Is it Possible to be Cute while Pregnant?

One of the things that was a major bummer for me when I was pregnant with Zion was the financial struggles we were going through at the time.  There were several items that I felt would have made my pregnancy more enjoyable, (had we had been able to purchase them), one of which was, maternity clothes.

I had just achieved my ideal weight and the best shape of my life prior to getting pregnant, so going through the weight gain and body changes accompanied by pregnancy was very difficult for me.  I think that part of the reason it was so difficult was because I couldn't by comfortable clothes that made me feel cute and pregnant.  Next time around it is going to be different.  :)

Even though I am not pregnant {yet} I love checking out maternity clothes.  I really love Destination Maternity, so I was browsing their new arrivals for Spring the other day and fantasizing about what a cute pregnant Courtney could look like sometime in the not too distant {hopefully} future!

Here are a few ways you can save big this week if you are in the shopping mood:

Free shipping on orders over $100 at Destination Maternity. Use code: FEBDM - valid February 16-20, 2012.

Buy One Get One 50% off select styles ż jeans, pants, tees, tanks, panties & nursing tanks at Destination Maternity. Valid February 1-20, 2012.

Buy One Get One Free on select clearance items at Destination Maternity. Valid February 1-20, 2012.

Featured Sponsor {Mallory of Mallory's Musings}

Hi!  I'm Mallory.  I am stay at home mom in my late twenties living on the Gulf Coast of Florida with my handsome husband and a very spirited almost 2 year old daughter named Aubrey .  My blog is basically about the ins and outs of me as a mom, which has proven to be quite the adventure.  I love to cook, craft and take photos and I share all of those things with you.  Please stop on by and say hi.

Define "Love" in your own words?

This one is a toughy because love can mean so many different things.  The definition can change drastically depending on what or who you are talking about.  I do think there are a few words that universally describe love and those are: respect, desire and admiration.

Your favorite Love story and why?  

I love the classic love stories and the ones that start out as young love and last a life time.  Maybe because that's how my love story goes(the young love ones, that is).  Some favorites that come to mind are Queen Victoria and Prince Albert,  Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and of course Allie and Noah from The Notebook.

Tell us about the Best Valentine's Day you've ever had? 

 We aren't big about Valentine's Day around our house.  There have been plenty of romantic things that we have done for each other but they don't necessarily fall on Valentine's Day.    Instead of telling you about my best Valentine's Day, I will tell you about the one that I remember most, which is our first one as a couple.  Joe and I were seniors in high school and we had just started dating the month before.  I wanted to do something cute but not over the top for him so I asked his twin brother if there were any video games or movies that Joe wanted.  He told me that he wanted some basketball game for Playstation.  I went out and bought the game plus a bag of mini snickers bars because I knew they were his favorite.  I put the game in a gift bag surrounded by the snickers.  I was so excited to give it to him Valentine's morning at school and he loved it.  The bummer was that he nothing for me.  He said it was because he didn't want to bring it to school and he was going to come visit me at work that night.  I worked at a resort and that night I was working at the ice skating rink there.  Joe did show up that night with a few gifts for me.  He brought flowers, chocolate covered strawberries and a perfume gift set.  Which was totally sweet except for he must have forgot that he told me he had bought that perfume for his ex-girlfriend for Christmas but they broke up before he had the chance to give it to her- whomp whomp.  From that moment on I knew if I wanted a real romancer Joe was probably not my guy.  Thankfully ten happy years later, he has more than made up for his for first Valentines Day mishap.

Connect with Mallory: Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Happy Valentine's Day!

Oh hubby…I miss you.  Only a week from tomorrow babe!  Love you!

The Weekly Wrap {2.11.12}

Things have been a little delayed … what can I say…keeping up with three toddlers is quite the job! :)  Enjoy these pictures from our visit in Texas so far!

Fun on the trampoline. 

Enjoying yummy treats, and family favorites.

I finally learned how to make virgin mojitos!

 Some much needed time outside on a rainy day!

Nonstop fun with these kids!

Delicious Flatbread & Dipping Sauces…YUM!

Presenting my beautiful little niece: Sofia Elliana! 

I miss you all, but I'm having a great time! :)  How was your week?

"Pinning!" {wk.12} RED!

Sorry this got delayed this morning! I had completed my collage and just as I was about to click on save, I lost EVERYTHING.  Ugh!  Without any further delay:

Welcome to "Pinning!"!!!

First timer?  It's simple:

Follow your hosts: Courtney & Kimberly

and

 Link up your favorite pins for the week

or

Participate in the theme of the week

This week's theme: RED

What better theme in anticipation of Valentine's day!?

1.  Owl Always Love You Plush

2.  Red Couture Wedding Gown

3.  Goddess Pleat Baby Dress

4. Rihanna in Roses

5. Red Corduroy Teddy Bear

6. Gorgeous Red Tresses

7. LouBoutin inspired Manicure

8. Beautiful Red Leaves

9.  Fluffy Red Horse Plush

10.  Rose Red Art

11. Poinsettia The Way Jacket

12. Elephant Plush

13.  Floppy Striped Bunny Plush

14.  Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

15.  Modern Wall Art

THANK YOU for Linking up last week!  

Check out Kimberly's Blog to see who won last week's title of Pinning-est!

Are you "Pinning"?  

Come on, everyone is doing it.  

Join us MONDAYS for weekly sharing of Pinterest finds.  

February 13th: RED (Cause, you know, V-day is tomorrow!)

February 20th: P.S. I Love You (Be Creative!)

February 27th: This is My Style (Define your style!)

March: We'll be doing something new! Stay tuned!

Muffintop Meltdown {v.6}

Progress, Points & My Favorite Jeans
Progress Report:

Weight Lost This Week: Unknown

Total Weight Lost: 7 pounds

Inches Lost This Week: Unknown

Total Inches Lost: 10.5 inches

Points Earned:

This Week: 0 (Wasn't Counting!)

Points Balance: 307

This post is coming at you delayed, simply because I've been insanely busy this past week with the arrival of my baby niece (pictures & details to follow!)  I've been busy helping with three toddlers and other household chores.  Every night I've been utterly exhausted by the time the kids are all in bed.  

I didn't measure myself or do a weigh-in (I mentioned previously that my sister informed me that she doesn't have a  scale so that is out until I get home in NYC.)  I also decided not to track points.  I've been really needing to be flexible in everything, and I'm admittedly off track a bit.  I'm still not discouraged though.  In life there are always temporary setbacks…the key is seeing them as just that…temporary.  

Today, I thought I'd share a two part goal I have regarding two of my favorite pairs of jeans ever:

1.  Goal #1 is to fit into my 7 jeans again.  Right now I can pull them almost all the way, but I cannot button them or zip them, too much hip/butt, so as that region shrinks these will easily fit again.

2.  Goal #2 is to fit into my Express jeans again.  I haven't worn these jeans since before my wedding/honeymoon.  I can pull these up to about mid thigh right now…so I have some work to do! 

In other news, I begin my Medifast 5-in-1 program tomorrow morning.  I am excited to get things going in the right direction again.  I delayed starting the program because I had a moment of clarity about attempting to start it while watching three toddlers all by myself for 48 hours…not the brightest idea.  I can't wait to share progress with that later in the week, and let you know how it is going and what I really think of it.

This Week:

I'm proud of these choices:

Well, I am sure there is something to be proud of, but I can't really think of anything, eek!

I'd like to work more on:

I haven't really been working out this past week and a half, nor have I been very disciplined with my eating plan.  The family here knows how to cook, so it is REAL hard to stick to my own food! :)

I totally cheated when:

I've been having a TON of dessert, so bad, really, like ice cream, cupcakes, cookies…woe is me!

How did you do this week?

Want to catch up on my journey? V.5, V.4, V.3, V.2, V.1

O.M.Y. {oh.my.yum} Featuring Sarah from The Fontenot Four!

Check out this delicious recipe from Sarah of {the Fontenot Four}!

On Saturday morning I was browsing Pinterest.I wanted a simple crock pot recipe for chicken.I wasn't feeling well.  I had thawed out chicken.  Had to cook it. But didn't want to exert a lot of effort!Ever have those days??I came across this pin for Cilantro Lime Crock Pot Chicken:Source: pipandebby.com via Sarah on Pinterest
I checked my pantry and, sure enough, I had the ingredients...pretty much.I had bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, not boneless skinless.I had dried cilantro, not fresh.I had lime juice in a bottle, not a fresh lime.Well, that worked for me so here is my version of this recipe! Easy Delicious Cilantro Lime Crockpot Chicken: So so nice to have a Kindle Fire to put on the counter for easy access to the recipe!!

Aside from the chicken, here's what you'll need:

A 24 oz jar of your favorite salsa.  I had a club-size bottle, so I measured out 24 oz.

The original recipe calls for the juice of 1 lime.  I did not have one, so I added 1 tbsp of "Realime" lime juice.

Instead of fresh cilantro {because I had none}, I used not quite 1/4 cup of dried cilantro.

Add 1 pouch of your favorite taco seasoning.

Blend everything together in your crock pot.

Throw in a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts.

{mine were bone-in skin-on, so I de-boned and de-skinned them before putting them in}

Cover the chicken with the salsa mixture.

Set the crock pot to low for 6 hours.

{about 4.5 or 5 hours in, I put it on warm}

Towards the end, I threw some white rice into my rice cooker.

Chicken is ready!

Serve the chicken over rice and top with the salsa mixture.

Not photographed: I then put some tortilla chips on the side and topped with some of the salsa mixture.  I added a generous amount of shredded "Mexican" blend cheese as well as dollop of sour cream!

This was so good that this post was supposed to go up Monday but I couldn't wait to share it with you!!

And before you say aren't you starting a fast??  Well, yes I am...it starts at sundown tonight.  This is not a Daniel Fast recipe, that's for sure.  And I enjoyed every bit of it! Enjoy!
My mouth is totally watering from this recipe: cilantro & lime---that is all you had to say!!  Thanks, Sarah for this delicious recipe…I'm hoping to get to cook this for my sister's family while I'm visiting with them.  :)  
Friends, you should totally visit Sarah's blog…this lady is inspiring in all that she does!  :)




 

An Attitude of Gratitude {Featuring Ronni from Anywhere Is}

Hey friends!  My friend Ronni from Anywhere-Is has a powerful message on gratitude to share with you while I'm away {hopefully surviving three toddlers!} in Texas.  Enjoy!

When I was a little girl, I was pretty happy. You know how they say ignorance is bliss? Yeah. It was like that. My parents spoiled my sister and me (seriously, every Christmas was insane!), and I loved school. If I lacked anything, I didn't know it (well, except for the Merry-Go-Round stroller and the Sit-N-Spin, but never mind those!), and I had everything I needed. We had a house in the city, and this house had a huge yard. Strawberry patches, plum trees, and a grape vine was something to take for granted. Giant pine trees with benches to cool off under. Gardens. Grass to play in forever. I didn't know that stuff was special, or a luxury. We lived upstairs from my grandfather, who I called Puddin'. Life was good, but in the typical unaware fashion of children (as it should be), I didn't know just how great it was.

It was after Puddin' passed away that things began to change. Suddenly, my family was struggling. A lot. Sometimes the lights or water would get cut off. Trips to Sears for large new school wardrobes no longer happened. When I was 16, I got a job working in an affluent suburb and began noticing just how different my life was from these kids who didn't work because they had to, but worked because they had nothing better to do on any given day. These kids lived in big houses, rode horses, and drove their own cars. They went to really nice schools with all the bells and whistles I'd only read about in novels or saw on TV. I was in an inner city school (which I hated) with a bunch of cynical and bitter classmates who, except for a few, just didn't get me. I was a nerd and a misfit.

I hated me. I hated life. I hated everything. And I escaped into fantasy worlds all the time.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people I know from Cleveland tend to have this downer type of attitude. There is always something to complain about. Always something to be depressed about. And I can't blame them, really. Cleveland's just now starting to get back on its feet after many years of decline. But it's challenging to rebuild what's been allowed to crumble. That attitude is deeply ingrained in my being, and I really have to work hard at being thankful for everything I have. When there is an abundance of love, friends, food, money, fortune, and blessings, it's so easy to find things to be thankful for. But when things are not going so well? Ah, that's where the challenge begins. And even when I am happy? It's still too easy for me to find something to mutter about!

It was when I began taking yoga that I started to learn about the Attitude of Gratitude. You see, a lot of people think yoga is just stretching and relaxing. I am here to assure you it is not. Depending on the type you practice, you will sweat! But that's beside the point. The point is that yoga is more than just a physical thing. It's also a challenge to look inside yourself, to find that inner light, polish it, and let it shine. But if you're not thankful, then you're only shining up gunk. I've learned that when I face my day with a list of things to be thankful for, more blessings rain down on me. It's a silly thing really. I am not a hard core believer in the Law of Attraction, but it just seems that happiness begets more happiness. Being genuinely glad at the abundance that I have just gives me more things to be glad about.

Still, it's all too easy for me to fall into complaining. I really have to be intentional with being grateful for all the blessings I have. I need to go out of my way to focus on all the good things and stop whining about stupid things, especially things I have no control over (like traffic lights and sales tax). I mean, I definitely have no problem with venting and clearing the air, but there has to be a point where I move past that so I can experience grace. It's a much nicer feeling than negativity. I think I need to be even more intentional with feeling thankful. I know someone who tries to post five positive things about each day on her blog. She's been doing it for many years. I could keep a gratitude journal. I could write a list. Many possibilities. It can't be anything but good for me.

"When we practice an attitude of gratitude, we are practicing feeling loved." 

{source}

Thank you so much Ronni, for sharing your personal journey and insight on gratitude.  I love that you keep a journal of things you are grateful for…what a powerful way to constantly be reminded of all that you have!

To visit Ronni & connect with her more, visit Anywhere-Is.