Questions and Answers

Q: Did you find your transition to organic whole foods hard financially? Do you spend a lot more on food now?

A: This question would be implying that I DO eat organic foods... BUT I don't. Well there are some things we eat that are organic. The things we eat the most of I try to buy organic. I try to buy foods from happy animals (organic or happily raised). I buy milk and yogurt from happy cows, eggs from happy chickens, and chicken from... well happy chickens until I eat them. That's really about it.

My theory on food is to still eat the foods we like but to find it with the most simple ingredient list. Mac-n-cheese for example is a staple in our house. I buy Annie's mac made with organic pasta ONLY because it has the most simple ingredient list. If Kraft's didn't have the chemicals in it I'd buy it. Organic or not.

I, like, most people cannot afford to buy everything organic. But when my kiddo's diet is 50% whole milk and 50% mac-n-cheese I want to make sure she's getting the best.

Since we are military I get the luxury of shopping at the commissary (grocery store on base). Normal PET milk is $2.88 a gallon. I think a half gallon of organic milk is $3.25 or so. So it helps a lot financially.

Do we spend more on food now? NOPE. Fresh produce and whole foods are way cheaper than rice krispy treats and poptarts. You just have to be creative with what you do with the good stuff.

Q: When you say you eat 1 cup of oats.. do you mean one full cup of dry oatmeal before it goes in the pot? Just wondering because I eat 1/2cup and it makes lots!

A: I always do 1 cup of dry. Normally it's for the squirrel and I. No matter if she's already eaten or not she always once some of my oatmeal. She probably eats ehhh about a 1/4 cup of it. So I usually end up eating 3/4 cup of oatmeal and half my toppings. Sometimes I don't even eat it all. I just scrape off my toppings and leave some oatmeal!

Q: Do you know when your hubby will be returning home?

A: When I saw this questions I vowed to not rant. I will just EXPLAIN... Totally different right?!

Let me tell you a little bit about the military. They may seem all family oriented but they're NOT. My husband has been gone a month and a half. Remember how I said originally it was just 30 days. A few days later it was 3-6 months. The first couple weeks he actually helped Haiti. His squadron alone delivered over 300,000lbs of food to the Haitians. I am proud to say that he did things we all wish we could have done.

For the past couple weeks my husband has been sitting on a boat in the ocean. He does his normal job that he does at home and stands duty. Rarely does he fly. But he's not helping Haiti anymore. He maybe flies once a week but it's only to chauffeur people around or help other people go home. Unacceptable!

We do have a "no later than date" of April 15th. And they said they could possibly send some of them home before then. It is unbelievably frustrating knowing my husband is not doing ANYTHING out there and could be home.

Need I remind you he STILL has to do a 7 month deployment this year. So the time he is out there is ticking down OUR time together. So if things go the way they are looking then he'll be home 3 months out of this year.

You may say "Hey lady, look you married the Marine Corps. You knew what you were getting yourself into". True. But did I really know? No. Did I know they'd be sending them on bullshit mini-deployments plus their regular deployments. No. Not that Haiti was bullshit. His squadron has been on several ridiculous ones.

I can handle a normal 7 month deployment. Because I can plan for that... This waiting for him to come home, biting at the bit is KILLING ME.

Alright that was more of a rant. Needless to say, he'll be home before April 15th... Maaaaaybe... And I'm counting down the days to getting out of the Marine Corps. I think we're down to 3,000 something ;)

Q: Have you wrote about your daughters birth somewhere? I understand she was a preemie.. I'd love to read about when she was born!

A: Yes, the squirrel has her own blog. I started writing the blog when I was 11 weeks pregnant with her. Jeez... That's about how far along I am with the next one! Scary! I continued writing about my pregnancy, complications, and her journey through the NICU. I actually stopped blogging about her to start this blog last November. IF you would like to read more about her feel free to email me! Her blog is private so I would have to send you an invitation. And if you don't mind letting me know who you are in the email. IF you are currently pregnant I don't recommend reading it. I've scared too many pregnant ladies with the squirrel's story and pictures.

Q. When did you decide to "get healthy" and what made your decision?

A. Well you can pretty much read my weight loss story here. But here it is short and sweet...

I gained 30lbs during pregnancy. You might say that 30lbs is normal to gain... Well I was only about half way through my pregnancy when the squirrel was born. I still had 3 months to go.
My turning point was when I realized I was out of breath walking up our stairs in our house. The squirrel was still little bitty. My main thought was if I can't even walk up these stairs how in the world will I be able to keep up with her?

Not only did my weight gain take a toll physically, it really hit me emotionally. It even put stress on my marriage. I was miserable. I felt ugly, fat, depressed, and out of control. And if you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I like to be in control. Not only was I upset about my weight, I had problems adjusting to being a mom, and problems adjusting to our new military life.

My husband was sent to Arizona for 2 1/2 months last September. I started reading Kath's blog and that lead to me starting this one. I pretty much became obsessed with health food and running. By the time he got home I had lost 20lbs and could run a 5k.

Since he's been in Haiti I've lost the last 10lbs. I'm definitely not as obsessed with health food and actually despise running but I've learned other ways to stay healthy.

I started blogging for myself and my family. For myself so I can see what I've eaten that day and how I can change things the next day. And for my family to see how the squirrel is doing.


Q. I have had several people ask me where squirrel got her nickname. I even had someone ask me if that was her real name!

A. Haha I have been tempted to say that is her real name... Squirrel Lee. Can you imagine? Hey, nowadays you never know! I have no clue how she got her nickname. My dad has called me squirrel quite a bit so it kind of rubbed off on her. We actually do call her that in real life and she does respond to it. She does know her first name too! I don't use her real name or the husbands on here just for privacy. If you really wanted to find those out though I'm sure you could.

Q. I know you have said that your daughter was born quite early. Are you apprehensive that this pregnancy may be the same?

A. I've actually been asked this question quite a bit by my friends and family. My water broke at 24 weeks with the squirrel. I was on bedrest for 4 weeks without any amniotic fluid before I had her. I saw many doctors and none of them could find a reason for my water breaking. It was a fluke and I've been told it will probably not happen again.

I am not worried this time around. Mostly, because I worried my entire pregnancy the last time. I was worried the day I found out I got pregnant until she was born. This may sound bad but I have the squirrel. Not that this baby doesn't mean anything... but... hopefully you understand. I have her and will always have her.

Q: What would you eat if you knew it would be your last meal ever?

A: What a simple question my friend! I didn't even have to think twice on that one. I love Italian food. It is by far my favorite. Plus my favorite restaurant is Italian. I just love the flavors of basil, garlic, tomatoes, and cheese.

I would have bruschetta for an appetizer, a caesar salad, pesto pasta for dinner, and tiramesu for dessert. Plus quite a few glasses of a good riesling.

Q. I'm a reader who just found out she was pregnant (you'll find out in a few weeks who!). I am really concerned about working out, I want to keep doing what I've been doing. What is your workout plan while you are pregnant with #2?

A. My workout plan is staying the same. Hopefully! Here's what I'm planing on doing:

MON- 30 mins cardio + 30 mins gentle yoga
TUES- Body pump
WED- Body combat
THURS- Off
FRI- 30 mins cardio + 30 mins gentle yoga
SAT- Body pump
SUN- Off

I will pretty much be doing the same weight consistently during body pump. I'll also be trying to maintain the same level of cardio. I'm just not going to increase my level of fitness. I hope to do that as long as I can during this pregnancy. I am not a personal trainer, fitness instructor, doctor, or dietician. My best advice is to run your plan by your doctor (which I will at my first appt) and listen to your body! If you are tired you need to stop. I think being pregnant takes a lot of energy. So if you are also pushing yourself at the gym you will just wear yourself out.

I did moderate exercise when I was pregnant with the squirrel. So hopefully my pregnancy story won't scare you! I was told by many doctors that working out did not cause her to come early.

Q. What is your favorite "not so healthy" food? Now that you are pregnant, do you think you will indulge in it a little more often? by faithfitnessfun

A. Mexican food all the way! I love anything mexican! I think it's the cheese. I don't have a lot of willpower to begin with so I have to work really hard to maintain my weight. When I was pregnant with the squirrel I had NO willpower so even I'm interested to see if I will indulge more!

It's hard not to have that "I'm pregnant so I can gain weight" mentality. Unfortunately, I never got to the cravings stage with the squirrel (she was born 3mos early) so I never got to experience that. I can't wait to see how my emotions and hormones control my eating. Should be interesting!