OAMC

Here is the long awaited blog everyone has been waiting for!  I actually wrote this over a month ago, I just hadn't tweaked it yet to post it...
 
I have been doing this thing call Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) for the past 2 months.  So far it has been working great for me! 

Before OAMC this was my schedule after work:

4:45 - Get home, let he dogs out, put away back packs/diaper bags, take out dirty clothes/bibs.  Change out of my uniform.

5:00 – Feed the baby and put her down for a short nap. 

5:15-6:00 - Make Dinner.  Sometimes if dinner has to bake or something I can get Melanie’s bottles together for the next day.   And usually Melanie has to be held if she’s awake.  She gets very needy in the evenings.
 
6-6:30 – Eat dinner.

6:30 – Usually Melanie needs to eat again.

7:00 - Baths for both kiddos

7:30 – Feed Melanie and put her down for the night while Liam watches TV and has a snack.

8:00 – Story time for Liam, tuck him in and get him to bed. 

8:30 – Usually my day winds down about this time…

It is non-stop until 8:30, and there is no time to really spend with the kids.   With the OAMC , I just preheat the oven or start the grill when I get home and at 5:00 I just pop something in and eat when it’s done.  It frees up pretty much a whole extra hour per night for me to do whatever I want.  It’s amazing.  Not only did cooking dinner take up so much time, it took energy too.  Energy I just don’t have most of the time after work. 

I did some research on OAMC before I started (Google mostly).  I purchased two cookbooks once I decided to commit to it.  The first chapter in each book is tips/rules to make it successful.  I read each one of them twice.  I wanted to make sure this was something I was going to want to continue to do and I figured if I took in as much information as I could, I would be more likely to succeed.  There were some things about food handling in there that I didn’t know too.  Like if you freeze meat, and thaw it, it has to be cooked before you can refreeze it or you can get sick.  

I started small, as recommended by one of my books.  I planned 15 meals, instead of a whole month or 30 days.  I chose 15 recipes.  I try to choose a few things that have similar ingredients so I dont have to buy as many different things.   Some stuff I already knew to how to make, some stuff I got offline or out of the book.  I shop at two different stores for the meal ingredients so I make three meticulous lists before each shopping session.  I go through each recipe and write down each ingredient and quantity on one of the three lists.  One list is my bulk list, the stuff I plan to buy at Sam’s Club.  For instance, I usually buy all of my meat in bulk.  It’s cheaper, good quality, and obviously I need a lot of it.  I also buy things like aluminum foil, aluminum trays, and freezer bags here.  And shredded cheese.  I buy huge like 10 lb bags of mozzarella and cheddar about every three months.  My second list is the list for the regular grocery store.  My third list is things I already have on hand.  After I go through each recipe I go back and add things I need, like milk, bread, diapers, etc…  Just so I don’t forget that stuff either.  But the most important thing is the ingredients for the OAMC.  It would not be fun to be in the middle of a recipe and then realize you forgot something. 

For the stuff I made that I already knew how to make, I wrote out an ingredient sheet for each recipe.  I have a notebook and plan on getting a binder and page protectors to store things more neatly and organized.  The first few times you go shopping for OAMC your grocery bill will be larger than usual.  Once you get started your pantry will become more stocked with the different spices and things you will use on a regular basis, so you won’t have to purchase them every time.   So it should go down over time because you will have more things on hand.  Mine went down from month one to month two just because I didn’t need to buy packaging materials, cheese, some spices, etc...    I usually set a little money aside from each paycheck for when I do my mass shopping trip. 

The first time I did OAMC, I looked at all my recipes and seen how many needed browned ground beef, and did it all together, or how many needed pasta, and boiled it all together,  etc…  It worked, but I think it was a little more chaotic for me, having multiple things going at once.  The second time I did it I more or less focused on one recipe at a time and did them in an order that would be easiest for me based on the actual recipes and preparation.   I did all of the beef recipes first, then the chicken ones.  Also, anything that was just going to be marinated and frozen, I did at the beginning of each different meat session.    Anything that wasn’t going to be cooked before being frozen was being prepared while other meat was cooking.  Like making a meatloaf and hamburger patties while beef was browning for lasagna.   Or I would pound out chicken for Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts while some other chicken was baking.   I think the way I did it the second time was a little less hectic for me.  I still had multiple things going on at once, but not like the first time. 

Some recipes can be doubled to give you more helpings/meals, or even halved to feed less.   Or sometimes it just comes out that it is way more than you would eat at one time and you can split it into two nights worth of meals; depending on your family size.  I found the first time I cooked that I with that 15 recipes and the bulk meat I was able to actually make 22 meals when things got separated out.  The second time I got 26 meals.  I made two different types of hamburger patties and one made six and one made nine, so that alone is five days worth if it’s just Greg, Liam, and me.

I pack some things in aluminum pans and wrap it completely around with at least two layers of foil.  Anything that is just getting marinated I put in freezer zip lock bags.  Also some pastas, or casserole type things I put in there too.  Things like mini pizza I wrap individually in foil then put in a bag to store.  Things like hamburger patties I "flash freeze" first then wrap individually.  "Flash freeze" means to make the patty, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then freeze them.  Once they are frozen, take them off the sheet and wrap them individually.  Everything is labeled with contents and the date.   I also put cooking instructions on each package, like 350 degrees for 30 min, and any special instructions it might have, like top with cheese or whatever.  I also write whether it needs to be thawed before it is cooked.   That way I don’t really have to go back and find anything in the books, or if Greg is going to cook it, everything he needs to know is right there. 
I also actually do it over a two day span, not all in one day.  I start on Saturday night after the baby is in bed and go basically until I am tired of cooking.  Then I semi clean up and start again in the morning.   Greg cleans up in between and after I am done since I am doing so much work.   In between he will load the dishwasher so I have clean stuff to start with the next day, and put stuff away I might have left out, and do a quick wipe down.  The next day he cleans more thoroughly when I am finished. 

Overall, this has been a great time saver for me, and I have come to enjoy being able to have a home cooked meal practically every night without having to actually do to much cooking.  Preparation has seemed to be the key in this.   I would recommend this to anyone who feels they don't have a lot of time to cook, or even if they hate to cook.  Doing something you hate once a month is better than doing it every night!

HO HO HO!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My Monkey is Growing

Wow!!! I cannot believe Liam is going to be three in 12 days... I don't even know where the time has gone. I feel like just yesterday I saw him for the first time, held his tiny little hands, sat with him for a week in the NICU, gave him his first bath... Some of my friends write letters to their kids almost monthly, but I don't know how I would find the time for that, (I have a hard enough time getting on here as it is) so I will just do it every once in a while. So here goes my first letter to my son...

Liam,
You are so big. It feels like yesterday I could easily hold you in my arms and rock you. That's not so easy anymore; trust me I just tried, haha... You are such a spit-fire, yet such a loving, caring, and sweet boy. You are definitely a mama's boy. Everything is Mommy, Mommy, Mommy... Mommy has to wash your hair, or get you a drink, or open your fruit snacks, or read your bed time story. It always has to be Mommy, Daddy just doesn't do it right I guess. I don't mind because I love you, but sometimes you don't realize I have to feed sissy, or that I am changing her and can't come right now, or that I am busy doing something, and you need to let Daddy help too because he is available.

You learned your ABC's sometime in the last few months since you started going to your new school. One day I just heard you singing them to yourself and you knew the whole song! I didn't even know you knew your ABC's so I was very surprised to hear it, but you did great. That's not surprising though considering just about everything you do, you are great at. Every week in school you learn about a different letter and you love to tell me all sorts of things about each letter. You are not a big fan of homework, but that is just because you would rather be playing, haha... You also have become quite the artist these past few months, not just scribbling lines all over the paper. You also surprised me one day by drawing a face, and I could actually tell the detail of the eyes, nose, mouth, etc... I really think you have learned a lot from this new school, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

You are not only Mom's big helper, helping give your sister baths, or getting me diapers, or getting Missy her binky, you are also known as a big helper in school. You happily help pass out papers, or help line the younger kids up, or clean up. I am very grateful that you are that child. The fact that your teachers go out of their way to tell me how helpful you are makes me proud and lets me know I am doing something right.

Your imagination is unlike any other almost 3 year old I have met. The way describe things amazes me. For instance, a few months ago at school, everyone painted a picture. The teacher wrote on each picture what the child said it was a painting of then they hung them in the hall. While I was looking at them I noticed one child painted "a dog", one painted "a dinosaur', one painted "a horse," etc. Then I got to your painting. You painted, "a dinosaur in a bear cave." Not just a dinosaur, not just a cave. It made me laugh out loud at how much more detailed your description of your picture was. You love to dress up in different costumes and pretend different things. You wear a knight costume and pretend to slay dragons to save your princess. You put on a vest and a backpack and hold your hands to your eyes like binoculars and pretend you are an explorer. You love dramatic play.

When I filled out your 3 year old questionnaire at your check up, one of the questions was, "do you think your child talks like other children their age?" I wanted to mark that one NO! But not in a negative way. The way you speak is another thing that amazes me and makes you stand out. You correctly use such big words and phrases that most children your age don't even know. You have a pretty extensive vocabulary. You always speak in long complete sentences. Another question was, "does your child use 3-4 word sentences regularly? Give an example." You continuously use 7-10 word sentences! It was hard to give an example without looking like I made it up! Everyone always says they can't believe how well you speak. Proper English is a pet peeve of mine even if you are only 2, haha... You are also so polite. Please, thank you, excuse me, and you're welcome just flow out of your mouth like second nature. We have been working on "sir", and "ma'am."

You are an amazing big brother. There hasn't been one single moment of jealousy with your sister. You love her to death. You love holding her hand, and giving her "tiny hugs" and "tiny kisses." You call them that because you know you have to be gentle with her. If she is crying you try to give her a binky, or check her diaper. You help me give her baths. You completely adore and dote on your sister like no other. Hopefully the way you treat her doesn't change over the years. I only hope one day she realizes what a lucky girl she is to have you as a big brother, even when you are pestering or picking on her when you both get older, haha.

You are a stubborn one though. I have never seen a child stick to his guns the way you do when you want/don't want something. Like brushing your teeth. You hate it. I have tried a few different things to get you to at least tolerate it so we can get through it quickly, but nothing has worked. Every day is a battle and I usually resort to sitting on you and holding you down to brush them. No child of mine is going to be toothless if I can help it, haha. Dentists are expensive! You have also been getting a little attitude lately though. You are using the word NO a little more freely when I tell you to do something, but I think you just like to test your limits, the fact that you behave so well with everyone else shows that. Mom usually doesn't put up with that though, so the sooner you realize it, the faster we can move on with our lives.

You love to dance. When there is music playing, it's rare that you aren't moving to it. You love to be outside, no matter how hot or how cold it is. You love to swim, color, play with play dough, play with legos, have books read to you, and play with cars. Monster Trucks are your favorite, as you have just recently informed me. But lately no matter what it is, you have been telling me, "That's my FAVORITE!" And you say it with such enthusiasm it's hard not to believe you. You also love to sing. Your favorite song of the moment is "Gives You Hell" but it has to be the Glee version, not the All American Rejects. You say, "Mom, I want some Hell," when you want to hear it. It's pretty cute, and the only time you are allowed to say that, haha...

I know I got a little long winded, but I just had so much to say about you because you are so amazing. I hope that you continue to grow up to be the happy, carefree, content little boy that you are. I know you will continue to make me proud and I can't wait to see everything you accomplish in life as you grow up. Just don't do it too fast! I love you Monkey!

Love, Mommy

Da Bears

I thought I would compare Liam and Melanie wearing the same outfits rooting for the best team around...

                 ~Melanie~                                    ~Liam~

                         ~Melanie~                           ~Liam~

           Liam had a jersey on before this, but he decided he was
                     "done playing football" so he took it off...

Melanie Ryan Loving

Well, it has been a few months since I have been on here.  We are offically settled into Georgia and it's a great feeling.  It took us a while to get Internet, but now that we have it, and things seem to have settled down with the baby, I will try to get on here and update more often.

First things first, Melanie has arrived!  I am sure most of you figured that out by now, haha...  She was born June 1st, 2010 at 10:21 AM. She was 7 lbs 12 oz 19 1/2 inches long.  Not quite as big as her brother who weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz, 22 inches.  Labor was super fast and semi-easy.  I arrived at the hospital at 7 AM to be induced.  They hooked me up to the monitors and I was already having some pretty good contractions, 5 minutes apart.  At about 8 o'clock my doctor came in and broke my water and started the pitocin.  This already was extremely different from when I had Liam.  They didn't break my water with him until about 10 hours into my pitocin.  about 9:30 I was starting to really feel the contractions and opted for some Demerol instead of my epidural.  That was a HUGE mistake!  The second the Demerol hit my blood stream I became an emotional wreck!  You would have thought my entire family was just killed in a horrific car accident the way I was carrying on.  No joke!  I was screaming and crying and just have a total meltdown every time a contraction hit.  I immediately wanted my epidural then, but of course the anesthesiologist would  take forever to get there!  At least it seemed like forever.  Time goes very slowly when you are doped up on Demerol.  About 10:00 he finally arrived and went straight to it.  Now here was the fun part; Melanie was on her way out already at that point, and technically it was probably too late to get an epidural, but the way I was carrying on, my nurse told the anesthesiologist, "you better hurry up because I'm not telling her it's too late!"  So, while he was putting it in, I was fighting the very strong urge to push.  Now for those of you who have had kids, you can probably imagine how hard that is, especially when you are sitting up!  About this time my mom and sister FINALLY arrive.  They drove down from Illinois to just see the baby be born, and almost missed it!  I started pushing shortly after 10, and even though it seemed like forever (damn Demerol), at 10:21 Melanie Ryan arrived looking perfect as can be screaming her little heart out.

Melanie is an extremely different baby than Liam was.  She cried.  A LOT!  Let me rephrase that:  SHE SCREAMS!  FOR HOURS!  You hardly ever heard a sound from Liam when he was a baby.   Even when he got shots as a baby, Liam would cry maybe 10 seconds.  He was done by the time you put his pants back on.  Melanie screamed for half an hour like they were still poking her with needles.  The screaming started about 2 weeks old, and it was an almost nightly occurrence.  I will say that these past 2 weeks or so, it has settled down some (knock on wood).  Well, at least it seems that way because there suddenly seems to be a few ways to calm her down, most of the time.  But I really do think it's starting to get better, it seems like she is more fussy now, than actual screaming anymore *fingers crossed.*  For those of you with babies who scream for what appears to be no reason for hours and there is pretty much nothing you can to do comfort them, I feel for you! If she wold have been my first, she would have been an only child, haha... But in all seriousness having a baby who cries like they are in constant pain, and you can't do anything to comfort them is heart breaking, nerve wracking, stressful, tiring, and it really can take its toll on you physically and mentally.  The only thing I can recommend, is taking turns and try to be patient.  When you feel like you cant handle anymore, switch and let Daddy take a turn for a little bit.  Or put baby someplace safe, like their crib, and just go relax for a few minutes.  It's not going to hurt them to cry by themselves for a few minutes so you can gather your bearings...  It's probably better for them because they can sense your anxiety.  And just remember, even though it might feel like you are doing something wrong because you cant get them to stop crying, it's not your fault! 

I am breastfeeding Melanie.  I tried with Liam, but was not successful.  Since he was in the NICU for a week and I didn't have 24 hour a day access to him, I had a hard time producing enough milk, and he had a hard time latching on.  But Melanie was a pro!  There were a few times when I thought it wasn't going to work out and I thought I was going to have to go to formula, but we pulled through and she is now exclusively breastfed.  It remains to be seen if I am still going to be able to pump enough to keep up with her demands while we are separated in the coming weeks, although I did recently acquire a new awesome pump!  Thanks Jessica!!!  If she starts wanting more than I pump at work, I guess I will have to start adding another session at home or something.  I will try my best.  And maybe at 4 months when she is cleared to start solids, I will have to start them that early, just so she will require less milk.  Although I was wanting to wait until closer to 6 months to start that stuff, we will just have to see how it goes. It's hard since we are apart about 11 hours from her first feeding in the morning until the next time I see her in the afternoon!  But apparently she is getting enough to eat because she weighed in at 12 lbs 2 oz at her 2 month check up.

Another difference between Liam and Melanie is sleeping.  Liam was sleeping 10-12 hours a night at 4 weeks old.  Right now Melanie is sleeping from 9 PM until about 2 or 3 AM, so I get a good 5-6 hour stretch there, but that didn't start to be consistent until about 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Before that it was every 1-3 hours.  Liam was always 4 hours like clock work until 4 weeks old.  Although last night she slept from 9 PM until 6 AM, so maybe she's starting a new sleep pattern.  But the 5-6 hour thing works for me, and when she does wake up after that time, she just eats and goes back to sleep until I wake her up again at about 5:30.

Other than her fits at night, she is a super happy baby, pretty quiet during the day, and smiles all the time.  She loves her big brother and he loves her to death.  I can't wait until she is older and can move around and interact with him more!  I will try to get on here again soon to give update on more than just Little Miss Melanie, but for now, it's time to hit the sack.  After all, this momma has a three full-time jobs, Mother, Wife, and Airman!  Good night all!

Quick update!

Well it's been awhile, but I am here.  We are officially leaving Alaska April 1st.  We are stopping through Illinois for 7 days to help my sister with some wedding reception planning and then it's off to Georgia.  We are getting all of our stuff packed and moved Thursday and Friday of this week, so I wanted to get a quick Family update in before the computer got taken since our laptop took a crap on us a few months ago and I will be computer-less for a while. 

So lets start with Liam...  He is potty trained!  Once he decided he wanted to do it, it was super easy.  We went and picked out a ton of big boy underwear and he hasn't looked back since.  He still wears a pull up at night.  We tried without one all last week and he had two accidents.  Greg had the week off so Liam was sleeping for 10-12 hours a night, and apparently he just cant hold it or wasn't getting out of bed soon enough when he was waking up after sleeping that long.  He doesn't pee in the middle of the night, just in the morning.  He wants to wear underwear to bed too, but I had to explain to him that since he was peeing in his bed in the morning instead of his potty, he had to wear a pull up.  So then Sunday morning he got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom before he even came and woke me up!  I saw him coming out of the bathroom and asked him if he went potty and he said, "Yep, I can't pee my bed."  So hopefully he will make that a habit and we can retire the pull ups for good!  Other than potty training we have been working on counting, shapes, and colors.  He is doing great with all three.  He can count to six with little to no help.  He knows a square, rectangle, star, circle, oval, triangle, and heart for his shapes.  As far as colors go, he can point out if you ask him to find the blue or green or whatever, but he has a harder time if you ask him 'what color is this?'  I'm not sure why that is, I guess just the way he learns, but I am sure he will figure it out.  He also learned about different feelings at daycare, so now he always asks me if I am happy or mad or sad, haha...  Or he tells me that he or his toys are happy or something.  Its pretty cute.  That just about wraps it up for Liam.

I was told I have gestational diabetes again today, so that's exciting, NOT...  But it is also not as severe as last time, as told by my sugar levels, and the fact that I haven't gained but 1/3 of the weight I did when I was this far along last time.  By this time with Liam I was up 60 pounds, and now I am only up 22, so that's good.  Although my doctor did tell me she would like it if I didn't gain anymore, I don't know how that's going to work out though.  I guess since I will be on a low carb diet for the diabetes, it might be easier, but we will see.  I still think I am doing great, especially compared to my last pregnancy, so I am not overly concerned about that.  I am not looking forward to pricking my finger 4 times a day though, UGH!!!  Other than the diabetes again, I have been enjoying this pregnancy far more than I did my one with Liam, but that's mostly attributed to the weight gain.  Gaining 60 lbs that fast will make a person miserable, lol!  I have also been diagnosed with having sacroiliac joint and tendon pain, which is causing the lower back pains.  Basically since the pregnancy hormones make your joints so loose, and I am already double jointed  just about everywhere, that makes it worse.  I am in Physical Therapy and I was given some exercises and have to work on the way I walk, stand, sit, and do just about everything so I m not hyper-extending my joints like I normally do.  So that's been a challenge, but I am working on it.


As far as Greg goes, he has just been busy at work and everything getting ready for the big move, and playing video games.  That's it, lol... 

Well that's the update on the family before we leave Alaska.  It's been a great journey and we enjoyed most of our time up here, but it's time to move on.  It's bittersweet because there are people who will be greatly missed here, but we are excited to get to warmer climates, be closer to family, and start a new chapter in our lives.  Such is the military life, and we can do it all again in about 3 years!

27 Week Baby Bump

And the Winner is.... TEAM GIRL!

~Profile view of our little girl~

~Skeletal view of her little face~

~Her cute little butt~

That last one is a picture of her butt on the right side and her legs on the top and bottom.  Her bottom leg is a blur because she did not sit still for any of her pictures!  If you notice there is an absence of anything hanging between those little kicking legs she has! YAY TEAM GIRL!!!!  Now we just need to agree on a name...  I am open to suggestions!

Devil Went Down to Georgia

Well we know where we are moving to next...  Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.  It is just outside of Valdosta in southern Georgia, 30 miles north of the Florida border.  I wanted hot, so I guess I got it... We know two families we worked with when we were stationed in Maryland that are there now, too.  It is only just over 4 hours to my Dad's house, 8 hours to Greg's mom's, and 14 hours to mine.  All in all, not too shabby.  The only bad thing about it is that Greg will be working in a Security Forces Squadron (cops) and not in the normal Communications Squadron where I will be, and normally he would too.  So potentially he could be getting deployed, A LOT.  We won't know for sure until we get there but the chances are very high.  He could potentially be gone for 6 months out of every year, which wouldn't be great at all.  But we will make the best of it, we always do. 

The reason I titled this after the Charlie Daniels song is because when I called to the new office where I will be working, I found out that I will most likely be in charge of the work center.  When I told the people I work with now, that's what they started singing!  Come on, I'm not that bad, haha...  I have never officially ran an entire work center so that will be a challenge I am sure.  I don't even know for sure if I will be in charge, or second in line.  The person who is in charge now was not there when I called, but it seems like we are the same rank almost down to the month, so when we figure out if we made our rank the same month or different it will be whoever made the rank earlier that will be in charge and the other second in command.  Either way, this is going to be a big step up for me from where I fall in the ranks now in my current shop, because when I made my rank last time, I just went from being the highest ranking Senior Airman, to the lowest ranking Staff Sergeant, so nothing changed except I had one more stripe, and more money, lol...

As long as we don't have to wait until the last minute for them to give us our orders (the papers that say we can leave) we plan on being out of here April 1st with a stop over in Illinois for a 4-5 days so I can help my sister with some wedding planning.  I have to be to GA by April 23rd at the latest because I can not be traveling after 34 weeks.  So we should be in GA mid-April!  I am looking forward to this new adventure in our lives and I can't wait for it to being!

18 Week Belly Shots!