Life and It's Curveballs: Facing and Overcoming 3 Tough Lessons

I have been on a trying but rewarding journey. That is why I stopped writing for the last little while. My husband and I have been successful in whether our way through the storm together. We have moved to Utah, been watching Elizabeth grow up, celebrating her first birthday and celebrating some relationship milestones. Most of all my husband and I have been rekindling a relationship outside of living with his parents. Let me tell you ladies, there were three important lessons that I learned in the last two months. If I don't learn another tough lesson it will be too soon. But as always life will throw you curve balls whether you are ready for them or not. Here is a reader's digest version of what has happened. 

My husband is a recovering alcoholic and we hit a rough patch in his recovery. He started drinking again and a dark cloud was hanging over us. I had tried and exhausted many outlets to support him and present some help for him to take. Being unsuccessful, I fell back onto reassuring him that I loved him and that he and I would get through this together. His parents on the other hand had a different way of handling it. 

My mother-in-law was pressuring me to try tactics that I knew would not help husband and it caused tension between her and I. My father -in-law was demeaning and tearing my husband down every time he caught my husband drinking. All the pressure and negative comments that were applied were causing Lizzy to become scared, withdrawn and not wanting to be to far from me. It drove a wedge deep between my husband and I. We were fighting constantly after Lizzy went to bed. It was sending him down a destructive path, resulting in separating himself from Lizzy and I. His destructive behavior led me to make one of the hardest decisions in my life. I took Lizzy and moved down to Utah to seek refuge and help from my family. Knowing the risk that my actions may effectively end my marriage. Lizzy's safety and well being were my #1 priority.

While I was away it was a re-evaluation time for my husband and I. For the first week my husband and I didn't talk at all and I was bombarded by text messages and phone calls from my in-laws saying some very not nice things to me. Everything started happening so fast. The day after I arrived in Utah, I realized that I may become a single mother and started preparing myself for the worst. Wanting to huddle in a corner and give way to my fears, I knew I didn't have time to be scared. I had to figure out a way to provide for Lizzy and make her feel safe once again. With the help of my family, I found a job three days after being in Utah and found a place to live a week later. After Lizzy and I moved in with what little possessions that we had, I started to focus on making a life for us. 

The conflicting emotions of fear and happiness were constant for the first month. Which leads to my first lesson I had to learn.

Lesson 1: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not the absence of fear." - Mark Twain

For the first month, that Lizzy and I were in Utah tough on us and forced me to remember and rediscover who I really am. Living with my in-laws it caused me to lose who I was. Listening to someone telling me how to raise my daughter not only cause some trauma for her but made me feel like an inadequate mother.  Allowing decisions that were made against my beliefs and were made for me resulted in my inability to stand up for myself and second guess myself when I made my own decisions. Having someone dictate what I did, who I saw and where I went resulted in me completely surrendering who I was.

While I love my in-laws I was allowing them to dictate my life and make the decisions that Kyle and I should have been making as husband and wife. I finally stood up for myself and walked out with my daughter in my arms. The possible consequences of my decision to better my life and my daughters life were: 1- causing some emotional trauma for my daughter. 2- putting my marriage in jeopardy; 3- reducing my relationship with my in-laws to a civil and moderately awkward acquaintance level. Having the courage to stand up for yourself is one thing. Telling fear to take a hike, while it is staring you in the face, was another. In my situation the fear haunted me daily and sent white hot prickles through me at least three times daily.

The reassurance that I made the right decisions was seeing how much happier my daughter was once she and I moved out. She continued, if not jumped ahead, in her cognitive, developmental and behavioral milestones. My saving grace was the daily routine that Lizzy and I settled into quickly and having my parents to talk to on a daily basis. This prepared me for my second lesson which was the courage to mend the bridge between my in-laws and myself.

Lesson 2: Romeo and Juliette take a seat...this is going to get ugly. 

Those words spoken to me by my mother rang in my head relentlessly until I finally asked her how to start laying the bricks for the road to repair my relationship with my in-laws. Before talking to my mom I would have been happy not talking to my in-laws after what transpired between us. I was so angry and hurt at what was said to me and about me behind my back. All I wanted to do was just erase my in-laws from my life and allow Lizzy to spend time with them for vacations bi-yearly when she was old enough. After a long and grueling tough love talk from my mother she helped me see sense. If I didn't make an effort to preserve my relationship with my in-laws I would lose Kyle. The tough love discussion went well.

After three days of wrestling with my stubbornness, pride and getting my frame of mind to the right place I finally mustered up enough courage to draft up an email to my mother- in-law. I emailed my rough draft to my mother to read it and make sure that it didn't sound angry. She emailed me back saying that she was very proud of me for being sincere in my wanting to really work on my relationship. My email to my mother in law contained some rules and restrictions on how involved I wanted her in my life and that I would love for her to Skype with Lizzy on a regular basis. I also laid down some restrictions on the Skype as well. To me, she wrote her acceptance of the rules and restrictions but emailed my mother how rude and condescending I was. Needless to say she and I didn't talk until a week after that. 

Getting fed up with the constant whispering behind my back I finally called my mother in law after Lizzy was asleep. She and I yelled at each other for close to two hours. I finally told her how I felt, how I didn't appreciate the knife in the back and how my in-laws meddling in my marriage was not helping. My mother in law finally told me how she felt. Saying to me why her and my father in law were so involved. Just to spare the gory details, they didn't exactly approve of me in the first place while my husband and I started dating. They especially didn't approve of us getting married when we did. After some harsh words, tears and heated emails between her and my mother, the dust finally began to settle. The war with my parents, my in-laws and my husband and I came to an end.With all the casualties buried there are white flags waving on both sides. The white flags on our side, resulted in my husband Skyping with his parents and Lizzy two times a week. My white flag is weekly phone call to my in-laws once a week. The relationship now between my in-laws and I is now are friendly. Our parents, once again, have become friends. Accomplishing this, laid the foundation for lesson number three. 

Lesson 3: "...For better or for worse..." and its true meaning- 

Not many people know this about my husband and I but we are the unconventional couple. We do things a little out of the social norm. Kyle and I had Lizzy first before we got married. Through our talks and assessment of our marriage, over the last few months, we discovered that one of the biggest reasons why we got married was for the sake of Lizzy. It's not that we don't love each other, Kyle and I sometimes put duty above the heart. We also discovered that Kyle's recovery has been the second biggest focus of our relationship even before we got married. The third problem we found was his parents running our live from day one. All three intermingle, sometimes causing us to feel like we are fighting the vicious circle. Kyle's drinking was a prominent problem for the beginning.

A little over two years ago I moved in with Kyle and his family that was meant to be temporary. As I stated in a previous article on my blog, Kyle and I dated in high school. After a few months of me living with Kyle and his family we started spending time together on our days off from work. Fast forward a year, our relationship was suffering horribly so we scheduled a weekend get away for Valentine's Day in Moscow ID. While we were there we played pool, went for walks on the University of Idaho campus, went for countless drives, spent time with some old friends of mine and gave no thought to our problems that we left behind. Finally we had broken through our biggest issue and remembered why we were together. Our new found bliss ended a week after we came home and Kyle's drinking continued. Two weeks later, we found out that I was pregnant. It was an incredibly tense time for us. Kyle had hit rock bottom with his addiction and I had reached the end of my rapidly fraying rope with trying to help him. I was thinking about giving up and leaving. 

Finding out I was pregnant motivated him to make the decision to admit himself into rehab for an intense four week program. It motivated me to give us one last shot at bringing the man I loved back to the surface. At Sundown M. Ranch in Eastern Washington I visited Kyle two weekends out of the four he was there. We had a couple of talks while I was there about Lizzy and how I was coping. I told him I was getting though just fine. Kyle voiced to me that being apart from us while I was pregnant was not easy for him. Knowing this would happen before he left, I wrote him letters that he could open every day. They were filled with encouraging words, telling him I loved him and giving him weekly updates on what would be happening with my pregnancy as it progressed. I did that so he could feel like he was a part of it while he was away. After he came back things with us were much better. It didn't last very long until the above events took place. 

Long story short and tough discussions out of the way, we have agreed to finally start living our lives as a family. One of the new changes that we set in stone are Wednesday nights are going to be date night. Without fail so that we can remember that we are not only a family but we are a couple also. We also agreed that we would put his addiction on the back burner. He is doing well and we don't want him focusing 100% on it anymore. The third agreement, we will make decisions by ourselves as a couple and not include either of our parents unless we need advice. With these three new rules now in place we have reach a level of happiness that we have not experienced since our wedding day.

The moral of the story is: 1- The love and safety for a child is one of the most motivating and rewarding possessions to fight for your family. Remember you are also a team. Whether the storm as one, not seperately.  2 - find out who you are and be proud of it. Don't let other people tell you how you are supposed to act, believe and give in to them wanting you to surrender your happiness to please them. Don't let your differences come between you and your family. Squash problems the minute they arise. Don't let them fester and infect each other. Protect one another. At the end of the day all you have in this world is each other. 3 - the willingness to have those tough conversations between you and your significant other are not easy. If the husband and wife are on the same page the family is happy. Kyle and I found that secrets will only result in a short marriage and were caused many problems. Once you do, the heaviness in the room disappears and you two can, once again, see that light shining through the darkness that has been ominous and seemed never-ending.

To My Readers:

Thank you for reading my blog. You can look forward to another article in a week at the latest. If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me at farnsworth.sabrina13@gmail.com or leave a comment in the box below.

Until next time.

Sabrina Ferguson.

Getting Out of Your Own Way: My Continued Journey to Improve Myself in My Role as a Wife and Mother

(Kyle and Lizzy)

*Note: Contents of this article are Property of Sabrina Ferguson. Copyright 2015

First of all, let me say that I am sorry to all of my readers for not posting articles in the last few weeks. My mother came into town earlier this month from Ireland. She had a conference that she needed to attend for work. She found some time to come and spend mother's day with me. We took a road trip down to Oregon to see my grandmother with my daughter Lizzy as well. Four generations together in the same room. It was so amazing to see. Road trips are one of my favorite childhood past times but as I became older it was something for my mother and I to do.

Road trips have always been a good way for my mother and I to bond. Growing up, she was hardly around because of work so she and I take road trips. It is the only time when she is work lite and can really talk. My mother wanted me to fill her in on things at home and how I was doing. Amidst all the talking, laughing, joking and taking care of Lizzy we had a good talk. My mother pointed out things that I was doing really well then pointed out things that I should work on. The talk resulted with me promising my mother 5 things. 1)  Go to church every Sunday without fail. Check. 2) Go to mommy and me classes (no pun intended) religiously. Check. 3.) Go to the gym at least once a week. 4) Get around horses again by volunteering at Little Bit. 5) Make an effort to do something special with my baby and my husband and to improve relationships with other people. Let me fill you in on my progress so far with each step.

First, I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. To others we are known as the Mormons. For the last seven years I have been going to church on and off to where I was only going a few times a year. I told my mother about how I have been feeling about wanting to return to church and how I would like Lizzy to go as well. I also told her that Kyle is interested in learning about the church but has had delays. She encouraged me that it will, not only be good for Lizzy and I to go, but it is also a good way for me to show Kyle how much church means to me through my actions as well as my words. He has definitely noticed a difference in my attitude and how happy I am. Next my progress with mommy and me classes.

The mommy and me class that Lizzy and I were going to before were discontinued because attendance was too low. Thinking about what my next move was I recalled my neighbor telling me that the community center in North Bend offers swimming classes. I figured since my daughter loves her baths I thought swim classes would be a great thing to try for her. She absolutely loves the water and is learning quickly. I have never seen her smile as big as she does when she is in the water. The cost of $65 dollars for 8 classes twice a week were totally worth every penny. I even enjoy swimming so it is a win-win situation and yet another thing for her and I to do together. Third, my progress with the gym and how I made my decision.

After comparing prices with 24 Hour Fitness in Issaquah WA (where my husband works out) and Mount Si Sports and Fitness, I chose the second. The determining factors that went into my decision were fuel, Lizzy being able to stand an hour round trip in the car after an hour and a half to two hours in town, cost effective with the amenities offered in the gym packages and convenience. Mount Si Sports and Fitness fit all my criteria. It is a fifteen minute drive from the house, classes and child care are included in the package at no extra price, a free training session with a personal trainer with them keeping tabs on my progress at the gym for free, and my neighbor teaches a yoga class there. Totally worth every penny monthly. Now, as for my attendance at the gym that has been a little rocky. It has been three weeks since my mother has left and I have been to the gym three times. Twice this week and once two weeks ago. The reason for the break between visits to the gym was because I injured myself. I pushed my body a little too hard out of excitement of working out in a real gym rather than at home. I tore a muscle in my rib cage which caused the cartilage to become inflamed between the rib bones. My doctor told me to take it easy for a week then return to the gym the next week and start small. She also said to refrain from a lot of lifting really heavy weights and twisting. I need at least four weeks to let my muscles and cartilage return to full strength. Needless to say my husband and my personal trainer were not happy with me. Fourth, my history of being around horses and how I ended up at Little Bit.

I have been around horses since I was eight years old. My grandmother Patti, may she rest in peace, taught me everything I know. From the manual labor of cleaning them and mucking out their stalls to properly putting on all the equipment that is required to ride them. When I was around horses I was at my most calm and all my troubles outside of the riding arena melted away. Horses relaxed me when I have a bad day or just need to recharge. Working on the ranch never felt like work because of how much I loved what I did. I worked on a ranch with her every summer until 2002 in Palm Springs, California. When she died I dropped my love for horses completely but always in the pit of my stomach was the longing to be on a horse. My mother, being the observant woman that she is, she enrolled me to volunteer at Little Bit in Redmond WA for a senior project in high school.

Little Bit is a therapeutic riding center for handicapped children to ride horses. I loved every moment of it. After a few hours a day I felt amazing, like I had accomplished something. The way that the children interacted with the horses and how naturally it came to them. I could see, in their eyes, just for a little while they were happy while receiving a short reprieve from their daily ailments. Lastly, the progress with my family and my relationships to those important to me.

That one is really self explanatory. As I did the first four assignment the fifth assignment automatically started fixing itself. My mother gave me these assignments to get a point across to me. By my mother telling me to do something I figure out the hidden lesson underneath. It wasn't until one night I was sitting with my daughter in her nursery, reading her a book. As I read to her I noticed I had not done that with her for a while. I noticed what my mother was trying to tell me in the car. The method behind my mother's madness has always been insightful and helpful.

Among the lessons that I learned one statement came to mind as I reviewed my progress. It was the foundation of what my mother was trying to tell me and the biggest elephant in my face. The statement is: Getting out of my own way. I realized that my priorities were a little out of proportion and my relationships and family were suffering from it. I was focusing on other things (i.e. my blog and what new recipe I was going to try to cook for my husband) other than what was really important. Which is my family. My husband and daughter have handled my skewed priorities well. I Skyped my mother and told her that I am a bad mother and wife. My mother just laughed and said "Honey. To err is human. But I am proud of you for noticing what you need to fix. We all need a little help sometimes and all you need to do is ask for it." I would say since having my daughter it has helped improve my relationship with my mother. In my wildest dreams I never would have thought that my mother and I would become such good friends. Just to let my readers know that you are still on my priority list but not at the top anymore.

 I have been doing some re-prioritizing of the things that are most important to me. Getting out of my own way has not been an easy feat but it has been worthwhile. Seeing smiles on my daughters' and husbands' face tells me that I am moving in the right direction. My husband and my family have definitely seen a difference in my attitude. Through this rediscovery I can say this: Once you think you have life pinned and figured out it often throws your curve balls. I have found the more you practice eventually you'll find a way to hit the ball back at life and get back in the game. What's life without a little failure and humility? Life would be dull without it to tell you the truth. Remembering a book I had in my collection had the same title as the lesson I was learning.

I revisited a book I read a few years ago called "How to Get Out of Your Own Way" by Tyrese Gibson. After reading his book it has definitely made me thankful for what I have. Reading through my highlighted quotes and notes to myself I noticed that the quotes struck a cord with me than the first time through. I think it is so funny how things change with situations in your life. If I could pass down one piece of good advice that I have learned it would be this: To all of those struggling first time mothers, you may want to scream from the monotony of every day life, feel like you're alone or even want time to yourself for just a few moments. Let me tell you it is very normal to feel that way. It may be hard at times but I found that taking a few minutes to myself a day and having a good support system I noticed the burdens of motherhood are more bearable. If any of you have any questions or just need someone to talk to I will be more than happy to answer emails and take time out of my day to help and talk. Thank you to all those who emailed me inquiring about my blog and its progress. It means a lot knowing that people enjoy my articles. The articles will continue. Expect a new article not later than two days from now.

My email is ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com.


*Note: Contents of this article are Property of Sabrina Ferguson. Copyright 2015

Obesness Awarness: Prevent Your Child From Suffering

*DISCLAIMER: The following advice and preventative measures have been provided by research and confirmed by my child's pediatrician. I am not a licensed physician. Please consult your physician before attempting or trying remedies provided in this article.
 
In our country our food proportion size has increased exponentially to keep up with our growing population, contributing not only to the obesity problem in our adults but most unfortunately it has trickled down to our children. Becoming more acceptable to eat bigger portion sizes.

I was driving into town last week and saw a very sad sight. A child that looked facially like they were six but weight wise they looked at least 8 to 9 years of age. It made me sad to see this. This inspired me to do some research on this issue. Here is what I learned.


One out of every five children in the United States are overweight or obese with no sign of slowing. Children do not have as many weight - related health and medical problems than adults but they still have them. If children remain obese or overweight they will be prone to or at risk of developing chronic diseases and diabetes. Also they run the risk of their childhood condition to carry into their adolescents and even adulthood. Let's take a look at some common causes of this epidemic.

The most common contributers to this are genetic factors, lack of physical activity or unhealthy eating habits. In rare cases is being overweight or obese a medical condition. Taking your children regularly for a physical exam and blood tests can rule out the medical condition as contributing cause. Keep in mind, if weight problems run in a family where the siblings and parents are overweight that child is at risk of becoming overweight as well. The children are observing their parents activity level and eating habits causing the typical 'monkey-see-monkey-do' syndrome. To that child, they don't know any better because of what they see their parents doing. My father always said to me "When all else fails, lead and teach by example." If you want your children to be healthy, reach for the apple instead of the cinnamon roll or reach for the water instead of soda and they will follow suit.

A child's total diet and activity level play an important role in determining a child's weight. Today, many children spend on average, four hours a day in front of the electronic babysitter. (AKA T.V.) But with the popularity of computers and video games rising our childrens levels of inactivity may increase. Here are some conditions that overweight or obese children are at risk of.

Obese children are at risk of a number of conditions, starting at but not limited to: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, early heart disease, diabetes, bone problems and skin conditions. These common skin conditions consist of heat rash, fungal infections and acne. The best ways of preventing/ knowing if your child is overweight is by consulting your doctor. Your doctor will measure your child's weight and height to calculate what the healthy body mass index of your child should be for their age while comparing the results to average standards. Your doctor will also consider your childs age and growth patterns to let you know how they are doing and what is normal for your child.

Ways of helping your child prevent/through, is to lead a healthy life style by being supportive.
Children's feelings of themselves stem from how their parent's feelings about them. If you accept and love your child at any eight, they will be more likely to feel good about themselves. Most therapists and doctors say that it is important to talk to your child about their weight, which offers them an opportunity for your child to share their concerns. It is important to be supportive of your children and let them know that you love them no matter what.

You should also focus on gradually changing your family's physical activity and eating habits. By involving the entire family, everyone is taught healthy habits and the overweight child does not feel singled out.

Best ways of making changes:
1.) Lead by Example
2.) Plan family activities that provide everyone with exercise.
3.) Be sensitive to your child's needs. Make sure they feel comfortable with the level of exercise and are enjoyable.
4.) Reduce the amount of time you and your family spend their time in front of the t.v. or playing video games.

I grew up in a household where my parents encouraged us to go play outside. My siblings and I enjoyed rollerblading, climbing trees, swimming, building forts outside, jump roping, running through sprinklers, chasing each other with water guns and exploring new places. On hot days our parents would give us $5 dollars to go to the local mini mart and buy small ice cream
cones. But my favorite memory of my siblings and I getting our exercise was our parents giving us money to walk to the local skating rink to go rollerblading. It was a great bonding experience for us.

My point is exercise does not have to be a chore. Make exercise time for your kids fun. Have a reward system in place. If your kids play in the yard for a certain amount of time let them have that extra slice of pizza or piece of candy for dessert. Instead of hours of mindless video games limit them to at least an hour with them learning something. My two favorite computer games to play as a child were the Nancy Drew computer games where I learned problem solving, riddles and exposed to other languages. Second was something called Mario Keyboard which was a game that helped me improve my typing skills. Have fun with your kids, by teaching them survival skills to get them outside or on rainy days read a book together by the fire. Some of my favorite bonding memories with my parents was sitting and listening to them read me a book. Now I have a deep love for books.

I remember a really fun time with my family during high school in Samammish WA. It was during a power-outage one winter. This snow blizzard was so bad that we went through, what my family referred to, as our colonial experience for two weeks. We were reading and playing board games by candle light, heating water for baths, cooking over the fire, using  our camping propane gas stove in the kitchen and even storing food outside in the snow as a refrigerator. We took out the most used foods and stored them outside so that we could preserve the cold air in our freezer and fridge to keep our other food from spoiling. No cell phones and no electricity what so ever. Even the Safeway, a ten minute drive away from our house, was out of power as well.

Needless to say it wasn't easy to go without electricity, but it was bearable because of the encouragement of our parents to find ways to entertain ourselves without the use of electronics came in handy. I believe the more you educate your child on moving and finding ways to keep them from wasting away on the couch in front of the t.v. will later benefit them in life.


Until Tomorrow Then!

Common Fears of Labor and Deliery: My Story on How I Overcame Them

*In Dedication to my Lizzy: Happy 6 Month Birthday Today! Daddy and I love you!

When I was pregnant with my daughter I had many concerns and worries. My worries only increased as my due date loomed ahead of me. My main concerns were: Do I have everything in my bag? Do I have everything Lizzy will need in her bag? Did Kyle (my husband) have his bag ready? Are they accessible and ready to be taken at a moments notice? I also checked and rechecked the supplies in the nursery, constantly reading about products and their ratings, how other mothers experiences were with this products, and on and on and on. I drove myself crazy until my husband literally stopped me by taking away my computer and threatened to lock the nursery door if I didn't stop. It was so funny that he had to do that. But let me give you readers my advice that will save you putting an unnecessary wrinkle on your forehead and give your boyfriend/husband a piece of mind. Stop worrying! Easier said than done but it is necessary. Especially if you don't want to cause premature labor. Your body and growing baby don't need the stress.

During the early stages of my labor I continued about my regular routine until the pain became too much. When the pain grew I rested in my bed while timing my contractions.Two days of hospital visits and Lizzy finally came on the third. The first day my body was practicing. My husband drove me to the hospital was October 28th, 2014 around 8:30pm. The nurses told me that my body was 'practicing' and preparing. "They are just intense Braxton Hicks Contractions." the doctor said. They sent me home and said to keep an eye on how the contractions went. So we did.

We were watching a movie when my contractions intensified. My husband and I timed them and they were 7 minutes apart and about 1 minute long. Keep in mind at my last visit the nurse practitioners and the doctor that was on call told me to come in when they were seven minutes apart. I came in and they said that I was only 4 centimeter dilated and about 50 percent effaced. They said they couldn't admit me to the hospital yet due to over crowding, so they gave me a shot of morphine for the pain and told me to come back at 5am on October 30th. So we went home, I got some rest and woke up around 7am. The contractions were still there and at the same intensity so I said no I'm not going to go back in just to get sent home again.

As the day progressed my contractions were getting to the point where I kind of doubled over in pain. Come about 6pm the contractions were 6 minutes apart and 2 minutes long. They were excruciating. So called my doctor, told her what was going on and she said to get to the hospital quickly. So my mother in law grabs my bags and puts them in the car, I walk out to the car, open the door, lift my leg to climb in the car and my water breaks. Looking back now it is really funny. Earlier that week my doctor told me that if my water breaks to get to the hospital with in 40 minutes because she could feel my daughters head through my cervix. My mother in law got me to the hospital in about 30 minutes. When I arrived I was rushed to trauma and evaluated. At 9:30pm I was 100% effected and 6 centimeters dilated. I was admitted in at 9:30pm and gave birth to my daughter at 10:55pm on October 30th, 2014.

So here is my advice to all of you close to your due date:

1) Do what your doctor and nurses tell you too. They know what they are doing.
2) If you worry or stress really close to your due date it is not beneficial to you or your baby.
3) Make sure everything is ready, relax and wait.
4) Have an ipod or something to listen to. It really helped me calm down and focus on delivering my baby. My husband kept telling me to "Trust the doctors. They know what they are doing. You'll be okay and taken care of.
5) Have your husband with you to talk you through it. He may not feel like he is doing much but it will make calm and more adept to focus.

Our bodies are amazing vessels. When my water broke the only worry that I had was getting to the hospital in time. After I arrived at the hospital and situated in my room I didn't even think about all of my worries. My brain automatically went into "Okay. Let's do this." mode. This experience was, by far, the most rewarding and amazing chapter of my life. I grew more as a person. My husband and I grew stronger as a couple. Our Lizzy was the best thing that could have ever happened to us.

So take this time to really communicate with each other and evaluate what you want as a couple. Get all of those uncomfortable conversations over with before the baby comes. I know you can't be prepared for everything and I definitely know that plans never go the way you want them but just try. There is no harm in trying.

Good luck to all of those expectant mothers out there that are reading this. You'll do great and everything will work out the way that it is supposed.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Benefits of Mommy and Me Classes: Investigative Piece

Happy Saturday Everyone!

Yesterday was my first investigative piece that I was researching. Funny thing was nobody was the wiser. I asked lots of questions to the moms and nannies and received some great advice and feedback. Lizzy and I attended our first Mommy and Me classes. She had fun being around other kids. Granted she was the youngest there but she still had a blast. She made three new friends and mommy was able to have good conversation with other women my age. It was some much needed conversation with other people other than family. It was nice. The women that ran this program held the Mommy and Me Classes in a martial arts studio. The name of the studio is Higher Learning Martial Arts of North Bend WA. (They do teach kid classes) The name of the mommy and me class is called North Bend Play Time.

The schedule for this class is Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30am to 11:30am. The price if this class is free and it offers a chance for mommy and baby to make new friends in a fun environment. The toys that were available were slides, play houses, tunnels to crawl through and ginormous blocks to build with. It was a great learning experience for Lizzy.

In the picture above you see my daughter playing with another little girl. This girl came over to Lizzy and took the toy that you see from her. "Did that upset her?" you may be asking but even surprising to me she didn't cry. Being surrounded by other toys she just grabbed another one of her toys, that I brought from home, and started playing with it. I giggled at my little girl. She is five and a half months old and is already sharing. AHAHA! The arm of the woman in the picture was the nanny of the little girl and told her to return the toy to Lizzy. After that little act of kindness it started a friendship between this little girl and my daughter. It also showed a little boy near by that he could come and play with Lizzy. For a good forty-five minutes the two girls and the little boy played and cooed together. The ages of the little girl and boy is seventeen months and fifteen months.

As a mother, it was good to see my daughter be such a social butterfly. The benefits of mommy and me classes, that I came to discover, were a change of scenery of  playing area for my daughter, interaction with babies her own age, receiving more encouragement from other kids to try to talk and be motivated to attempt to keep up with them motion and activity wise and a good source of stimulation that mommy couldn't provide.

When we got home from her classes she attempted crawling for the first time. Usually I am putting her on her hands and knees at home but usually falls back to her tummy. It was so awesome to see.

The benefits for mommy was some fun conversations with other mommies and nannies and a chance to start some new friendships. Lizzy and I walked away with two play dates and some new friends.We enjoyed ourselves immensely. At first, I was not one for doing the mommy and me classes. I said I was more than happy to stay at home with Lizzy and just play with her there but I noticed all I was saying was "I". I was being selfish. My daughter is more important to me and that is what motivated me to try it. I have become a slight hermit since I have had my daughter and I noticed that she had been trying to tell me for a while that she wanted something new to do. I am so glad I went and feel better about taking her. She had a great time exploring a new place. We will be returning to mommy and me class.

So here is my advise to other mommies that have the same thought process as I had. You may be comfortable being at home and doing the same routine day to day but your baby may be wanting to do something more. Plus it is a great self esteem booster seeing your child interacting with other kids. It was for me.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Congratulations to...

JAIMIE KENNEDY!

I will be emailing you with the details of the sizes of everything so that I can send you the right size of everything for you baby and to finalize the details of everything! Thank you everyone for participating! Another contest will be announced soon!

Again Congratulations to Jaimie Kennedy!

Who's Who?

Happy Wednesday To Everyone!

So today I thought we would do something fun. A few weeks ago my mother sent me a picture of me when I was a baby and she had me compare my baby picture to that of my daughters picture at the same age. Both of these pictures were taken when she and I were 3 months old. So here is the activity.

Compare both pictures and let me know which one is my daughter and which one is me.

Here are the rules:

1. My closest friends and family can not participate in this game.
2. Email me who you think is who. (Picture 1 is the baby sitting in the boppie, Picture 2 is the baby in the dress.)
3. No collaborating on answers.

Why do this? The first person who guesses correctly will win a box with baby supplies in it. This prize will have diapers, formula, clothes, burp clothes and baby bathroom needs. This will go on for the next 24 HOURS to give everyone a fair chance to see this post. I will announce the winner Thursday April 17th, 2015 at Noon Pacific Standard Time. I will be paying close attention to the time and date stamps on the emails I receive so I know who was right first.

Happy Playing!

Send which picture you think is me and which picture is my daughter to ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Teething and Its Signs

 

Welcome Back Everyone!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed physician so please check with your doctor before you try any of the remedies or advice in this article. 

My daughter has been having a rough time with teething. About a week and a half ago she was fussy for three days straight. At first my husband and I thought it was gas or her constipation had some back. So we started doing our usual check list. We changed her diaper, we checked her tracking sheet for when she ate last, when her last nap was, and gave her 3oz of pear juice mixed with 1oz of water. She was still crying. We also noticed that she was wanting to be held a lot more than usual and her naps were becoming shorter and shorter. We called the doctor's office and they asked us how much is she sleeping? How much she is eating? Peepee Diaper? Poopy diaper? the whole nine yards. We answered she was still eating her normal amount but not wanting to breast feed. The on call nurse told us to take her temperature and it was normal. 

So the nurse told us to look for a bump on her bottom gums where two of her teeth would be. There was a huge bump. She said that she was teething. You could imagine how stupid we felt. Of all the things that we were looking for we never thought that she could be teething. She is old enough. It completely skipped our minds. 

Some signs of your baby teething are drooling, irritability, tooth visible below gum, swollen or bulging gums, trying to bite, chew or suck on anything and everything, rubber his/her face, difficulty sleeping, turning food away or grabbing his/her ears. These are typical signs so keep an eye out.   

 There are very simple way to treat or ease the pain of teething which include:

1. Cold Things.

In the same way that ice works on a sprained ankle to numb pain and reduce swelling, cold compresses and food soothe sore gums. Try a refrigerated pacifier or teether. (Don't store the teether in the freezer because when frozen it can get hard enough to damage a baby's gums.)There are a variety of refrigerated teethers, including some with plastic handles so your baby's hands won't get cold. Liquid-filled teethers work well, but watch for leaks. Firm rubber teething rings are a good alternative. Whichever kind you choose, keep an eye on your baby to make sure she doesn't choke as she gnaws away on it. If your baby has started solids, offer her chilled (not frozen) fruit in a mesh pacifier.

2. Pressure. Teething babies love to feel pressure on their gums because it helps distract their brain from the sensation of teething pain. If your baby rejects cold items, chewing on a teether at room temperature may do the trick. Some teethers even vibrate. If one type doesn't work for your child, just try another until you find one that helps. Or give this strategy a go: Gently rub your baby's gums with a clean pinky finger.

3. Pain Killers.
If nothing  is working and your baby needs relief, your doctor might recommend trying an over-the-counter painkiller like baby tylenol. (Note: Don't give new medicines to a baby without first checking with a doctor. Ask the doctor for the proper dosage whenever giving acetaminophen to a child younger than two years of age.) For babies at least 6 months old, baby motrin is an another option for reducing inflammation in your baby's gums. But bear in mind that the drug can irritate the stomach, which may be problematic if your baby's already refusing to eat (which some teething babies do).
Aspirin is off-limits for anyone under 19 years old. Don't give it to your baby or even rub it on her gums. Fever, vomiting (other than spitup), and diarrhea aren't normal symptoms of teething. If your baby has a persistent fever, gets worse, or seems sick, call the doctor.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

How To: Make Homemade Baby Food

 

Happy Sunday to All My Readers!

My baby is five months and our next appointment with her doctor we are going to talk about Lizzy being able to integrate solid foods into her diet. I was reading the ingredients on the bottles of my baby's containers and didn't like some of the levels of sugar and preservatives in her food. That is what sparked my research into this subject. My husband and I have started our food storage and have bottles and containers for her I was looking for ways to make baby food from home and came across some great information.

Benefits of making homemade baby food are parents know exactly what they’re feeding their baby, it’s more economical and cheaper than buying pre-packaged foods, parents can choose their own fruits, vegetables, and other foods for purees, instead of relying on the flavors chosen by manufacturers and it gets the baby used to eating the same food as the rest of the family -- just in puree form. 

Resources for more research:

- http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/formulafeeding/ht/babyfood.htm?utm_term=how%20to%20make%20homemade%20baby%20food&utm_content=p1-main-4-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=msn&utm_campaign=adid-ba3c7d1f-56cc-4d6b-a1d4-7e0441f371d5-0-ab_msp_ocode-28798&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=phrase&q=how%20to%20make%20homemade%20baby%20food&dqi=&o=28798&l=sem&qsrc=999&askid=ba3c7d1f-56cc-4d6b-a1d4-7e0441f371d5-0-ab_msp

- http://homecooking.about.com/video/baby-food-fruit.htm?utm_term=how%20to%20make%20homemade%20baby%20food&utm_content=p1-main-1-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=msn&utm_campaign=adid-ba3c7d1f-56cc-4d6b-a1d4-7e0441f371d5-0-ab_msp_ocode-28798&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=phrase&q=how%20to%20make%20homemade%20baby%20food&dqi=&o=28798&l=sem&qsrc=999&askid=ba3c7d1f-56cc-4d6b-a1d4-7e0441f371d5-0-ab_msp

Thank you for visiting my blog. My email and my forum are available for comments and questions.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Benefits of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Happy Saturday to All My Readers!

I love chiropractic care. I have been going to a chiropractor since I was eight years old. I get funny looks from some of my friends and my extended family. Most of them complain about shoulder, knee, back and neck pains and how massaging only works to relieve their pain momentarily. They ask me how I minimize my
pain and I say by going to the chiropractor. Some of them say that it is scary or they don't believe that their pain can be fixed through chiropractic. I say "Ok. It's your body. But how to do you know if you have never been?" Then I change the subject. I can tell you chiropractic care is not for everyone but definately worth a shot. Chiropractors may be scary but some of them are the nicest people I have ever met and go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. I wish I knew how beneficial it would have been while I was pregnant. It wasn't until I recently went to my new chiropractor, that he told me that I should have gone during my pregnancy. This is what he told me.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed physician. Please ask your doctor before you try this for your pregnancy.

Benefits of Regular Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy- include but are not limited to:

1. Relieve neck and back pains caused by weight gain and altered biomechanics
2. Maintains and improves balance and alignment in the spine and pelvis
3. Helps your baby assume his/her optimal birthing position
4. Reduce the risk of having a breech baby (Breech means the baby is feet down rather than head down) 
5. Provides more comfortable pregnancy and delivery for both mommy and baby
6. Stimulates the nervous system to enable proper functioning of your reproductive organs
7. Supporting the needs of your baby throughout pregnancy and delivery

 The technique that he told me about is called the Webster Technique. The Webster Technique is specialized only for pregnant women. It is non-invasive technique that is done on the mothers side to avoid the growing baby. This technique reduces interference to the nervous system, helps balance the pelvis, muscles and ligaments. Webster Technique can prevent, and even convert, breech positions. Babies can be turned after 35 weeks along but the chances are reduced due to limited mobility for the baby and should be implemented as soon as you find out that your baby is in breech position. You may be asking how do I find a chiropractor that is trained in this technique.

Finding a qualified chiropractor is definitely a must. For me, I have to trust my chiropractor first and for most. Also you want to look for a chiropractor that has been trained through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. The chiropractors that have been though this completed additional training are trained in perinatal and pediatric chiropractic care. There are ways to keep yourself in decent alignment at home.

To Improve Posture at Home:

1. Avoid one-sided positions and repetitive motions to one side.
2. Avoid carrying older siblings on your hips.
3. When sitting rock your pelvis forward and backward to stimulate proper circulation.
4. Avoid long periods of time in seni reclining positions such as car seats and lazy boys.
5. Knees should never be higher than your hips.
6. Avoid crossing your legs.
7. Avoid wearing high heels.

Resources for Further Research:
-  http://birthwithoutfearblog.com/2012/07/10/how-the-webster-technique-can-help-you-birth-without-fear/
- http://icpa4kids.com/about/webster_technique.htm

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have comments or want to share your experience on how it helped you please make a comment on my forum page. I'm available by email at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Changing Back to My Old Ways...

Happy Friday to All My Readers!

I just wanted to let you all know that I am going to get rid of my weekly catagories. I have recieved some feedback from some of my readers and they say they love the old stuff more than my new stuff. I'm going to focus my time on bringing back my 'How To' articles you all love. Today I am going to spend time on redoing my WHOLE article calendar tonight and drafting articles you all will love. If you have article ideas or topics you would like to see me publish on my blog please comment or email me at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com. I'll put them on my calendar and email you back to tell you when you should see it. I'm really excited, so expect my new article tomorrow! Thank you for all of your support as I experiment with my blog!

Thank you All! Until Tomorrow Then!

Sabrina

"Triple T Thursdays": Pamper Yourself While Pregnant

Happy Thursday to All My Readers!

For me, I was getting tired of people babying me while I was pregnant. At work, at home, even when I went out people treated me differently because of my big belly. It was annoying. It's needed sometimes, don't get me wrong but all I did was grin and bear it. But there was a time where I felt less like a woman and more like a balloon. I voiced my concern to my doctor and she gave me many great ideas. She even went into a few stories, when she was pregnant with her first, what she did. My doctor suggested getting out for a girls day, but listen to my body while I did it.

1. Get a Manicure and a Pedicure. I usually go to Gene Juarez in Redmond, WA. I know many of the staff there and always get my moneys worth. It's a little pricey but well worth it to help you relax. They treat you like royalty. They bring you your choice of water, tea, or coffee. Be aware of where they press on your feet as some acupressure places have been known to induce labor. Depending on how far along you are ask for more of the massaging to be on your calves and ankles and light massaging on your feet.

2. Make It a Day For Retail Therapy. I always found that exploring Seattle and doing fun things helped made me feel better. I rode the monorail in Downtown Seattle or wandered Bellevue Square and Redmond Town Center. I always went with a budget. Sitting and reading a good book for some uninterrupted time was wonderful for me. My guilty pleasure way of spending my money is getting some good books. While wandering listen to your body and if you start feeling tired or light headed drink water and sit down for a good half an hour in the food court with your feet elevated.

3. Have a Girls Night Out. Whether you plan a dinner party in or a night out on the town, make your food light but still delicious and the drinks with no alcohol. A good rule of thumb for me was when I was out or in after I always balanced out one surgery drink with a big glass of water. Now if you have gestational diabetes stick with sugar free drinks to avoid a sugar spike in your blood.

4. Treat Yourself To A Movie. I went to the movies in my third trimester and the bass and the rumbling made my baby uncomfortable which in turn made it so I couldn't enjoy my movie.

5. Have a BBQ with a Bond Fire. If whether permits invite some friends over and talk. Make dinner together, play some games on the patio, and make s'mores. Again though be careful of the kinds of food you eat and the amount. Remember while you are pregnant your body digests slower than it used to while not pregnant.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have any stories to share or comments to make you can do so in the comment box or on my forum page. I'm also available by email at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Wellness Wednesdays: Eating Healthy While Pregnant and During Postpartum

Happy Wednesday to All My Readers!

You'll hear this a lot during and after your pregnancy but your diet will not only affect your baby but you as well. My doctor stressed a healthy diet almost every visit I made to her office. So with the help and support of the hospital dietian, my ob/gyn, my husband and my immediate friends and family I found myself getting overwhelmed with a plethora of information. I'm sure you are feeling the same way so let me help you put some of that anxiety aside.


DISCLAIMER: I am not a licesenced physician so please follow up with your doctor before you eat any of these foods and trying these tips.

Oftentimes, the focus of weight gain during pregnancy is targeted at the potential problems related to gaining TOO much weight. More times often than not, weight gain scare many pregnant women into eating too little, in an effort to limit or prevent excess weight gain. It is equally as important that woman gain enough weight. It is very important that your baby get proper nutrition from the foods you eat. Dieting or limiting food intake during pregnancy is not a wise idea. The best way I found that helped me was eating 8 small meals a day every two hours.

My doctor told me for a healthy weight gain during pregnancy are based on your weight before you became pregnant. Women who are at "normal" weight (Body Mass Index of 19.8 - 26) when they become pregnant are advised to gain 25 - 35 pounds during their pregnancies. Likewise, experts advise women who are "underweight" (Body Mass Index less than 19.8) when they become pregnant to gain 28-40 pounds during their pregnancies.

Healthy eating and healthy weight gain result in many positive pregnancy benefits. Gaining a healthy amount of weight:

1. Counteracts your baby's susceptibility to infection and birth defects caused by low birth weight
2. Decreases your risk for complications such as anemia and pre-eclampsia
3. Reduces the risk of pre-term labor and delivery
4. Helps to ensure a healthy birth weight for your baby, which decreases his/her risk of delayed development, disease, and mortality during the first few months of life.

Eating healthy during pregnancy is important, but a well-balanced diet is equally important postpartum. The biggest complaints of women postpartum are exhaustion and changes in mood. Fortunately, eating the right foods can combat these conditions. Superfoods that fight depression and fatigue are the best foods for new moms.

Feeling Tired?: Food to counteract this-

 The best mini-meals are those that combine complex carbohydrates and protein:

• High fiber cereal with milk
• Yogurt with sliced fruit topped with almonds, walnuts, or pecans
• Chicken salad on whole wheat toast
• Hummus and whole wheat pita bread
• Oatmeal with raisins 
• Vitamin B3 
• Niacin, also known as B3, is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an essential role in energy metabolism. Increase your intake of foods like beef, pork, died beans, chicken, and fish like mackerel or salmon to get vitamin B3 in your diet. 
• Vitamin E - increases energy and stamina. Fill up on almonds, asparagus, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and olives.

Feeling Depressed?: Great sources prevent this-

• Zinc- this is important for assisting the processes of the brain and body. Lack of Zinc can lead to irritability and depression. Good sources - eggs, fish, turkey, oysters, beef and yogurt
• Vitamin C- Here in Seattle we don't see much of the sun so many Seattleites take a little extra of that a day. Good sources- citrus fruits, broccoli, green leafy veggies, tomato puree, peas and turnips. But keep in mind most doctors will tell you to stay away from broccoli - if you are breastfeeding it will make your baby gassy. My doctor told me to stay away from it. 
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids
• Calcium
• Folic Acid

To avoid feeling your life is run by food and eating right to get all of the nutrients that you and your baby need you can still take your prenatals to keep up the nutrients intake especially if you are breastfeeding. 

Resources:

What to Expect Eating Well When You're Expecting - This book also has some great recipes for foods to eat while pregnant and postpartum. Make sure it is the latest edition. This book is updated every year. 

Thank you for visiting my blog. You can leave comments, tips that worked for you and your baby or questions you may have on my forum page. Or I am also available by email at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Tuesday Tips: Games and Dinner Ideas

Happy Tuesday to my readers!

Family is so important to me. I grew up in a big family. I am the third oldest of six kids. There were times, I'll admit, that we all didn't get along. Fighting over where the line is splitting the room in half would be, fighting over who's turn it was to play on the Nintendo, who's turn it was in the bathroom, all the way down to who's turn it was to use the car on Friday nights. My parents came up with some genius ideas about keeping the peace between all of us and that was 'monday nights'.  The reason for the quotation marks is due to the fact that all of us would have very different schedules on monday nights so our family nights would be friday nights. When everyone came home from their friday night obligations my mom and dad planned time for t.v. and games with our choices of our favorite munchies (as my family calls them) for dessert. My mom or dad would go around to each child and ask what they wanted, bring them all home and we would share them. Our munchies ranged from ice cream, to mini chocolate doughnuts, I had two favorite munchies and they are oreo cookies and the mini chocolate doughnuts.

Some of my favorite family night memories are:

1. Sitting down at the dinner table while dad and mom took turns reading aloud from a book. Then after dinner we mom would serve dessert while dad continued to read. We all sat in silence listening to our parents. We all loved it. After dessert we would all pitch in to clean the kitchen them we would all agree on a game and play until all hours of the night.

2. Having an Indoor Picnic. My parents would order pizza, grab paper plates and cups and lay a sheet down on the floor and watch either our favorite t.v. show during that time or watch movies into the night. We would have marathons. Our favorite series are White Collar, Stargate SG-1,  Stargate Atlantis, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Or if we wanted to watch movies for marathons we would pick the classics. Those are The original Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings,  or watch the classic Disney movies.

Other Ideas for Family Outings:

1. Aquarium
2. Park - My siblings and I loved to go play flashlight tag at the park after dark.

*Rules of Flashlight Tag: Just as it sounds. It is a game of hide-and-go-seek in the dark.
A- Make sure to set boundries for people to hide.
B- Person that is seeking stands in the middle of the field or area and moves in slow circles or can actually go find people with their flashlight.
C- If the flashlight falls on a person they are out and stands in the middle of the designated area.
D-Last person standing is it. 'Rinse and Repeat' the rules.

3. Art Museums
4. Community Activities
5. Historical Tours. I have lived in Washington State for 14 years now and last year I took my husband on Seattle's Underground Tour last year for his birthday. It was so much fun. It was a little intimidating being underground in such an old area but it was so much fun. It was both of our first time going and he has lived in Washington State longer than I have.

Dinner Ideas: My favorites are:

1. My mothers homemade lasagna
2. My dad's homemade wonton soup
3. Asian Styled Fondue
4. Italian Styled Fondue
5. My Family's Homemade Southern Feast: Garlic Mashed Potatos, Mouth-watering Steaks, Green-bean Casserole or fresh garden salad then finished with a decadent bowl of ice cream.

Hope this is helpful for all of you. If you want to know the recipes or how-to's for these dishes please email me at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com or comment on my forum page which is located on the right hand side of my blog under "Pages"

Until Tomorrow Then!

Fun Friday: 5 Fun & Romantic Ideas for You & Hubby

Happy Friday To All My Readers!

So I had an idea from my blogging class for having a theme for Monday through Friday Articles. Don't worry my advice will not only continue to include tips and advice for you and your little one but also for your family as a whole. Mondays I'll be giving ideas for fun family games, activites and dinner ideas. Tuesday is for my Tips and advice for you and your baby. Wednesday I'll offer workout ideas for all of you and healthy snack and meal ideas to help you all boost your weight loss endeavors. Thursdays I'll write about ideas, just for the mommies, to find that alone time to pamper yourself weekly in affordable and fun ways. Lastly Fridays are articles specifically just for you and your husband/ significant other. I'm really excited about this change and I hope all of you will think so as well.

My husband and I love the simple ways of bonding. We love going for drives, walks, having picnics, nights in cooking together, gym workouts and classes and strolls around malls to window shop. So I am going to share with you our choices for our weekly date nights.

1. Dinner and a Movie: Sounds simple right? Our idea of dinner and a movie is cooking dinner together and watching our favorite or trying new movies in the living room. But as the weather gets nice we like turning the backyard into an outdoor theatre. Our next door neighbors have a movie projector that we borrow and we hang a white sheet over a tree branch. Its also a great idea for when we want to have a group date night with our friends. It turns into a dinner party.

2. Walks and Picnics. We use this date when a babysitter is not available. We pack a cooler with sandwiches, cupcakes for dessert and a ton of finger food and food for our little one. Our favorite park to go to is Marymoore Park in Redmond, WA. There are many wide open fields to lay down a blanket and play as a family.

3. Strolls Around the Mall with Window Shopping. It is exactly as it sounds. Our favorite mall to go walk around is Bellevue Square in Bellevue, WA. It has great restaurants for dinner but there is a wonderful theatre across the sky bridge to Lincoln Plaza. In this plaza there are more restaurants, a place to bowl, play pool, and dance. It is great for a night out on the town together. Another great place for dates is Crossroads Mall. Again great food, movie theatre but the best part is a GIANT chess game.

4. Take in your Community’s Festivals. Annually on North Bend, there is something called The Jazz Walk. Half the town is shut down. Many places around town host jazz bands and tell the history of the building that it is held it. There are lots of food trucks with great food, there is a bubble blower that blows bubbles down the sidewalk, art shows and places to get souvenirs. Tons of fun.

5. Take Your Kids to the Zoo. It provides a great learning opportunity for your little one to learn the names and sounds that animals make, also stimulating their senses.

Thank you for visiting my blog. My forum is available for comments, ideas or if you want to share your stories of how this helped you that would be great. My email is also available ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com

Resources for More Date Night Ideas:

-  http://thechaosandtheclutter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Date-Night-Ideas.pdf
- http://thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/inexpensive-date-night-ideas/
- http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/advice/g559/cheap-date-ideas/

Recipes for Date Night:

-  https://www.plated.com/sf/lp2/s?Matchtype=e&cvo_campaign=core&cvo_crid=6725338746&cvosrc=ppc.bing.date+night+recipe&utm_campaign=core&utm_content={creative}&utm_medium=search&utm_source=bing_core&utm_term=date+night+recipe
- http://www.myrecipes.com/menus/date-night-dinner-menus
- http://www.delish.com/entertaining/wine/advice/a26243/date-night-food-wine-pairings/

Until Tomorrow Then!

Learning the Art of Couponing: A Beginners Guide

I don't know about the rest of you but I always love to have a chance to save money when and where I can. My older sister is the best at this coupon-ing, (If that is even a word. Hehehe), that I have ever known. Since my husband and I have been trying to save money for a new place, we looked at our budget and did some cutting back on some unnecessary costs.

Places that you can find coupons are:

1. Coupon Dispensers that are attached to the shelves at the grocery store. When you are doing your regular shopping grab some to add to your stash.

2. Newspapers. They constantly have a whole bushel of them stuffed into them on a daily basis but the best news paper to get your coupons is your Sunday paper. If you don't have your newspapers delivered you can always go to a newspaper stand, grocery or even Starbucks. Some of you may be thinking "What if I don't even read the paper? I'll end up with an ever growing stack of papers." A few solutions to that are"
a) Use it for fuel for a fire. Fireplace in the house, fire pit, or since some people like to go into the mountains this time of year for camping you can bring some of your unwanted newspapers for fuel for keeping yourselves warm.
b) Moving. Since my husband plan to be moving in 6 months we will be saving the papers for packing our fragile dishes and other supplies that need padding.
c) Art Projects. Are you artistically inclined? Newspaper is one of the best materials for paper mache.

3. Printable Coupons. You can either go to the website for your grocery store that you frequent and print them from the comfort of your own home.

4. On Products. Most stores, like Costco, always have loyalty coupons attached to some of their items. Beit can goods, boxes of cereals, even some brands of diapers have them. So when you are shopping for groceries look closely at the products you buy and see if you can have the coupons.

5. Magazines. My mother-in-law constantly has magazines mailed to her almost every day. There are some great coupons in them sometimes. Another good place to look. Who said you can't have coupons for things other than groceries. I love to shop at Ikea, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Fred Meyer.

Ways to Organize: The way that my sister told me that is easy is by buying a big 3 ring binder, some clear inserts for holding cards and a pack for dividers. Other options are boxes with labeled envelopes, ziplock bags, or some people include a grocery folder in their filing cabinets for their coupons like my parents. But me, I like the binder idea.

A. Make a list of stores you frequent and order them from most shopped at to least shopped at.
B. Write on the divider tabs the name of the store in that exact order that you wrote them down. Most shopped at the front of the binder and least shopped at the back of the binder.
C. Then organize all of your cut coupons in the available slots of the clear sheets
D. And you're done.

You can apply this same step by step way of organizing for all the options that I gave you. Just keep in mind that coupons do have expiration dates so schedule a time weekly to thumb through your coupons and throw the expired ones out.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you guys want to share ideas or leave comments I have a forum available for you to leave comments or you can email me at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com. I'll respond to you as soon as I get a chance.

Resources for more coupon help:

- http://frugalliving.about.com/od/bargainshopping/a/Coupon_Guide.htm
- www.coupons.com
- http://frugalliving.about.com/od/bargainshopping/tp/Find_Coupons_Online.htm
- http://frugalliving.about.com/od/couponsandrebates/tp/How-To-Get-Coupons-For-Healthy-Foods.htm

Exercises During Pregnancy: Simple Daily Home Routines

I know that it is difficult to have the motivation to workout. Let alone when you are pregnant. I grew up with a reward system so for every week that I workout on my scheduled days I reward myself with either getting my nails done or something along those lines. Just think of goals or hobbies that you have to keep you motivated.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed physican. Please talk to your doctor before attempting.

Simple Routines to do at home:

1. Walk Around the Neighborhood. If you were not a person to workout on a daily basis then walking is a great way to start out working out. Go for 30 to 40 minute walks. The body benefits that you'll recieve is a cardiovascular workout without all the stress on your knees and ankles and you can do it anywhere at anytime throughout your nine months.

Safety Tip: As your nine months progress you want to walk as you are comfortable and pay attention to how your balance and coordination are. Keep in mind the further along your are the more likely your ankles are to swell. When you are done walking elevate your feet and put ice packs on your ankles to reduce the selling. Where comfortable yet supportive walking shoes and stay on even surfaces as much as possible.

2. Swimming. It is a great way to relax and take all the pressure off your joints. This is the most encouraged for of exercise during pregnancy. The benefits that you get from swimming are no risk of falling on your stomach and gives you a better range of motion.

Safety Tip: Find a stroke that does not hurt your neck, shoulders or back.

3. Doing Yoga. Buy some up to date yoga videos. This is a great way to keep your joints limber, you maintain your flexibility, strengthens your muscle system, stimulates blood flow, is relaxing and the yoga classes provide practice for when your labor starts. It teaches you how to breath, stay calm and provide a little more control over your emotions.

Safety Tip: As your pregnancy goes along, stay away from positions that challenges your balance. In your second trimester stay clear of positions that require you to lay flat on your back to avoid having your uterus put weight on major arteries and veins that in turn severely diminishes blood flow to your heart. Also do not over stretch.

4. Resistance Bands. Sit on the edge of a stable chair. Put a resistance band or a bathrobe tie under one foot; grab each end. Take a breath, then exhale, slowly leaning back until you feel your abs contract. Hold for five counts. Return to starting position; repeat 10 times. Switch feet. Again this benefits your joints to keep their mobility.

Safety Tip: Be aware of sitting too close to the edge of the chair and prevent falling.

Here are some resources that I came across in my research that I believe will benefit all kinds of workouts for women that don't workout very often to those who do workout often. There are some great routines for each trimester and how to create a workout routine that is great for you.

http://www.thebump.com/a/tool-pregnancy-workout-plan

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Today is the Day!

My first forum is up and running. I'm available from 10am to 11:00am PST. Find my Forum page on the right side of my blog under "Pages". Have fun getting to know each other. Starting Right Now.

See Ya'll There!

Schedule For the Forum!

To My Readers,

Here is the schedule for my forum is every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday at 10:00 am Pacific Standard Time.

The purpose of the forum is to-
1. The ability to personally connect with all of my readers and get to know them.
2. My readers to have a chance to tell me whether or not my tips/advice is helpful or not.
3. My readers to have a chance to share their expericences so far with their little ones.
4. My readers to have a chance to tell me what kind of articles you would like to see me write about.
5. My readers to have a chance to critique my daily articles.

This forum will officially start on Wednesday April 1, 2015.

My new "Exercises During Pregnancy: Simple Daily Home Routines" will launch tomorrow.

Until Tomorrow Then!

Thank you all to all my readers for your patience and support as I took my class and improved my blog.

Officially Back! New Forum and All…

To My Readers, 

Hello Everyone. I am just finishing up my class in a couple of days and will be back with new articles and…drumroll…my FORUM! After working with my dad we FINALLY have it up and running. Look for a new article and a schedule for when you can talk to me personally on my blog. Both the new articles will start and the schedule will be posted on March 26, 2015. I'm excited to come back.

Until March 26, 2015!

7 Healthy Eating Tips: Do's and Don't's While Pregnant

When I was pregnant I did lots of research and asked my doctor about what kinds of foods that I could and couldn't eat. By the end I felt like I couldn't eat anything. All of my regular foods that I ate were not good for my growing baby. I basically had to retrain my way of eating. But don't get discouraged by this list. "It will all be worth it in the end…" as my mother constantly reminded me. It was well worth it. 

Here were the ways that I found I could eat healthy and get everything that I needed:

1. Don't Forget to Eat Breakfast. Eat good fortified cereals in the morning. Examples of these kinds of cereals that have great nutritious value for you and your developing baby are Post Grape Nuts, Kellogg's Special K or General Mills Multi-Grain Cheerios. I grew up on the Grape Nuts and to this day they are still my favorite cereal to eat. They are a great fiber source and helps well with the constipation that pregnancy causes. Eating the Grape Nuts by themselves they can taste a little bland. I dressed them up like this: 

a- 2 cups of grape nuts

b- 1 cup of cut up strawberries ( or whatever fruit that you choose.)

c- 1 tablespoon of sugar

d- Pour your choice of milk over it.

e- Enjoy.

2. Eat Foods with Fiber. Foods that have fiber are green peas, spinach, pears and bananas. but don't eat too much. You'll have an upset stomach and it is not good for your developing baby. My doctor told me to double the normal serving of fruits and vegetables that a non-pregnant woman would need a day. But ask your doctor first. 

3. Drink Lots of Water. But don't exceed the equivalent of ten 8 oz glasses of water. Me personally I hate drinking water so I found a fun and easy way for me to drink my water. I hate regular water bottles and I always have to have a straw in my water so i fought a regular 16 oz cup from Starbucks and carried it with me everywhere. Every day you should have at least 80 oz of water a day. So for me that would mean that I would drink 5 of my Starbucks cups a day. As I went through my work day I kept a corner of my pad of paper dedicated to keeping track of my water. It was helpful to remember how many I had when my pregnancy brain kicked in.

4. Don't Take Your Prenatals on an Empty Stomach. If you are like me and have a very sensitive stomach, take your prenatals 10 minutes before or after you eat. It will digest with the food. when i took my prenatals on an empty stomach it would make my morning sickness worse and I ended up visiting the bathroom more often than I usually did. Make sure your prenatals have iron and folic acid. I told a prenatal that had DHA as well. The iron keeps your blood healthy. The folic acid helps prevent some birth defects and the DHA helps with the brain development of your baby. 

5. Eat 8 to 12 ounces of Seafood a week. Check with your ob/gyn first as some doctors suggest this and some don't. Mine suggested it but told me to be careful of the mercury content  in the fish. She told me to stay away from tuna as it contains the most our of a majority of fish. The mercury is a metal that is very harmful to you and your baby. If you eat a lot of fish with mercury in it in the early stages of pregnancy it can lead to a miscarriage. If you eat a lot in the later stages of pregnancy it can cause some serious developmental issues for your little one. My doctor let me eat my favorite fish, salmon and shrimp. In these two fish the mercury levels are low and you still get your omega 3 and amino acids that  you and and your baby need.

Avoid the following:

a- Tuna

b- Swordfish

c- Tile Fish

d- Shark

e- King Mackerel

6. Don't Eat Soft Cheeses, Lunch and Cured Meats, or Raw Foods. Make sure you stay away from cheeses that have not been pasteurized. The bacteria levels are harmful to your baby and can cause some serious problems. Being a brie lover I had to stay away from it.

Cheeses to Stay Away From:

a- Blue Cheese

b- Brie

c- Feta

d- Roquefort

e- Gorgonzola 

Stay away from eating lunch and cured meats cold and raw foods. They also contain harmful bacteria. If you want to eat any lunch meat make sure you put it in a microwave oven or microwave and cook until it is steaming to kill all the bacteria. Examples of these foods are hot dogs, sausage patties, pepperoni, salami, and ham. Raw foods to say away from are sushi and any meat that is cooked rare to medium rare. If you are a steak eater get it cooked to at least  medium or medium well. A little pink is ok.

7. Limit Caffine and Get Rid of Alcohol and Nicotine. Doctors suggest that you dink decaffeinated coffee and never exceed two 8 oz cups a day. I drank regular coffee maybe 2 times a week. But some great alternatives to those who have a cup of coffee a day there is coffee flavored postum. Get the caffeine free kind and make it just like you regularly would with your coffee. I love it. Herbal tea is a great idea as well, but stay away from peppermint or mint teas. As they can cause contractions and if you drink a lot of it in early stages it can lead to a miscarriage. No alcohol or nicotine. I was a half a pack a day smoker but when I found out I was pregnant I quit cold turkey and haven't picked it back up since I gave birth. Not only do I feel like a brand new person but it is also good for my baby as she won't follow my poor example. 

For more research to do on your own here are a list of some resources that were helpful to me.

1. Parents.com

2. Webmd.com

3. What to Expect When You Are Expecting ( get the most recent edition as it is updated every year)

4. Health-finder.org

5. Med-health.net

6. Pregnancy Companion App. (available in iTunes and Google playstore)

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Please email me with what you have tried and what works for you, suggestions, topic ideas you would like me to write about or just have questions I would love to hear from you. ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com. Also in two days I am going to be launching a forum and blocking out time in my day 3 times a week to talk to my readers in person. Thanks again for visiting.

Until Tomorrow Then!