Starting Over #EOHM

So I decided to start over. Last week was tough. We dined out 3 times! Awful. Just awful. Since September is shot, we decided to revisit the challenge with a slight change. Instead of eating only homemade meals for the month of September, we decided that we would only eat homemade meals for 30 days, starting with today. I fail a lot. I make promises I can't or don't keep. I disappoint myself and others often, but there's always grace. I pick myself up and try again. So, here's another chance to try again. The first attempt I put too much pressure on myself to get it right the first time. Be perfect, I told myself. This time I'm taking it easy and going simple. No complicated menus. If we eat the samething every day so be it. Oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and chicken and rice for dinner every single day will be boring, but it's a start.

I would like to invite you, my readers, to join me. I like accountability and the more the merrier! I will instagram all meals and snacks using hashtag #EOHM to help me stay accountable. You can LIKE my FB page A Girl Of Many Hats for daily updates. I will update the blog once a week with a recount of that week's triumphs and failures.

Let the challenge begin! Again!

EOHM Day 3

Today was a near success.

Breakfast:
My super quick & simple take on Mediterranean burritos & rolled oats. I scrambled eggs with a little butter, onions, red & green bell peppers, & tomatoes. I filled the best flour tortillas from HEB with the scrambled eggs and topped with feta cheese. Other then the butter, cheese, & veggies, I did not season the eggs. The rolled oats were doctored only with a bit of brown sugar.

Lunch:

For my daughter and I, lunch consisted of an assortment of fruits, veggies, & spreads.
• Greek yogurt
• Grapes
• Cucumbers
• Apples & peanut butter
• Leftovers from the night before
My husband was unable to stick to the pact for lunch today due to an unavoidable situation at work so he ate fast food.

**I forgot to take a picture of lunch

Midday Snack:

Flour tortilla with feta and avocado

Dinner:

I'm very proud of dinner tonight! We had grilled pork chops, steamed green beans, & baked sweet potatoes. The pork & beans were not seasoned. The sweet potatoes had a tiny bit of butter & brown sugar.

All in all I'm happy with the outcome of the day & can't wait to do better tomorrow. 

Eating Only Homemade Meals All of September!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

So a friend of mine on Facebook stated that her and her family had made the commitment to not dine out or order in for the whole month of September. I thought, "What a great idea!". So after talking it over with my husband we too made a commitment to each other to do the same. As an accountability measure I decided that I would blog about it. I have a lot going on right now; doctor appointments, I'm starting a new and FREE Zumba Fitness class at our church, I'm pregnant, I'm working toward becoming a sales director in my Mary Kay business, a vendor fair that I'm helping organize, and I'm in charge or participating in several ministries/events at our church. As usual I have too much on my plate, by my own choice, and need a way to stay accountable.

This is really what this blog is all about, my struggles and victories of being a Girl of Many Hats. So, y'all help me be accountable, please!

Day One
Major FAIL. We decided to do this the night before and hadn't gone grocery shopping. The first of September was a Sunday, which is our busy day of the week. I luckily had food for breakfast, but had to buy lunch and dinner because we had to hit three different stores to purchase food for the next couple of weeks. We only had enough time to drop of the groceries at home before heading right back to church for choir practice and evening service. So Sunday was our mulligan. Our only mulligan. No more.

Day Two
Success! All three meals and snacks were homemade. We had to go to the Kia dealership to have the oil changed in the car, so I packed drinks and snacks so we wouldn't be tempted to hit up a vending machine or fast food window!

I'm looking forward to the next 28 days.

Good night!

Elora Danan's Language Skills at 16 Months

Elora Danan is a smart little girl. I know I'm bias because I'm her mom; however I'm still convinced I have a very bright munckin. There are a few words she can say clearly and be understood by everyone else and not just me. She also has 3 'sentences' that she uses correctly.

Here are her words:
• Mama
• Daddy
• Hi
• Bye
• Go
• Up
• Please
• Pretty
• Bubbles
• Outside
• Nose

Here are her 3 'sentences':
• Thank You
• Brush Teeth
• Right There

I hope I didn't forget any. I'd say that presently at 16 months, Elora Danan has a 15 to 18 word vocabulary which she uses correctly. The rest of it is giberrish as she experiments with constructing sentences and the give and take of conversation. All in all I'm super proud and excited for the next few months as she begins to learn more words and will be able to hold a conversation with me.

Side note:
For words she cannot say she communicates via signing.

Words she signs:
• More (correctly signed)
• All Gone or Done (made up our own. She didn't take to the correct signing)
• Yes (nods her head)
• No (shakes her head)

That's all I can think of right now. I'm no expert in child development and I'm a first time mom, but I personally think Elora Danan is right on track or possibly advanced.  Either way it doesn't matter.  She's bright, happy, healthy, and for lack of a better word, perfect. I love her like crazy.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings!

Preggo clothes for the vertically challenged much needed.

Shopping for petite maternity clothes is frustrating! Just because I'm preggers doesn't mean I don't want to look put together.

During my first pregnancy my dear sister sent me her maternity clothes. As appreciative as I was, I was also frustrated because I couldn't wear any till I was about 8 months.  I spent most of the time with my regular pants unbuttoned and unzipped held up by a hair tie I looped through the button hole.

Mostly all lines of maternity tops start at small regular. I am petite. I am 4'11" and clothes made for the average woman (5'4"-5'5") never fit correctly. The problems I'm running into are that the shoulders are too wide, the torso is too long, sleeves are too long, and bust is too big. Sleeveless tops are another beast because the armholes are to big and expose my bra.

Pants/shorts. Crotch is too long and leg length of course is too long. The seat of the pants/shorts are to big and appear saggy.

Dresses and skirts. The top part of the dress have to same ill fitting issues as tops and blouses. The bottom of the dress and skirts share the same difficulties for me. The length (whether it be mini or maxi) is always too long and the waist never sits in the right place.

Aside from only being able to find one or two petite sized maternity clothes the smallest size is 'small'. Maternity apparel is designed to mirror your pregnancy size. If you are a size medium before getting pregnant then your maternity size is also medium. Simple, right? Well, I can't find my size in mommy-to-be wear.

Rawr rawr rawr!

I continue to search online and local stores. If anyone knows where I can find some for a reasonable price I'd appreciate you dropping me a note. Most times specialty sized clothing is crazy expensive.

Okay, end rant. Thanks for listening...er...reading. Have a lovely night and a safe holiday weekend.

FLASH SALE 30% OFF and FREE SHIPPING

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Here is my gift to you!

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Use Code ZWL84...for great savings!!

Another FLASH SALE!!!
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Life Changer :)

Soon we will be welcoming Baby Pang #2 into the world!!

Yay!

Mother's Day Threads :)

I dressed for Mother's Day. Not dressed up. I got dressed. Most days I wear lounging clothes. I figured I'd shower and get dressed for my 2nd Mother's Day.

Seee.....

P.S. Look at my biceps! I've been working on my muscle definition.

My Spidey Sense is Tingling!

Today I actually got up at a decent time, because someone let me sleep through the night. Thank you, sweet child! I even showered, put on a little make up, and dressed in a cute outfit.  I fed Little Bits breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher, straightened the living room, and got my toddler to take a nap (for 2 whole hours). I was feeling quite accomplished. Almost like a real mother and housewife...yay. I decided to take a little break and reward myself with my first cup of coffee and breakfast before tackling laundry next. I start prepping our Keurig and suddenly I get the notion to go into the garage. Boy, am I glad...I would have never gone into the garage today if it hadn't been for my Spidey Sense. I'm a huge Spiderman fan.

WATER everywhere! There was a leak. I don't know where the water was coming from, but I had to quickly attempt to rescue our belongs from further water damage. The bulk of the damage was focused on the box containing Eric's military awards, certificates, etc! I began emptying boxes and laying out documents and certificates to dry. Eric's childhood artwork and awards for Boy Scouts were also damaged. It was so sad. I know that they are just possessions, but Eric was saving them to share with our children and grandchildren.

Eric came home for lunch and helped me with the other boxes that were to heavy for me to move. He called maintenance and they came out immediately. They found the cause of the problem. The hose on our washer wasn't tightened enough and had slowly been dripping into the wall. This should not have been a problem because the draining pipe should have been moving the water out. The maintenance man said that they will be back on Monday to break through the wall and find the leak in the pipe!

Looks like this weekend will be spent unpacking the rest of our belongings and trying to find a place for them all. Fun. I am glad though. I've been trying to do this on my own and I haven't gotten much of anywhere. Now Eric will be more eager to help me on his days off so we can get it done and I can finally start keeping house better. Here's a picture of some items ruined by the water.