Tag Archives: mommyhood

mommyhood, My Big Jesus, pregnancy, random thoughts

10 Reasons I Want to Throw a Toddler Tantrum

January 26, 2015 Only Hsuman 2 Comments

This post also appeared on MyBigJesus.com!

Does anyone else wish they could hit the floor, scream at the top of their lungs, and cry it out?

1. I use wrinkle cream around my eyes, and acne-prevention face wash. At the same time.

2. The snack I made was for me, not the tiny pairs of hands that keep stealing it.

3. My coffee doesn’t reheat itself.

4. I want to take a nap, so why don’t my kids?!

5. I am angry that I don’t know the sound a rabbit makes, too.

6. I’m swimming in laundry. Seriously.

7. I just put those puzzles together, for crying out loud.

8. I can’t drink wine while pregnant.

9. I was using the laptop! And no, I didn’t want to watch Frozen!

10. I want to go to sleep at 9:00pm, but I can’t, because my toddler doesn’t want to.

food, mommyhood

How I Got Us Through the Grocery Store

January 22, 2015 Only Hsuman 6 Comments

The other day, the kids and I needed to get out of the house, and I needed a few things from Costco. So naturally, I called a friend who I knew would be free, and said “Meet me there!”

I packed what I thought were adequate snacks, bundled the kids into their winter gear (it was 30 degrees MAYBE) and braved the store.

Lauren met me a few minutes later than we got there. She didn’t even need anything – just wanted to tag along. It was only my second time at Costco (We just got our membership. It is awesome!) so I was doing a lot of wandering. After a few rows of “boring” things like Swiffers and canned tomatoes (read: fantastically priced things that convinced us to get a membership in the first place), we finally got to the fun part: the grocery section. This is where there are yummy samples, as far as the eye can see. Everything from quiche to little fruit-and-nut-bites, covered in chocolate. Lauren, the kids, and I had a bite of everything under the sun. This seemed to appease them. Then I tried again to look at boring things. We ate the snacks from the diaper bag. This seemed to appease them…

THEN IT WAS ALL OVER. They were done. Just like that. So what did I do? Well, food is everything to my kids, so naturally I opened up the package of blueberries. Yeah, I did. I fed them to my kids, unwashed, in the middle of the store, (GASP!) before I had paid for them. They weren’t sold by weight, so I didn’t cheat anyone. But here’s hoping my kids don’t have some crazy disease from the unwashed California blueberries.

Has anyone else had a similar time of need in a store? Opened some food before you bought it? Let your kids do something… they shouldn’t have..?

home, mommyhood, pregnancy

13 Week Bump Date, Ultrasound, and Renovation Update!

January 21, 2015 Only Hsuman 5 Comments

I can’t promise I’m going to do these updates every week, what with renovations and kiddos and all, but I can give it a shot!

I’m happy to say I have some energy back I’m still accidentally taking naps here and there, but at least not so exhausted that I have to nap every day. I’m glad to be able to do my thing without headaches and everything. I haven’t gained much weight – only about three pounds – but I’ve definitely got a little more belly than usual. Too bad it doesn’t look like a cute little bump yet. It’s mostly just a “did you eat a large dinner?” sort of belly. Yikes.

Yesterday, we went for our first ultrasound, and it was so awesome. That never gets less incredible, no matter how many times you see your unborn baby on that screen. It’s amazing to see hands and feet and a button nose, that looks just like Sister’s. Another thing that was totally adorable was EK, pointing at the screen, saying, “My baby! That’s my baby!” I pretty much cried, seeing the ownership she’s already taking of that little soul. What a good sister.

Our little jellybean, with the cutest button nose, waving hello!

The one thing we did find out at the ultrasound is that our screening for chromosomal abnormalities came back positive. They took some blood, and I will get those test results back in two weeks. So pray that the blood test comes back totally normal, and that we won’t have any chromosomal disorders to worry about. My doctor didn’t seem worried to see the first screening positive, so we are trying (as hard as we can) not to worry either.

Our basement renovations are going well! There are lots of things happening, and more than just demo now! Temporary walls are going up, plumbing is being moved and updated, wiring is being secured, and we are seeing lots of progress! Here are a few pictures so you can see some of the craziness:

This one long room used to be Hubby's music studio (on the far side of the stairwell) and will now be two bedrooms! — This one long room used to be Hubby’s music studio (on the far side of the stairwell) and will now be two bedrooms! The perspective is from the family room (former and future).

This is today's project: Jackammering through the floor to lay a new pipe for the laundry room. The fireplace there looked like that after they removed the veneer. Disturbingly messy brick laying, but the contractor says it's strong and sound, so they're leaving it. — This was today’s project: Jackhammering through the floor to lay a new pipe for the laundry room. The fireplace there looked like that after they removed the veneer. Disturbingly messy brick laying, but the contractor says it’s strong and sound, so they’re leaving it.

We’ve been spending every other day or so at Hubby’s parents’ house, which serves a double purpose… our kids can nap, and we can also get some laundry done while we’re here. It’s a nice way to be away from a loud and dusty home!

So there’s a little life update for you. What’s going on in your life?!

mommyhood, pregnancy

Pregnant With My Third! (Volume 7)

January 21, 2015 Only Hsuman Leave a comment

Written at 11 weeks.

I. Am. So. Hormonal. It’s pitiful. I cry often, I yell often. It’s almost like pregnancy bi-polar. Who am I? A tired mommy who gets frustrated at little things and cries about it. Yep.

Have you ever seen the movie Juno? Do you know the song that’s in the movie, a duet by a guy and girl who are only okay singers, and there are some weird lyrics, but “I don’t see what anyone could see in anyone else buuuuuuuut you.”? Yeah. There’s a line about “shiny, happy fits of rage”. I can’t get it out of my head, because sometimes that’s what it feels like. What can I say? I’m a weirdo right now.

I’m starting to show a little bit, so I guess it’s good that it’s winter and I can wear chunky sweaters and leggings. That’s about all I feel good in anyway. I had my first nurse visit today, where we talked about genetics, previous pregnancies, symptoms and future testing, and they took about a gallon of blood. I’ve been feeling really well though, so it was nice to answer “no” to a bunch of questions she asked me. The ultrasound is on the calendar, which is exciting, because who doesn’t love to see their tiny jellybean, squirming around!?

I’ve been craving smoothies, which is good. I pack them full of apple juice and spinach, so that they taste good while being healthy. The fruit that goes in almost doesn’t matter… usually there’s some blueberries and strawberries, a banana, some peaches maybe, or some other berries I’ve got around. At least half the fruit I put in is frozen, so that the finished product’s got a good consistency. I also put some oatmeal and some almond milk in so that there’s a punch to keep me full. Yay smoothies!

Well, that’s all I can think of for now. Just being hormonal and drinking smoothies. It’s been a little while since I’ve written a pregnancy update, so I felt like I needed to do it!

mommyhood, Uncategorized

The Unintentional Pampers Challenge, Part Deux

January 20, 2015 Only Hsuman Leave a comment

When I asked you about diapers, you – the readers! – had a lot to say! I’ve broken down the info to help myself and help you, if you’re like me, and you want an expensive but reliable way to keep all the bottoms (and the clothes, and the sheets) dry.

The most common answer for the diapers you love is Pampers. I’m pretty much there with you. They’re basically the most expensive, but the cost seems to be worth it for most of us.

The next best thing sounds like Luvs. I’ve never even bought/used those at all, so I’m taking your advice. Next time I buy diapers, I’m going with a box of Luvs to try them out on the kiddos. From what you said, they’re less expensive than Pampers, but just as good!

I also heard great things about Honest Company and 7th Generation, mostly about how they’re great for the baby and great for the environment. Well, I’m convicted. I’ve heard great things about 7th Gen for a long time, and have wanted to try their diapers in the past, and I feel the same way about Honest Company, except that their expensive. I don’t really need my diapers to be adorable (I’m looking at you, Honest Company, and your delightful cupcakes and colorful hot air balloons) but I do need them to be affordable. I mean, I’m diapering two kiddos right now (EK still won’t be consistent about pottying. More on than later.) and while hopefully it’ll be only two when the next baby is born, I’m thinking that EK might still be in a nighttime diaper then anyway.

Lots of you say you use Huggies Overnights during the night and something cheaper during the day. I totally feel you on this. Especially if you’re potty training one, and it’s staying dry most of the day (or even some of the day) it seems like “Who cares what sort of diaper it is?!” I’ve never bought the Huggies Overnights, but maybe I need to! How much more expensive are they, someone?

The last awesome thing I heard was that Up&Up (Target) and Amazon Elements (Amazon.com) were possibly gonna be just as useful for daytime. That’s great, because who isn’t at Target all the time? And who doesn’t love diapers delivered to your door?!

Things you didn’t like: Wal-Mart brand, Sam’s brand (coincidence? Probably not.) and regular Huggies (with a couple exceptions).

Oh, by the way. Another hilarious side note from all my reader responses… Several of you mentioned having “super pee-ers” and almost all of you who said that said it in the same way. Well, I think I’m among you. Super pee-ers, unite!

So now I’ve got a to do list. I’m going to try Luvs. I’m going to try Huggies Overnights. I’m going to try Up&Up. I’m gonna try Amazon Elements. I’m also (gasp!) going to borrow some gdiapers from a friend, and try those, now that my kids are out of the new-diaper-every-two-hours stage. Because that’s a lot of laundry, am I right?

I’ll keep you posted on the diaper challenge front. I will be your diaper champion, and we will celebrate having the least-leaky, most affordable option! (Oh my. What a mom thing to say.)

mommyhood, pregnancy

Pregnant With My Third! (Volume 6)

January 20, 2015 Only Hsuman Leave a comment

Written at 10 weeks.

I saw a Facebook post this morning, while laying in bed with my terrible cold (happy new year, am I right?), that made me laugh out loud. A friend of mine with two little boys, similarly aged to mine – oldest is a bit younger than EK, youngest a bit younger than J – posted her resolution for 2015: no childbirth. She elaborated that after two consecutive unmedicated labors/deliveries, she wanted a pain-free year in which she could have more than one cocktail. And you know my reaction – directly after the laughter, that is? Total understanding and a little bit of jealousy. I will have had a baby in 2012, 2013, and 2015. I will have been pregnant or nursed most of the way through each of those years and also obviously 2014. That’s a long time of taking extra precautions because another living thing is quite literally depending on my health and habits. Not just that if I’m sick, I need to get well quickly. Not just that I need to be present and attentive. It’s literally growing a child in my womb, who relies on my every decision. It’s literally nourishing a child via the nourishment I provide for myself. That’s pretty heavy stuff.

But it’s also been good for me. I’ve led a healthier lifestyle in general – I’ve eaten more nutritiously and intentionally (food as fuel, know what I mean?). I’ve exercised, yes to lose my baby weight twice, but to be a healthy pregnant woman also. And having two little ones depending on me, not to mention a husband who depends on me (not in the same way, but he still does), has been the ultimate weighing factor in my decision-making. I need to be healthy, mentally and emotionally available, present and nurturing for those in my life counting on me. The best way for me to help others is to be my best self, my healthiest self.

Has anyone else had a few busy years here, creating and nurturing lives? I know I’ve got a few friends who can relate to a few years in a row of eating extra greens and drinking less alcohol/caffeine. Did you change your lifestyle? How? Do you have tips, or best practices to share?

home, mommyhood, parenting fails

The Unintentional Pampers Challenge

January 19, 2015 Only Hsuman 7 Comments

I’m so annoyed right now.

Due to our basement renovations, the Hsu house is extremely loud from time to time. It’s totally fine, and we knew it would be that way, and our contractors have graciously given us no less than 24 hours notice when we’re going to have a extra loud day. Today was one of the loud ones, so we got up, had breakfast, made a Target run, then came over to my in-laws’ house for nap times (my kids aren’t having the glorious double nap right now, so “nap times” can be anywhere from 2-5 hours). My in-laws are absolutely wonderful for letting us interrupt their days and their home by letting us come over, eat, watch tv, make messes and require quiet for naps. That being said, I’ll move on to the real point of this post.

I almost always use Pampers diapers. I thought about cloth diapering with J since we were “parenting pros” (HA HA HA) but Hubby nixed it. I wasn’t that sad. We’ve tried Huggies, Babies R Us brand, Costco/Kirkland brand, and a few others that are cheaper than Pampers. But in our experience, especially with bigger babies/toddlers, Pampers is the way to go. My in-laws keep a stock of diapers at their place, mostly cheaper ones since they’re sorta emergency diapers, used only for short periods of time and never for overnight, and I’m just super grateful that they’re there, because when I’m coming over with the kids, I don’t even bring a diaper bag. ((The photo above is Pampers (diaper bag crushed and all), Huggies, Kirkland/Costco, and Babies R Us, and all are size 4.))

Today, J went down for his nap first, right when we got there. Nothing was out of the ordinary… I put a fresh diaper on him, gave him his swaddle (my kids both sleep with one) and his bottle of warm milk, and he went right to sleep. He slept for three hours! HALLELUJAH! However, he had woken up with wet pants, because his Huggie (same size as the Pampers he always wears) had leaked. It wasn’t as if I left him for his nap and he drank several cups of water. He NEVER leaks at nap time. Sometimes at night, but never at a nap. So of course I changed his pants and went on about my business.

Right before J woke up, EK fell asleep, without drinking anything I might add, watching a movie (a special privilege since we’re at her grandmother’s house – she doesn’t do that at home) on the couch. As far as I know, she had a dry diaper on, because we’d just had an accident in the Pull-Up right as the movie started. Her diaper was a Kirkland brand (from Costco, size 4, which is her normal diaper size – yes, same size as J. Yes, that is a wonderful phenomenon.) She woke up in a puddle on the couch.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Two leaking naps, in two different brand diapers that aren’t our usual, and at someone else’s house, no less?! I felt terrible… Not only am I already doing my laundry over here (no laundry available at our place during the basement reno) but I’m causing more laundry and wrecking the couch. Or my kids are. Or we as a family are. Ugh. Good thing I have forgiving, wonderful in-laws who love me with my messy kids.

Moral of the story: I may never buy anything but Pampers ever again. Has anyone else have tried and true Pampers stories? Has anyone had good luck with the off-brand diapers?

mommyhood, My Big Jesus, parenting fails

Failing at Manners

January 19, 2015 Only Hsuman Leave a comment

This post also appeared on MyBigJesus.com !

Growling "like a dinosaur" instead of eating her lunch. — Growling “like a dinosaur” instead of eating her lunch.

So, I’ve been trying to teach EK about manners. I know, my two and a half year old doesn’t know much about manners (says anyone who’s ever spent time with her). She’s a little spastic, likes to run around instead of stay in her chair during meals, and thinks spitting, yelling, sounding like a fire truck, and pushing down her brother (who just learned to walk) are all acceptable things to do. We talk every day about being polite, making good choices, and being kind to others, and I can tell it’s finally starting to sink in. She knows better than doing lots of the things we talk about. And that’s where we get stuck.

Recently, she’s been saying, “That’s funny!” or “Ella Kate so funny!” after she does something mean or rude. So the other day, I countered with, “No, that’s not funny. That’s rude.” If you could tell me how to take those words back, I’d pay you a million dollars.

I have literally heard that phrase several times a day since I said it the first – and only – time. Of all the things I say that she parrots, I can’t believe that’s the one. Sometimes, she does something truly funny, and we tell her so. And right on cue, she responds with, “No! That’s not funny! That’s rude!”

Talk about a lost meaning. A giant parenting fail that I committed, just as I was trying to teach manners. The best laid plans, right? Well, I can’t stop teaching her about manners because I had an epic fail. I can’t just let her run me over when I try to teach her right from wrong. One failed teachable moment doesn’t excuse me from ever teaching her anything again. It just makes me want to get it right even more. As a parent, it’s my job to teach her to make good choices on her own, so that she can do it without me later. It’s a scarily important role, teaching those things. It’s tough. I’m sure when she’s a teenager, it’ll be tougher still. But I can’t be discouraged by one fail, or five fails, or a thousand. That loud, endearingly crazy girl is going to get the right idea, if I can help guide her in spite of ourselves.

mommyhood, pregnancy

Pregnant With My Third! (Volume 5)

January 19, 2015 Only Hsuman Leave a comment

Written at 9.5 weeks pregnant

I’ve decided that the time of year didn’t line up with my time of pregnancy as nicely as with my other two. I want to stay motivated to run and work out, mainly to keep up my energy level but also to not gain weight too quickly… but unfortunately the weather is cold and dreary, and that does NOT motivate me to go for a run. It motivates me to take a nap. Which I do.

Also not helping my feelings/weight/energy level: the holidays. I’m eating like the Kool-Aid guy and I’m probably going to look like him, too. And can everyone say “SUGAR CRASH” with me? S-U-G-A-R C-R-A-S-H, folks. I’m worse than my kids when there are sweets in the house. That’s why when I’m craving something, I make it Paleo or Clean and I don’t keep it around long. I won’t survive this season of cakes and sweet breakfasts. I’ve gained 5 pounds in the past couple of weeks. Oops.

Also getting a little bit annoying are the sleeping habits of my entire family. I know that there are lots of treats being eaten, but not after dinner, and I know there are a lot of people around to play with, but they’ll still be there after nap time. This not sleeping thing is killing me, especially since both of the kids are kicking the last little bit of their runny noses and coughs. The worst of it was last weekend, but they’re lingering, and I know resting well would help. I’m just hoping for the last Christmas miracle of not getting what they have myself.

Anyway, done for now. I know I shouldn’t complain about the holidays, because we are blessed with family and gifts and food and a home to live in. So my bad.

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Tag Archives: mommyhood

10 Reasons I Want to Throw a Toddler Tantrum

How I Got Us Through the Grocery Store

13 Week Bump Date, Ultrasound, and Renovation Update!

Pregnant With My Third! (Volume 7)

The Unintentional Pampers Challenge, Part Deux

Pregnant With My Third! (Volume 6)

The Unintentional Pampers Challenge

Failing at Manners

Pregnant With My Third! (Volume 5)

A mother's musings on family, faith, and fun!