Friday Things
1. Einstein and Duke have had an eventful week… On Saturday evening, we were watching TV on the couch when Duke started chasing his tail behind the couch (not unusual, he does it all the time). All of a sudden, he started crying and we ran back there and wouldn’t put weight on his leg. To make a long story short, we freaked out, drove to the emergency vet, got out, and he was FINE. Took him to our regular vet this week and he appears to be in just fine shape – no damage done. They gave him some anti-inflammatory meds and think he just may have twisted or sprained something.
We brought both of them to the vet appointment this week so we could get Einstein weighed since he was put on a diet a couple of months ago. He’s lost 6 pounds! The vet still said he could stand to lose a few more, but he’s looking slimmer, and we’ve noticed he’s much more playful and spunky since dropping the weight. Ironically, Duke GAINED 6 pounds, so now Einstien is actually only 4 pounds heavier than Duke. It’s crazy since their builds are so different; plus, Einstien has such a curly/fluffy coat that I think it naturally makes him look bigger.
2. Before Duke decided to give us a heart attack on Saturday, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I spent the better part of Friday and Saturday working on our baby registry. It was exhausting, but fun. It was exciting to pick out sheet sets and start to envision a little guy using all of this stuff!
3. Speaking of baby, I’ve started to brainstorm of list of things that I want to get stocked in the freezer before the baby arrives to make meals easier for the first few weeks. For those of you who have been there, what’s most helpful to have in the freezer? Suggestions are definitely welcome!
4. This fall has been awesome when it comes to new cookbooks from food bloggers! If you haven’t checked them out yet, definitely add these to your list: Decorating Cookies Party (Bake at 350), Joy the Baker Homemade Decadence (Joy the Baker), Seriously Delish (How Sweet It Is), and The Skinnytaste Cookbook.
5. A couple of days ago, Harry & David tweeted a picture of this four-pound solid chocolate turkey and I almost died. I would pass up the real turkey at Thanksgiving dinner for that chocolate one any day of the week.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
6. Last Friday, my new iPhone 6 Plus showed up! When I first opened it, I had a split second of “OMG, what did I do? This phone is HUGE!” However, after playing around with it for a little while, I fell absolutely in love with it. Now, to find a great case for it because I’m terrified that I’m going to drop and shatter it… it’s quite a bit thinner than previous models. I’ve been using an Otterbox Defender with my previous phones, but since this one is larger, I’m wondering if it’ll make it too bulky. However, you can’t beat the protection – I’ve dropped my previous phone in parking lots and on ceramic tile, and it survived a Golden Retriever puppy who has a certain affinity for that bright pink Otterbox case!
7. Do any of you ladies subscribe to the Dollar Shave Club? I’ve seen a ton of female friends like it on Facebook, but I’m slightly skeptical! However, I also hate paying for ladies’ razors that only do an adequate job at best.
8. Last night was the start of hockey season here in Pittsburgh, and I was determined to make it to the home opener this year for a few reasons. One, it’s my most favorite game of the year – new beginnings! Two, it might be the only game I actually get to this season given that I’m getting bigger by the day and once January rolls around, we’ll have a newborn. I was also excited to see Pittsburgh native John Gibson as the starting goalie for Anaheim. PLUS, soft pretzel braid. Enough said.
9. In case you missed it, I’m giving away an awesome new Crock-Pot Slow Cooker this week – it has a stovetop-safe cooking insert, which means no more dirtying multiple pots to get a meal ready for the slow cooker! If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to enter the giveaway before midnight tonight!
10. TGIF! I hope you have a relaxing weekend!
TD, way to try and freak the lady out.
I honestly don’t know what freezes well, BUT before I had my daughter I made a bunch of homemade granola and ate that when I was home alone; I didn’t have any trouble cooking then (like the one lady said), it’s now that she’s almost a year old that early evening she becomes completely out of sorts.
You’ll develop your plan.
Hang in there!
loved the photo, which I thought it would make a wonderful Christmas one. Wear a pair of black boots, a red top and do the same take, and HoHOHO…
love the blog, the cooking ideas, Duke and Einstein and the most important, the progress of you pregnancy. Thanks for taking the time and make our Fridays extra happy!!! Monica
we
When our daughter was born in January, I had stocked the freezer so full that you needed weights to keep the lid closed. It was a lifesaver, as I didn’t have to cook for MONTHS.
We had lasagna, enchilada lasagna, meatloaf, meatballs, porcupine meatballs, shepherds pie, and a few other types of casseroles. I also made a ton of slow cooker bags, stews, soups, teriyaki chicken, mongolian beef, marinaded chicken breasts, spaghetti sauce, etc. If you plan to breastfeed, try to avoid foods that make you gassy (i.e. no chili!). I found that foods that made me gassy, also made baby gassy. no fun! Also, I avoided really spicy foods, because I’ve heard they don’t always agree with baby.
I also loved having snack food on hand, because I was always hungry. I love muffins and scones, and probably had dozens ready to go in the freezer. This is probably TMI, but you’ll want to have lots of fiber rich foods for the first week or two. Morning glory muffins and bran muffins were my best friend.
Good luck! I had so much fun stocking the freezer in anticipation for baby!
Before our youngest was born, I froze a bunch of crock-pot meals (easy to throw on in the morning and have dinner done while still in that sleepless-new-baby-fog), a few bags of spaghetti sauce, some muffins, and 2 pans of lasagna.
The muffins being pre-done were a HUGE help when it came to needing something quick to nibble on one-handed while nursing. It was easy to reheat them and have them ready to go when I needed them :)
(On a different note, if you’re on reddit I can’t recommend /r/babybumps enough! You can be completely anonymous and there is a wonderful support system and a ridiculous wealth of information there without people being super weird or all up in your grill. It’s a neat place to browse, anyways :) )
I agree with what many of the others said. Pasta sauce (with meatballs and whatever else you like) along with baked ziti freeze really well. We just used a ziti stashed away from our baby in May. Marinated chicken portioned out. Pulled pork, any type of chili. My husband like this baked pasta take on chicken parmwith mini chicken meatballs. I found we didn’t need them in the immediate weeks after because family was often around but was a savior when all of our parents were gone and my husband was back at work. I’m trying to do a second round stock up now that I am back at work. Stock on bags of frozen veggies, I don’t mind the steam in the microwave kind. Anything to help make it easier and still get us some veggies. I wish I had gotten my husband more comfortable in the kitchen ahead of time. Since he gets home first he often has to at least start some of the meals.
I love reading your Friday updates! I am due with my first baby a week after you! I’ve been looking up freezer meals too and have found some good ones on Thriving Home Blog – I’ve made the Ham & Cheese Sliders, Chicken Parm, and Baked Tortellini for a friend with a new baby and they’ve all been a hit. I would love to hear about any good recipes you find.
One thing I suggest you have plenty of are baby wash cloths and a handy basket to keep them in. I would keep some in diaper bag with a bottle of water too. I didn’t like using wipes on my children’s faces. A clean cloth with water is better for baby’s face. (Gift idea – Fill any size basket along with baby wash, wrapped in a hooded bath towel or receiving blanket, tied together with a pink or blue ribbon, instead of spending money on wrapping paper that will get thrown away). I always had a baby wash cloth basket and the grown up wash cloth basket. And a basket for cloth diapers used for burp towels only.
PLEASE, please, please keep that cell phone as far away from your belly as possible! The radiation isn’t good for you or your baby. And when your baby is born, please keep the cell phone away from the little one as much as possible. People don’t think about those things and I see parents all the time with the phones right next to their babies! It scares me. No one knows yet what long term phone radiation will do to us.
My husband is the one who told me about the Dollar Shave Club. I love it! It is inexpensive and I think the shave I get is much better than women razors. Plus, I love the shave gel they sell. It seems to slow hair regrowth and you don’t need to use much each time.
It seems like you and your husband are home most of the day. I bet with some creative time management, you could prep most of a meal during the day and have it ready to go around dinner time. I’m still a fan of a bigger lunch and a light meal for dinner. Maybe something to consider, especially since a lot of babies get in that inconsolable mood around dinner time?
Razors are expensive, but I consider having a good razor worth it especially since I have to shave every day. I buy a big pack from BJ’s since it works out much cheaper.
Very jealous of your iPhone! Mine is not scheduled to ship until next week! Ugh
I second (or maybe third or fourth, I didn’t read all the comments) Sara K. on the soup (I just made a batch of beef & barley vegetable today) AND the Ballistic phone case. For the soup, I recommend freezing it in individual containers. Then you can pop it in the microwave for 8 minutes and have what you want. Otherwise it takes forever to warm it up. PLUS, you and your hubby can each have exactly the flavor you want! Way better than compromise. And in January, you’ll want LOTS of soup. :)
On another note, I have had two Ballistics cases (on my current phone and my past phone) and dropped them on concrete two or three times with no issue whatsoever. Ballistic is quite a bit cheaper than Otterbox, too.
Re: razors…why not have the hair on your legs laser end off? Yes, the initial outlay is high but when you think about how much you’d spend on razors during your life and the time it takes as well as the abrasions and cuts you’ll suffer, laser hair removal is the way to go. I suggest underarms and bikini line also.
Those dogs are so adorable!
Dollar Shave Club is legit! I have been getting them for over 6 months. It really is $6 for the 4 blade razorblades. I love this company!
Like the others said, Lasagna for sure. I still make one and cut it into 2 portion servings and freeze it that way. I also do not use lasagna noodles-I use rotini. I always hated the what would happen when you cut into lasagna noodles. An enchilada casserole is good to freeze in portion sizes also. One of my favorites is actually meatloaf in muffin tins (or a mini loaf tin). Just bake, pop them out and then freeze in a ziplock bag. My youngest is 29 and these are things i still do.
BTW-one of the best things I did when my kids were babies was to double or triple sheet their cribs. I would put those waterproof pads in between too. That way if they wet through in the middle of the night I didn’t have to change the sheets, just pull off to the next set-saved me a bunch of aggravation. Enjoy!
I subscribe to Dollar Shave Club using the mid-tier razor. It works for me, just as well as any other razor I’ve used. No extra cuts on my legs or anything. I would recommend it.
Ditto on the comments about not stocking up on meals, but I was lucky with my first (of three). He was quite the sleeper. If you do freeze ahead, you may want to freeze ingredients to shorten prep time (e.g. cooked chicken, diced onions, browned burger, etc.)
As to razors, I’ve been using Bic disposable razors ever since I read an article on Pioneer Woman. They don’t shave as close, so your skin doesn’t dry out and are quite economical. I do have to shave more often.
Even though we live in San Diego, my husband has roots in Pittsburgh and the Penguins are his favorite team. He just bought this for our baby boy who is due at the end of December: http://shop.nhl.com/Pittsburgh_Penguins_Kids_Jerseys/Reebok_Evgeni_Malkin_Pittsburgh_Penguins_Infant_2014_Replica_Stadium_Series_Player_Jersey_-White. I think your little guy might need one as well! I also really appreciate all of the freezer-friendly ideas. I think we’ll be doing the same thing in the coming weeks!
I would stock up some frozen dinners like casseroles, enchiladas, etc as others have mentioned. I’d also make some sort of steel-cut oats and freeze them individual portions that you can microwave. Breakfast bars. Food with good calories and things that make you happy. Tired stressed out mamas need lots of good calories – i loved hot oatmeal, good muffins, and snacks as I was always hungry.
I have used the Dollar Shave Club for awhile and I love it! I have the mid-priced option and it works just great! I’ve used Venus in the past and the lotion strips on it actually irritated my skin a lot. The DSC razor hasn’t caused any irritation at all and the blades are great quality!
Always enjoy the Friday posts. I had a 2 1/2 year old when I had twins, didn’t have freezer meals or anything prepared, and made it just fine.
I just had a son in July and freezer meals were really helpful (coups, shredded chicken, muffins, breakfast sandwiches). I made the mistake of making a lot of casseroles with cheese or other dairy products because I didn’t really know any better and didn’t think it would be an issue. At about 6 weeks, we found out my son has a dairy sensitivity and reflux, so I can’t eat/drink dairy anymore! A few meals are still in the freezer just because I can’t eat them. Just make sure to have a variety of meals – some without dairy/soy/gluten if you plan on breastfeeding. Hopefully your little guy has no issues, but I wish I would’ve had more dairy free freezer options!
i didn’t stock the freezer too much before my child was born. I think I cooked up some ground beef to use in chili, tacos, etc. and that’s about it. We didn’t have anyone make meals for us, either. We managed just fine. Like others said, we lowered our standards a bit at first (store bought bread instead of homemade, for instance) and ate really simple meals. I am a stay-at-home mom, so I’ve always done kitchen work while the little one sleeps.
I have been a member of Dollar Shave Club now for about 4 months and I am pretty pleased. I subscribe to the quad blade razor ($4/month) and find it comparable in quality to the Shock Quatro I was using before, but infinitely less expensive. I change my blades more often now, as it is more affordable to do so, and find that my shaves are closer and smoother with the fresher blade.