I admit it – I’ve been doing my share of shopping lately trying to get ready for this baby. Nothing to the tune of Cyber Monday or anything…but I’ve been making the rounds at all the baby websites trying to find some good deals on little frilly things.
You really cannot beat the convenience of online shopping when time is short or the ability to get out is challenging. I am pretty content to wander around a website instead of wandering around a store…especially with these swollen feet and ankles I’m sporting these days.
Unbelievably, our big day draws ever more near and I find myself not ready! I have tons of little details and things I want to get done. Unfortunately, my blood pressure is not cooperating with me getting much done and I am forced to sit on my hands and delegate. One of the benefits of a large family, I suppose.
One thing I don’t have to worry about is birth announcements. I’ve decided to make my own this time and I’m pretty happy with what I’ve come up with. It’s pink and girlie and just about perfect. Just waiting on her arrival to fill in some of those pertinent details now.
I just got news from the doctor this morning that this baby could come any time now. My response? Actually…it was…NOOOOOOOOOO…not ready yet! Despite the heat and the discomfort, I still have some loose ends to tie up before I feel like I can give in and have a baby. Not that it’s really up to me…but…you know what I mean.
The thing is, though…I am not enjoying the chaos this puts my life into at the moment. Not knowing whether I have days or weeks to go puts things in an awkward place. I am feeling patient to wait for the baby right now, but I’m sure that will change at some point.
This all got me to thinking…do you remember what it was like to wait for something highly anticipated when you were a child? How NOTHING could drag it from your mind and your focus as you spend lots of energy looking forward to this event or thing occurring? Has it become easier for you to wait for highly anticipated events as you’ve aged? Have you discovered any tricks to playing the waiting game? I have! The principle tool? DISTRACTION!
- Place your focus elsewhere and get busy!
- Make a list of things you want to accomplish before the anticipated event
- If you don’t have a full to-do list, get busy on ignored projects and make some headway
- Start a new project if you don’t have anything to finish up
1. Delay dishwashing and laundry until evening on hot days.
2. Keep the house closed tight during the day. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.
3. Ventilate with fans in windows located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Keep interior doors open.
4. Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels. The standard comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. You can extend the comfort range to 82 F if you instill a breeze of about 1.7 mph.
5. Plant shade trees around the house.
6. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans.
7. Install white window shades. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat by 40-50 percent.
8. Close south and west-facing windows and curtains during the day.
9. Install awnings on south-facing windows.
10. Keep unnecessary lights off.
I thought some readers might be interested in just how pregnant I am looking these days. This picture was taken on Memorial Day a few weeks ago. I had no idea hubby snapped it…usually I’m ready but he snuck this one in on me. Yep…that is all baby there…no need for phentermine for me…I’ll get back down to fighting weight in no time!
I was sitting outside this morning under the patio umbrella and one thing led to another. You know how that happens…before I knew it I was contemplating new outdoor cushions for our patio furniture. Not that we really need new cushions…but something tells me that the ones I have are not mildew resistant…and that bothers me a bit. If I could find a good deal on a new set of mildew-resistant cushions I think I’d cave in and get a new set this summer.
The kids and I just got back from strawberry picking at the organic farm on the edge of town. Nevermind that it’s almost 90 degrees with similar humidity level and I’m 8 months pregnant…those berries were beautiful! While the kids hopped around from row to row, stuffing their faces (we have permission to nibble while we pick…), I was busily filling our buckets to get the task done with.
Who needs natural weight loss supplements when good, natural, whole foods like strawberries exist, ripe for the eating? Suffice to say, we’ll be having a big fruit salad tonight for dinner, crepes stuffed with strawberry filling tomorrow morning, and probably a strawberry pie this weekend some time!
Yum!
Skip the quick weight loss diets talk and let’s talk flowers!
Marigolds: These annual beauties grow easily, last a long time and you can plant them almost anywhere. Make a whole bed of different varieties of marigolds in your yard.
Sunflowers: Although most people envision the hugely tall, nodding sunflowers, there are also many smaller varieties that you can mix and match in a sunflower garden.
Morning Glories: Got room to spare along a fence or trellis? Put these standard beauties in for a long-lasting and easy summer display that will go on and on throughout the growing season. What’s more, these guys will volunteer and will be back the next season, too!
Daylilies: Although they have their name for a reason, what they lack in longitude they more than make up for in their bright hues and sheer number of blossoms.
Have you ever included a child or children actively in the planning and execution of a garden? Create a love of gardening in children while they are yet children and teach them to garden along with you. As they grow in their gardening know-how, you can even give them their own little plot to tend and cultivate.
No, we are not engaging in any diet pill reviews here – we’re creating gardeners!
Gather a pencil and paper and show a child how to plan a garden on paper. Let the child choose what he or she wants to grow. Teach a child how to plant seeds and coax them to grow. Share their eagerness and excitement as those first seeds germinate and sprout.
Even a small child will enjoy digging in the dirt just for the sake of digging.
Show children how to create a hummingbird garden or a sunflower house with seeds. The love of gardening you instill will last a lifetime.
As the bees buzz around flowers and vegetables in home gardens, one’s mind turns to the miraculous creation of these tiny workers. Time to wander away from cares about such things as acne treatments and focus on the lowly honeybee for a moment or two.
Honeybees live in colonies and make honey. During the winter months, they snuggle together to keep warm. There is one queen in each colony, who lays all the eggs. Drones mate with the queen. Female workers make the honey.
Only honeybees die when they use their stingers. All other bee varieties will go on to sting another day. This is due to a barbed stinger that pulls away from the bees abdomen when it stings, causing the bee to die.
