So Many Changes in Just a Few Months!

Our little family has went through quite a few changes these last few months. We found out we were pregnant, were tickled to find out we got sticky baby dust and this pregnancy was holding, and we moved into our new place, all in less than six months!

Of course moving and getting ready for our new family member has been costly, so we are looking for days to be more frugal and spend more wisely.

Razors are definitely an expense, especially with more than one person in a household needing supplies, which is common in most families. I tried the cheapie razors from stores I frequent and they were awful and needed replaced more often than more expensive razors therefore voiding the cost savings.

I decided to bite the bullet and sign us up for The Dollar Shave Club.

They had a deal in which if you purchased their Shave Butter you got a month free of their Executive line of razors. So, I took the plunge, spent $8 (free shipping that day, too!) and eagerly awaited them to arrive!

My husband tried it out first. The Shave Butter smells ah-mazing! Comprised of such awesomeness like golden barley, organic prickly pear cactus, Pacific sea algae, black willow bark, and oat extract, it is a skin nourishing razor gliding delightful smelling experience!

My husband used the brand new blade and the Shave Butter made the razor glide effortlessly over his skin and the six bladed Exective razor have a very smooth and nick free shave. We were very impressed with both the quality and performance of our new razor! The handle has a good weight to it and is not at all flimsy. Another perk of the club? You can purchase extra handles, which is awesome since I try to change blades every two weeks instead of one, so that means our one month razor cost ends up being about $4 for us individually. Win!

If you have been on the fence about signing up, click the pic below and give it a try. It is definitely worth it!

(I am in no way affiliated with The Dollar Shave Club other than being a customer. I was not asked to do a review nor do I receive any compensation.)

I want to try all the recipes!

The past few days I've been a recipe pinnin' addict! Seriously, I probably need to step away from Pinterest!!

That being said, we haven't had fried zucchini together ever. So it's been over 2.5 years since either of us enjoyed some FZ, I figured I would follow a simple recipe and enjoy.

The recipe was simple enough to follow. Slice zucchini, dip in milk then cover with flour. Dip in the milk again and then cover slices with Panko bread crumbs.

Then I fried in oil three minutes on each side. Slices were placed on a cooling rack.

These came out crispy and tasty!! Nom nom nom!!

Clean Eating Banana Pancakes

So thanks to my wicked insomnia I have been spending a lot of time with Pinterest. I'm finding so many things there, especially recipes, that I want to try.

Recently, my nightly rendezvous with Pinterest led me to a review of Clean Eating Pancakes by The Moms Playground which you can read here.

We have our own hens so fresh eggs are available daily. My daughter and I both love bananas so we were excited to try this out ourselves.

The recipe on The Mothers Playground called for 1 ripe banana, two eggs, 1tsp vanilla extract, and 1tsp of ground cinnamon.

The review mentioned the batter was very runny and the pancakes didn't fluff up. Since I knew that from reading the review, I tweaked our batch by adding an extra banana and it thickened it up a bit. Once cooked, it had a very nice texture, too.

We topped ours with a bit of Cool Whip and they were delicious!!! The only other change I will make next time will be to half the amount of cinnamon as it was a bit strong for my daughter's taste.

All in all, they were easy to make, cooked quickly, had a great texture, tasted great, and it was a fun recipe to try here. We will make them again.

For full instructions and the review, please visit The Moms Playground!

Completely Exhausted...Completely

It's no big secret that pregnancy can be exhausting for many women. I mean, we are quite literally growing life! Definitely no small task.

But here I am, 22 weeks pregnant in my second trimester when energy levels are supposed to be higher. Instead, I want to cry from frustration due to lack of sleep. (I know, I know. Just wait til the baby gets here to talk about lack of sleep. But seriously, I've had two babies so this isn't my first rodeo.)

Maybe part of my exhaustion is due to being of "advanced maternal age" as the doctors so eloquently put it. I can't say for certain whether or not that has any part in it.

I CAN definitely place the blame on several other things though, like the insomnia (both the normal for me insomnia and the pregnancy induced insomnia) and frequent trips to the bathroom every night. The sudden onset of nasty heartburn. The restless leg syndrome that makes me feel like I can run a marathon.

However there are two newish sleep thieves essentially stealing what little sleep I was getting.

The first of those is the nightmare. Or nightmares, I should say. Vivid, all to real, freak me out kind of nightmares. The ones that once awake, you need to take a few minutes to figure out if you were actually dreaming or if it was real life. The kind that plague you and rear their ugly heads in your mind as you go about your daily activities. Those kind of nightmares.

Then there is the itching. The all over, "want to scratch your skin off" itching. It happens during the day but is manageable. At night though, it becomes unbearable. I had the same issue when pregnant with my daughter. It wasn't PuPPS and we never pinpointed the cause. Being that was over 12 years ago, I have a call in to my MFM doctor this morning.

Between my constant tossing and turning, bathroom trips, and now incessant itching, I'm surprised even my very patient husband hasn't exiled me to the couch nor has he relocated there, either.

In fact he called me from work this morning, heard the half awake tone to my voice and immediately told me to go back to sleep. I seriously needed that nap today and am so thankful I am married to such an understanding and patient man.

I don't expect much sleep during or after my pregnancy. But I do need some, no matter how little it may be, before I become a "mombie" prior to even holding my little one in my arms.

Insomnia and Heartburn...Teaming Up on Me!

Insomnia is a long time foe of mine. We have been battling it out together for years. I have tried all sorts of remedies natural and prescription (I'm never taking prescription meds for it again!) and have had very limited relief. And by limited, I mean a few nights of decent rest before the remedy no longer offered even a hint of help getting me to sleep.

Combine my regular insomnia with pregnancy insomnia and well...I'm essentially a zombie currently. I'm tired. I'm irritable. And I'm likely to chew on you if you try to get close to me!

So...what can cause insomnia during pregnancy? Several things actually.

- Getting up to pee several times every night
-Heartburn
-Leg cramps
-Difficulty getting comfortable
-Vivid dreams (and I have some doozies!)
-Anxiety
-Hormonal changes

So...what is a mom-to-be to do?

I put myself together a small "insomnia" kit. I always wake up thirsty so having water to sip on is a must. Heartburn hits me randomly at night so I've got some Tums at the ready. And of course, reading material for when there isn't a chance I'm falling back asleep anytime soon!

I've heard that exercising, cutting caffeine, temperature adjustments of the bedroom, lighting, and routine can all help overcome insomnia. However, I've tried it all plus some and have yet to find relief but you may so try them out and see!

If you still can't sleep, you can use this quiet time to catch up on some much wanted reading so not a total loss!

I've heard for years pregnancy insomnia exists to help us get ready for sleepless nights once the baby is here. I think its just some freak of nature issue many of us have to endure that has nothing to do with sleepless nights as a new mom, which have causes all of their own!