly to make only 6 muffins.

Strawberry Almond Cream Muffins
slightly less than 1/2 c skim milk
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 T sugar (optional)
1/4 t almond extract
1 pkg Martha White strawberry muffin mix
1/3 cup almonds
Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tin with Pam.
Combine milk, sour cream, sugar and extract in a bowl. Add muffin mix and almonds and stir just until combined. Fill muffin tin with mixture.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 6 muffins.

5 can 3 bean soup

Combine the following in a large pot:
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can whole kernal corn, drained
1 can beef broth (+1 can water)
1 pkt taco seasoning mix
1 20-26 oz jar mild picante sauce
1 cup cooked ground beef (optional)
Heat thoroughly. Turn off heat and mix in 1/2 cup light Ranch dressing. Top bowls of soup with shredded light cheddar cheese.
This was delicious, healthy and low fat. Went really well with fresh pineapple. I used about 1 1/2 cups of leftover “Quesadilla” Hamburger Helper (basically cheesy mexican flavored rice with the hamburger) in place of the meat. 😀

The rug

We bought a new rug to go under my desk since we moved it into our family room next to the other desk. It’s 3 x 5. It was standing in a corner, still rolled up, when Bren encountered it last night and tried to carry it off to parts unknown. As I watched his antics, I noticed he was slightly taller than the rolled rug- my son is taller than 3 feet!!! 😀 I think he has gained weight too- he is harder to carry.