5 Minute Chocolate Cake

Do you need a chocolate fix? Here's a quick way to get it!

4 T white sugar
4 T flour
2 T cocoa powder
1 egg
3 T milk
3 T oil
3 T chocolate chips (optional)
splash vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (microwave safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug & mix well.
Add egg & mix well.
Add milk & oil & mix well.
Add chocolate chips (optional) & vanilla extract & mix again.
Put your coffee mug in microwave & cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise a little but that's ok.
Let cool for a few minutes & then dump onto a plate.
It's enough for 2 to split & you can eat it all if you don't want to share.

I drizzle a little chocolate syrup on top because I like my chocolate a little sweeter than this comes out. It's super easy & calls for everything that most women already have in their pantry.

Schedules

I'm not very spontaneous. Jeremy will echo that. I'm a very scheduled person. Schedules help me be sure that things get done. So when I was asked during my pregnancy if I will be a "go with the flow" mom or a scheduled mom, I already knew the answer.

When we brought Shaylin home I tried as soon as I was able to get around I started setting a schedule for myself. But I didn't get this figured out in one week. I started by settling on when I'd wash Shaylin's laundry & make sure to get it done. Then it was our laundry & then towels. Anytime I felt that I had a part of my routine down, I'd add something to it. It kept me from being overwhelmed with this new chapter in my life.

So here's what I currently have going on in my week:

Monday - wash Shaylin's laundry, grocery shopping while my mother-in-law watches Shaylin (so thankful she can help me with this so shopping is less stressful)

Tuesday - wash towels, dust, vacuum

Wednesday - wash sheets & put new ones on the bed

Thursday - clean bathrooms

Friday - wash my & Jeremy's laundry, dust, vacuum

Cloth diapers are washed every 2 days & I usually only have to wash whites every 2 weeks (we have a lot of white socks apparently!).

I was brushing the dogs on vacuuming days during shedding season but don't have to so much right now. However, now that Shaylin is getting on the floor more often I'm noticing that I probably need to start vacuuming daily. Kaylee may not be shedding huge chucks of hair but she still loses hair & I'd rather my baby not get it all over her. So there's a new change to my schedule.

My scheduling also helped me with being able to easily train for a marathon. As soon as I was allowed to at least walk I got on the treadmill everyday in the mornings & put Shaylin in her swing. She fought it for a while which had me getting off a lot to soothe her. But eventually she adjusted & now expects to be in her swing & take her morning nap there.

Being a new mom can be overwhelming. And it's easy to feel like you're being lazy if laundry is piling up & dishes are in the sink. But by just slowly building a routine you can be sure things get done & some days it'll even make you feel like your Supermom!

Cloth Diapers

When I heard of cloth diapers I used to think of the old school kind, the giant napkin that's held together by giant safety pins. There are some still out there like that but now cloth diapers are so much better .

Choosing cloth over disposable wasn't based on the environment. Don't get me wrong. I do believe God has commanded us to take care of this planet. I just think there's a way to do it without going over-board to almost creation-worship. Anyway . . . the decision was mostly financially based. Here is a cost comparison showing what you typically will spend on disposables & what you'll save with 3 different cloth diapering options. We also learned that babies in cloth tend to have less diaper rashes. Major plus to help keep Shaylin comfortable!

Actually, the above site is a great resource for all your CDing questions. A friend directed me here & it really helped me decide the best type of diaper for us.

We settled with the Fuzzi Bunz One-Size diapers. I liked these because the elastic in the legs & waistband are adjustable & there are multiple snaps so you get the perfect fit. But best of all Shaylin will be able to wear these diapers all the way to potty-training.

I spent $389 on my order which included 18 diapers, a diaper sprayer (I'll explain later), one large wetbag for dirty diapers, & one small wetbag to hold diapers while away from home. Sure, it was a lot to pay out at first but how long would it have taken me to spend that much on disposables? Not long I'm sure when the big boxes cost close to $20 each.

So how does cleaning work? Isn't it gross? Well, it's not my favorite but it's not as bad as I thought it'd be. Wet diapers are simple. I pull out the insert & put that & the diaper itself in the wetbag. For dirty diapers, I pull out the insert & put it in the wetbag. I think spray the "dirtiness" off with the diaper sprayer. It's a hose much like what's on your kitchen sink but attaches to the pipes on your toilet. It sprays most everything right off. That then goes in the wetbag.

Since I have 18 diapers, that has me washing them every 2 days. It's spaced enough so I don't feel like I'm constantly doing laundry but not too far out where it starts to smell. I throw all the diapers, insert, & the wetbag in the washer. First I do a cold rinse cycle. After that I do a regular wash cycle with hot water & detergent & include a 2nd rinse. Then I dry them on low heat. That's it! Very simple & I don't feel put out at all.

Our water bill has not been affected at all despite the extra laundry. Neither has our gas bill (our dryer is gas).

I certainly can't say cloth is for everyone. If I was working full-time I don't think I'd do it unless I was using a diaper service. But if you are considering it, you've got my support!

My American Sweetie

This is a few days later but wanted to post it anyway. Actually, I haven't been able to even post in a few days. Just a little writer's block I guess.

Why I Run

1. It helps me shed the baby weight. About 2/3 of the weight came off really fast. It was kinda fun stepping on the scale when I came home from the hospital & the few days after that. But then it hit a stand-still. Once I was consistent in my running & stopped drinking sodas, the rest of the weight has been falling off. Last I checked I have only 4 pounds to my pre-pregant weight!

2. It's a sport that I'm actually good at. Let's face it. I'm not athletic. I was never any good at basketball (maybe it's the height). In high school I was ON the volleyball team but I didn't start. Never bothered with soccer. Sometimes I can hit the ball in baseball. But running has given me confidence that I can do something well in the sports world.

3. It's been a great way to blow off steam or give me time to think or pray. This especially helped before I was pregnant with Shaylin. I started running after my 4th miscarriage. Running let me put my energy in something than just growing bitter. Work was really hard back then, too, so somedays it was nice to put my frustrations on the treadmill.

4. It keeps me humble & keeps my pride in check. This one isn't easy to admit. Sometimes after a long run I've been tempted to post a status on Facebook like this: "I just ran (X # of) miles. What did you do?". But that's just my sinful pride coming out. I'm also reminded often that I'm not the best. Just a couple weeks ago I was running 9 miles & feeling great that I was holding my desired pace & then this skinny girl coasts right by me with perfect form. All I can do is my best & thank God for the ability.

5. I want to be an example to my daughter. Shaylin's swing & the treadmill are positioned perfectly so I can look back & see her & she can watch me. Sometimes I catch her just staring at me. I want her to see her mother staying active & being healthy so she'll want to do the same.

5 months old

Shaylin is 5 months old today. Here's some of the things she does now:

- She holds her head up really well when on her tummy.

- She's sleeping in her room & can sleep as much as 10 hours at a time.

- She can do kissy sounds.

- She's still on breastmilk alone. I'm sure within the next month we'll try some rice cereal but currently the plan is to hold out till she's 6 months old.

- Naptime is going much better now. She doesn't fight me as hard & will often nap for at least 2 hours.

- She's still working on hand-eye cordination. She tries to get things to her mouth but doesn't quite get it there sometimes.

- She's a very serious baby. She can laugh but it's very hard to get her to laugh.

- She likes watching tv. This isn't something I'm necessarily proud of.

- She wears 3-6 months in all her clothes now.

Some days I'm overwhelmed by how much I love this little girl. She's so precious to me & such a gift.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T paprika
1 T garlic powder
1 T poultry seasoning
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
4 thick cut boneless pork chops
salt & pepper to taste

Place pork chops in crock pot.
Whisk together all other ingredients.
Cook on high for 4 hours. Baste periodically with the sauce.

Another really easy recipe. I'm sure you could cook it on low for longer but it did just fine on high. The pork chops were so tender that you didn't even need a knife!