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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Crafting Table

I have been using a white folding table for my crafts. While most of the time this is fine except for when it came time for cutting fabric or ironing. I was looking for an all in one table that could adjust in height. SO I decided on the Sullivans Home Hobby Adjustable Height. It was the height and width I wanted. After assembling it I realized I was pretty much just going to keep it at the height I wanted and have my sewing machine and die cutting machine on a different table. On the Sullivans I cut and iron and its always at the height I like for that. In addition to the table I also bought the Ironing Cover and the Scrap Caddy. I already had a large cutting mat or I would have bought one as well.

Overall I love the table. its very nice to have the height for cutting so I dont kill my back and a large ironing surface is wonderful! The table is a little wobbly but nothing too bad. I do love I can fold down the sides and store it a little.




Please excuse the mess but here is my set up. I have been working on a lot of projects! I am also a huge fan of OttLite , I have 3 different ones!












Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Getting Fit and healthy!

So about 2 months ago I decided to make a change in my life. I was unhappy with my weight and my body! I was so tired of being asked when I was due! Also I just was feeling like I had been in a funk and I just could not get out of it. So I contacted a friend of mine who I knew was a Beachbody coach and I asked her about a fitness program I heard called the 21 Day Fix. So I looked into the program and the next day I signed up as a customer. I purchased the 21 day fix challenge pack with Shakeology.

I have always been nervous about doing any of these programs because I am a very picky eater. Also I have a bad hip and knee so I am limited on what I physically can do.

While waiting for my kit to come in the mail, I did a prep week. I researched online and started to modify what I was eating and coming up with a plan. Also, I joined the facebook group that my coach put together. I officially started on Monday June 29.

My first week defiantly was not easy. It was a lot of learning and struggles. But I stuck to the plan. So after my first week I had already lost 4 pounds.  I was also very anxious about the Shakeology but I began to look forward to my daily breakfast shake. (I also love that I do not have to think about breakfast every day its already planned)

Because I was seeing results and was happy with how things were going I decided to sign up as a Beachbody coach. Mainly to get a monthly discount off of my Shakeology! But then I saw the potential about earning some extra money and I wanted to share this with friends and family.

So now I am about 2 months in and I have lost 14lbs and several inches. Also my skin has improved and I just overall feel better than I have in a long time. I am also noticing tone in my arms and legs.

My husband who has not been as dedicated, but has changed his eating habits and he works out with me about 3-4 days a week and he has lost 24lbs.

We both still have more to go. But we are working hard to get to those goals.

One of my biggest fears-being a picky eater-has changed so much. I have tried foods that I used to avoid and I now enjoy. I am cooking more and eating out less. We still go out to eat on the weekends but I do not do fast food anymore. I was buying fast food daily (if not twice daily). Fast food is really expensive.
I bought the cookbook Fixate-by the creator of the 21 day fix Autumn Calabrese. This cookbook has 101 recipes that fit onto the 21 day fix. I love this cookbook!
Here are some of the recopies I have made!







I am so happy that I chose to change my life and join Beachbody!

I currently have a special going on that if you join my team with the purchase of a challenge pack I will give you a copy of this amazing cookbook! If you sign up as a coach under me I will through in a few small bonuses.

Please contact me for more info and we can figure out which plan is best for you! There are several to choose from!









Thanks!
Ashleigh

Monday, October 28, 2013

My Nursing Journey

My nursing journey with my daughter Arya has been far from easy. She was born November 9th 2012. We started off doing really well. No latching problems. She was eating often even though she had lost a lot of her birth weight and the Dr wanted me at 3 days to start supplementing with formula, I just waited it out. Within her first week she was back on track. Then the cluster feeding began! I felt like I was nursing her non stop. Then around week 2.5 the colic started. No one could have prepared me for the colic. Arya’s colic started around 2-4pm until 10-11pm 5-6 times a week. Nothing we could do to calm her down. When I called her Dr, one of their recommendations was to attend the breastfeeding support group. This was the best decision I have made! The girls were amazing and I loved the lactation consultant. They met every Wednesday! Unfortunately, I was only to attend 3 of the groups but they have a facebook page and I can still get help and support on anything!
At this point I still did not have a pump so we did give her a bottle or 2 of formula just so I could get a moment to breath. My husband and I we going out for an evening for his work Holiday party so I finally got a pump. I got the Medela Freestyle. I loved the portability of it! The day before and day of I pumped a little after a few nursing sessions. After the holiday party I continued to try to pump a little after some nursing sessions. Normally before 2pm since after that she would be too fussy.

Our next struggle was she started to refuse the bottle, breastmilk or formula. We tried about 10 different bottles. I once again felt lost and stuck. Even if I would have just fed her, I did not feel comfortable leaving her since I didn't know if she would want to eat while I was gone.

Arya, also refused to nurse if anyone was talking. She also hated to be covered up. So while nursing, if other people were over I would go and sit in my room. If we were out and about I could normally get her to eat a little bit while covered but I would have to try to find a pretty quiet area! She also was a pretty active eater. She would scratch, pull, kick and hit me. If she had teeth, I am sure she would have bitten me.

At about 6 weeks she started sleeping from 10-11pm until 6:30am! It was awesome. I did not want to have to set an alarm to wake up and pump in the middle of the night. So what worked for us, was to pump right after her first nursing session. I also would pump right before I went to bed. Even if she just finished eating. Around this time I bought the Medla Hands Free Bra which was well worth it! I was able to still attend to Arya while pumping.

At 12 weeks, I sadly had to return to work. With the pumping I was doing, I already had about a 2 week supply built up. She was still refusing a bottle but everyone (including our daycare lady) said not to worry, she will eat when shes hungry. Well, week one went by and she only ate a few ounces. Week 2 started and she was still refusing the bottle. By Wednesday, I had enough! I could not handling knowing how stressed and hungry she must be. So I first called the Dr office. They said “she will eat when she’s hungry”. Well, I was tired of hearing that. So I turned to my breastfeeding support group. One of them recommended the lansinoh mOmma bottles. I thought why would this bottle work and the other 10 did not! Well my mom ran out for me and found one a Babies r Us and brought it over to us! They next day at daycare she took the bottle with no issues!

When I returned to work, I was given an empty office to pump in. Which was great because in the morning I was able to drop off my stuff and leave it there the whole day! Because I had the hands free bra, I also brought knitting/crocheting projects. (I think this is why I was able to pump for so long) I work from 7am-4:30pm. While at work I pump around 9am, 12pm, and 3pm. Also, on work days I pump at home after her first feeding and right before bed. Also, if she just ate at daycare and was not hungry right when we get home I would pump then as well. On work days I pump 5 times a day plus nursing Arya 3 times. On weekends, I would still pump morning and night. I would nurse on demand and pump after nursing if I felt like she did not eat enough.

Arya had about 2 months where she was waking up at night, once, twice or every hour! Even with her eating more I still continued to pump at my normal times!
Around 6 months she was sleeping from 8pm-5:20am on work days and 8pm-6:30am on weekends.

Also around 6 months, I had made it to my first goal. I had been breastfeeding for 6 months! With all of our struggles, I made it. I only half nursed my son for 4 months. I did not have the support or knowledge that I do now! Around this time I had realized that if I continued to keep on track with my pumping times that I should have enough stored up to stop nursing/pumping around 10 months and she would be on breastmilk until 1. This was an awesome feeling because I was getting to the point of being done. I was so tired of being tied to my pump.

Breastfeeding is an amazing and beautiful thing but it is a real time commitment on mom. You have to be dedicated. It has caused many tears. But I am so glad I was able to continue for so long. I think nursing for 10 months and on breastmilk for a year is pretty darn good!

Here are a few of my tips-
Pump often-it helps your supply. Even if you only get an ounce, it is telling your body to make more. Also, that is an ounce you now have in your stash.

If returning to work come up with a schedule and try to stick to it as best as possible.
I store my milk in bottles in the fridge/cooler until I get 4oz. Then I transfer into a bag. Its easier to judge how many oz.

I always leave a few oz in the fridge before freezing. That way if something unexpected comes up and I have to leave or I don't get home in time, my husband does not have to quickly thaw out milk.

Lay your bags flat to freeze. Then you can stand up in a box.

When you take your milk out to de-frost, place in a ziploc baggie. Sometimes the milk bags leak.

I generally used the lansinoh bags but I have tried most of the brands. It did not really matter to me. My stores just have the lansinoh for a better price.

At work, I store my pump parts in my cooler bag so I don’t have to wash after each pump

Buy extra pump parts. I have 2 sets and it is wonderful.
Quit slowly.
Week 1 I reduced the time I pumped
weekend 1 only pumped after morning and night sessions. did not pump any other time. I also tried to space out nursing sessions as much as possible.
week 2 down to 3 pumps a day, morning and night and once at work and nursing twice morning and night.
weekend 2 cut night pump, cut out mid day nursing. (One morning I was in a lot of pain when I woke up. Nursed/pumped. did not have any pain after that.)
Cut morning pump.
week 3-only nursing morning and night.
I only had the one morning of pain. All the other times I could tell I was a little engorged  but not painful.
Weekend 3 dropped morning and night feedings!
About a week of pain and being engorged. Some moments were more painful than others. The most pain I felt was if one of my kids pushed up against my chest.



 Here are pictures of my stash as right after my last time pumping. It is a total of 17 boxes. Each box hold about 30-35 bags. Each bag has 4oz. Approx 2, 250oz.


















Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Arya's birth story

At 37 weeks, I started experiencing intense itching of the hands and feet. I took hours of itching to get a little relief. The whole weekend I did everything I could to stop the itching. Monday morning (Oct 29) I called my midwife. She immediately wanted me in for testing. I had labs done and a non stress test done. Everything with the non stress test came back perfect. Later that day I got my lab results back. My Dr immediately called me and it was confirmed that I had Cholestasis, a liver disease you get while pregnant. I was put on 2 meds. One for my liver and one to stop the itching. Besides the itching, it can cause pre-eclampsia and stillbirth. Most Dr’s will induce at 37 weeks. Because I was already 37 weeks and I really wanted to go as long as possible (I wanted to make it through Halloween and Rilee’s jog-a-thon also I had promised a friend I would have her daughter over for a sleepover on Nov 9th), me and my Dr. came up with a plan. I was to take the meds twice a day, non stress tests twice a week, see my Dr. once a week, and labs once a week until I deliver. I also had to do kick counts at home a few times a day and watch for the symptoms for pre-eclampsia. On the morning of November 9th, we attended Rilee’s jog-a-thon. After, Larry, Judy, Robbie and I went and had breakfast. We came home,I took a shower, Robbie laid down for a nap, then Larry, Judy and I went to the store. We got home about 12:30. I was just sitting on the couch and I received a phone call from my Dr. around 1pm. She wanted me in at 3pm to be induced! So we got our stuff together, called my friend to let her know what was going on and come up with a plan for her daughter. We left the house at 2. Picked up Rilee and our friends daughter, we dropped her off with another friend and headed off to the hospital. We got there around 3pm. We checked in and got to our room around 3:30pm. Shortly after that my Dr. came in and checked me, I was already at 5cm. I had no clue. I was not feeling any contractions. My Dr. broke my water and called the anastealogist. He was there within a few minutes and started my epidural. Because I was not feeling any pain he put me on a lower dose, but it came with the button where I could give myself a dose of it every 10 minutes if needed. I was then hooked up to the monitors. Because I was already at 5cm we decided to wait on the pitocin. All of this was done by about 4:30pm About 7pm my Dr came in and checked me and I was still at a 5cm. So we decided to start the pitocin. About 8:45pm my Dr. came in and told me she was leaving for the night and introduced me to the oncoming Dr. I asked for some benadryl because I was itchy. Not sure if it was from the epidural or from the cholestasis. I told Rilee he needed to get ready to go home because it had been a long day! Robbie told him he would go out to the waiting room and play a few more games with him before he left. My mom was with me in the room and around 9:20 I was finally given the benadryl. Also I felt one of the contractions. It still did not hurt but I went ahead and pushed my epidural button to give a boost. At 9:30pm the Dr. came in and I had my mom go get Robbie. The Dr. checked me and she said I was going to have her NOW! Robbie got into the room and he called told his parents that it I was going to start pushing and it would be about 45 min. Around 9:40 I started pushing. I pushed 3 times, one of the nurses made me laugh. Robbie was like dont laugh and the Dr said no go ahead and laugh and at 9:42pm Arya was here. She was then laid on my chest for about 20 mins while the Dr. finished up. She was then cleaned up and weighed. She was 7lbs 14oz. Robbie then went out and got Rilee. We had a few moments just the 4 of us. Robbie then went and got Larry, Judy and Michael. They came in and meet Arya. We said goodnight to Rilee! Then my mom came in and got to meet her! About an hour later we were taken to the recovery room! Here is my pregnancy collage!

Friday, July 12, 2013

Monday, July 8, 2013

Hello!!!!

So it has been a long time since I have posted anything. But I have been getting back into reading a lot of blogs and realized how much I have missed it! I had my baby girl in November and it has been a crazy ride. Learning how to adjust to 2 kids with the baby being a very difficult baby. Originally I was going to just use this blog for craft but I think I will post family stuff too! First I thought I would start off with a few of the crafts I have managed to do since November! There are not too many!
I made this for a bridal shower!
I have done a ton of these scarfs. I am nursing so while I pump I crochet or knit!

Monday, July 16, 2012

So it has been a long time since I have posted anything but I am expecting my 2nd child in November. I was trying to come up with some ideas for organizing her closet and I found some cool dividers on Pinterest. I decided to get out my Cricut and make some. The Cut is from Tie the Knot and the font is Cursive 101. I cut the door knob hanger from chip board then scrapbooking paper (make sure to flip one of the scrapbooking cuts if you want to cover both sides of the chipboard) Then I cut out the numbers. The animals we got from Michaels and my 5 year old son painted them.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Adult diaper cake!

My moms co-worker just turned 50 so we made her an adult diaper cake!

Depends
Doggie pee pad
2 pairs of underwear
sharps containers
bengay
gas relief
weekly pill reminder
pill crushers
hemorrhoid ointment
laxative



Thursday, January 12, 2012

Angry Bird Birthday party!

I had an angry bird party for my sons 5th birthday! Here are a few pictures of what I made.







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