If I could buy it all today...

These are most of the things I would purchase to decorate my home:

Paint Color: Tree Branch (Sherwin Williams)



The perfect shelf/case for pictures and knick knacks from Ikea:



the matching shorter, wider shelf, also from Ikea:



Perfect couch from Ashley Furniture:



Rug for the living room from Kohls:



This decal behind the couch (from Etsy)



Those would be the main things :) Based on this, what the heck is my style called?

Wishing...

More Internet Window Shopping...

Diaper Dude @ Amazon


Constellation Turtle for Mikey's Nursery @ Amazon


that will make his room look like this at night:


Wall Decal's for the Babies Bathroom @ Etsy

Lets do lunch, at the beach, with Dr. Weil...

I am such a nut job. Mr. Right is only slightly irritated that I can't seem to make up my mind about which diet is the right one for me. For the last few days I've done no diet at all. Back to eating whatever. At the moment I'm torn between South Beach and this new thing called "Lets Do Lunch." Both diets are similar, but while South Beach allows grains and fruit in moderation, LDL allows unlimited amounts of fruit but no grain. On the flip side, LDL also allows unlimited beans, corn and they push eating your largest meal of the day at lunch. Click here to watch a short fox news documentary on the diet.

Then of course I'm always interested in overall health, and my man Dr. Andrew Weil is a super genius when it comes to improving your life through natural remedies.

I ordered both the South Beach diet book AND the Lets do Lunch book. Neither one will be here until after May 19th and I'm not willing to wait that long to start on a plan. So, for simplicities sake, I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to do "Lets do Lunch." Have you ever even heard of it? I hadn't either until Monday, and now I've pretty much convinced myself this is the way most humans should be eating everyday anyway. I just want to set a good example for my children!

And, speaking of Children, Mikey had his 4 month checkup today (he was a little late, actually being 4 months and 15 days old). Little man is checking in at 19 pounds and 28 inches! I almost fell out of my seat, lol. The doc said that even though he is pretty much off the charts, it is ok because he is proportionally off the charts, and that he will likely slow down over the next few months. Plus, he has been teething, and the doctor felt around and seems to think the bottom chompers will be popping out within the next month. She only gave me a little crap about starting him on Solids at 3.5 months, saying that since he could support his head and eat off the spoon, it was really fine. /Phew.

I've got those ten little tip-tap-tapping toes...

The look of pure rapture on Mikey's face upon his most recent discovery had me doubled over in laughter. Oh, cute! He can't get enough of those feet of his. They are his constant companions, always there to keep him company. Most recently, he has taken to holding his feet straight up in the air while I'm feeding him. Sort of feels like I'm playing football, lol.

From Mikey Finds His Feet 5.12.09

After searching in 3 separate stores in Maricopa and finally finding them at Fry's Marketplace, I purchased the Huggies Overnight Diapers in size 4. They don't seem that much more absorbent, but I have high hopes. I can't imagine he feels too comfy swimming in all that liquid, so hopefully this will help keep things dry.

Mikey has his 4 month checkup tomorrow. Not looking forward to the vaccinations, but at least this time I'll be prepared with Tylenol!

Overnight Diapers...

Is there such a thing as overnight diapers? Super Absorbent? I've become desperate! You see, my little Mikey sleeps so well on his tummy, but all his pee is concentrated at the front of his diaper, and since he sleeps 10-12 hours a night, his Huggies are getting drenched and the urine is seeping through his diaper, onto his PJ's and his sheets! I'm tired of washing sheets every night, lol.

Ok, I just googled it. Duh. How come I didn't know about these? Any recommendations on brands before I go out and buy them?

I've also been on the lookout for a new diaper bag. It seems as though everyone is always looking for a smaller bag, but I really do want something bigger. It isn't like I carry the thing for very long, and I like to carry along everything I might possibly need for about a week or so, lol. It appears that I may end up purchasing just a regular old tote or perhaps even a backpack. I'll spiff it up with patches and stickers to make it super cool for Mikey!

Also, loving this for the Jeep. I don't have a "net" to prevent groceries from rolling all over the place, and it appears that Lands End has thought of everything!

What I Know...

TheRightWife is in serious self improvement mode. Except, this time, I'm dragging everything and everyone around down with me. Or, should I say elevating everything and everyone? I'm trying so hard. I'm contemplating nurturing my spirituality by finding a church and opening a bible for the first time in over 20 years. I'm thinking about ways to make this house a home for my cherished family.

My heart is heavy with worry yet I have these occasional bouts of energy, motivation and inspiration gleaned from co-workers, other bloggers and memories of my grand mother. Right now its all about overcoming the "lazy" monster. Some peeps have the problem of never slowing down - not allowing themselves to relax. I suffer from the opposite. I think I haven't really done a thorough job cleaning since I went back to work after maternity leave, ha!

So, today, I did a lot of thinking. Thinking about how I want to bring religion into my and my families life, how I want to transform my house into a cozy, clean home and the steps my family needs to take to secure our future financially.

Fortunately, my motives have changed. Before, I wanted to address all these issues so I could compete with neighbors, friends and unknown folks on the interweb. Keeping up with the Joneses, I believe, is the term. Now my purposes revolve entirely around serving my family. My hope is that my ability to take action this time around will be successful because my heart is in the right place...

Mother's Day...

At some point during my pregnancy, I realized that this year I would be a cause worth celebrating according to halmark. Of course, Mikey is too little to celebrate my greatness and my Husband's debit card is cracked into two pieces and seeing as I now control the cash flow (just call me the ATM) my Husband can't easily celebrate my greatness, either.

But - that doesn't mean that I can't celebrate my greatness, lol.

I kind of want this TV Bench:



Ikea is selling it for the low low price of $179.00! I can even order it online. The TV stand we have now just won't do --- it is so rickety, the second the baby starts pulling himself up on whatever, the TV will come toppling down on him (so I suppose that sort of makes this a necessity actually).

Finally, please try not to be annoyed by my page at the moment. I was trying to code in an additional side bar, and for some reason it ended up on the right side instead of left of the main wrapper (Although, I might just keep it that way...)

Have a wonderful Mother's day this weekend, all!

Dreaming...

When it comes to baby raising, we definitely break some rules. For instance, when it comes to naptime, we have discovered that Mikey likes nothing more than to snuggle in our bed to enjoy his Ba, all while sinking into 6 inches of featherbed mattress on top of pillowtop mattress cuddled up to our down comforter. He will easily take a 2 hour nap 3 times a day in our bed if we allow it. We do. How could we not? The crib is perfect for sleeping at night (another rule we break - allowing him to sleep on his tummy --- I can't help it, the little guy saws logs for 12 hours on his tummy). Anyway, I snapped this picture of him during his evening nap yesterday:



*sigh*

Sometimes I just watch him while he dreams. I think his dreams must focus a lot on eating - he often makes chewing motions with his mouth while sleeping :)

Tonight I'm Tangled In My Blanket of Clouds, Dreaming Aloud

After further research, I've become quite excited about the South Beach Diet (SBD). For the first two weeks (Phase 1) I am allowed lean protein, all vegetables (with the exception of starchier veggies like Peas and Corn), vegetable juice, eggs, legumes (hooray for black, black eyed, pinto and refried beans!) and certain dairy products (1% milk, plain low fat yogurt, low fat cheese) and nuts & seeds. Phase 1 is supposed to last 2 weeks, but I can imagine being content on it for longer than two weeks. Phase 2 allows for the addition of fruit and whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta and grainy bread. It isn't open season by any means. The plan directs you to add specific amounts at specific meals.

Another exciting concept? Snacking! SBD calls for snacking between meals.

Other things that I'm excited about that are sort of lame? The Sims 3, which comes out June 2nd, and Wal Mart in Maricopa, opening in 13 days!

Going to the Beach...

I've been on the low carb bandwagon as of late. The Atkins Diet, specifically. At a birthday party this last weekend, a friends little sister shared some information with my husband and I about The South Beach Diet. While I've always known about the diet, for some silly reason I've always tended to look down on South Beachers as unable to comitt to the almighty hard core low carb Atkins. They were wuses. They wouldn't really lose weight, would they? How could they! Carbs! Arghhh!

Fast forward to Sunday, and my interest was growing. I started searching for forums, faq's, any basic information I could glean about the diet from the web. From what I can gather, it reminds me a lot of the way my grandmother ate. Mr. Right adored her spreads of fruit, vegetables and nuts with a small platter of bread, meat and cheese for sandwiches. It was satisfying - not too filling - and always refreshing. I think that is mostly what is drawing me to the diet at this point. But, for once in my life, I'd like to start out on the right foot instead of rushing in head first with half the information. With that in mind, I used a Border's Gift Card to purchase South Beach Diet SuperCharged along with 3 other books.

SBD (south beach diet) Supercharged is the latest version of the book about the diet. I'm not entirely aware of what changes were made, but I imagine that the author will spend a good deal of time addressing all the new lower carb products available now. I'm looking forward to reading it cover to cover before making my first shopping trip. I think Mr. Right may be jumping on the SBD wagon with me, as well.

Besides the diet book, I also purchased Real Solutions for Busy Moms and Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons that Will Change Your life by Kathy Ireland. After watching Kathy Ireland on the Huckabee show, I have found a new role model. I'm not sure how practical this is, and I suppose I will let you know after I have read her books! (I'm trying to be realistic about the fact that Kathy is a former super model and millionaire!)

Finally, I purchased "Today's Mom: Essentials for Surviving Baby's First Year". I'm hoping this book isn't filled with liberal drivel such as "Make your Husband do everything in the name of Feminism!" I'm looking for practical and applicable information that I can implement in my life to be a better wife and mother. Really, at the end of the day, that is what it is all about for me. I'm pretty happy with my life, and feel quite lucky most days, but I know that I can be doing a better job. I love my little family, and I want to take care of them to the best of my ability.

All these books should be arriving in the next several days - I look forward to sharing what I learn with you all!

Leaving the Nest...

Traditionally, our children grow older and move away from home. Some, such as my husband and I, don't wander too far away. Others strive to get as far away from home as possible.

After transferring to AZ in the early 90's for work, Mr. Right's parents (my in-laws) are finally moving back home to South Carolina. It feels weird to say they are moving back home --- they have lived in Arizona for at least 15 years. Every minute that I have known them, they have lived in the same house, just an hour up the road. Anyway, they have found a house they want to move into, and in just a few short weeks they will be putting their home on the market.

As far as Mr. Right and I? Well, we aren't going anywhere. Even if we wanted to go, it wouldn't be possible with the economy and the job market. And, if we could just pick up and leave, I'm pretty sure at this point that we don't want to. So, they will go, and we will not. I have to admit, I started entertaining visions of "Everyone Loves Raymond" and having them move in across the street from us. Mr. Right and I want a big family - at least 4 children if possible (5 if I have my way). Wouldn't it be fun to live extremely close to the grand parents and have them involved in our lives on an almost daily basis? Am I out of my mind? My best friend Valerie lives just 2 blocks over from her parents, and they all seem as happy as can be!

I don't think the reality of this has set in for Mr. Right. At the moment, we usually see his parents a few times a month. Now that we've got the grand baby, I'm sure they would love to see us every week, if not every day. We are going to go from seeing them a few times a month to only a few times a year.

What it all comes down to is that they've got to do what is right for them. Yeah, it might suck for us, but I guess we've just got to step back and let them fly back south for the winter.

Mikey cries IRL.

The Right Diet...

I was all about setting up a separate blog to track my weight loss. I even created the blog. But, true to form, I was unable to commit to more than one blog. Besides, it is selfish to expect my readers to venture over to another blog. Blog reading can be time consuming, and I might as well just post ALL the various pieces of my life in one easy to find place :)

Anyway, I'm back to my old friend, Dr. Atkins. Like trying on a pair of broken in comfy sneakers. I know the in's & out's of the diet. I'm not hungry. Plus, there are so many low carb products out there now that it makes it even easier! I find myself watching cooking shows and converting them to low carb recipes in my head. For example, this morning I was watching a new show on the Food Network called 5 Ingredient Fix. This was the menu:

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Cheesy Penne

Dreamfields makes a low carb penne pasta that I would use instead of regular penne. Other than that, both recipes are fairly low in carbs! I'll probably try making this for dinner tomorrow and will post pictures!

Did I mention - I'm down 6 pounds in 10 days! Only 4 more days left of Induction, then the fun starts!