One of my awful habits is skipping meals. Whenever I am busy, I tend not to take the time to eat anything. Whatever I can grab is usually okay (as we don't keep junk food in the house), but not great. This is a huge no-no, especially when you are breastfeeding (which I am). The good news is at 6 months postpartum I am 10 lbs. below pre-pregnancy weight; the bad news is this is affecting my mood, energy level, and more. So what's a busy mom to do?
I've found a solution! It comes from my need to be turbo-organized. I know that if there is something healthy that is easy to grab, I'll get it and eat it. I also know that if I decide in advance exactly what I'm going to have, I'll have it. So there is an easy solution....
When I was still in college and working, I always packed my lunches. I would spend Sunday making some yummy, homemade soup or pasta, salads, fruit, bread, and some kind of drink (often tea). These turned into very well-balanced meals filled with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (I usually managed all 9 recommended servings in a day). Once I started staying at home with my daughter, though, I stopped doing this. Why bother when I was home to cook something everyday?
Please! What kind of woman with little kids has any time or energy to cook anything during the week? I sure don't. So, back to the way I used to cook for myself when I worked. I do it all on Sundays, while the little one sits and eats crackers and bangs on her highchair tray, or while she's sleeping. (Which I should just do during the week...but somehow don't.) This weekend I prepared salads (4 servings of vegetables in each), 100% juice in bottles, tea, and chocolate milk. This covers maybe 25% of my daily required calories, has plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and vitamins, not too much fat (though fat isn't so bad for a breastfeeding mom). To this I can add any of the following items that I have on hand to "make" last minute:
*Tuna fish sandwichs on whole wheat buns (fresh baked over the weekend)
*Chicken or cheese quesadillas
*Lasagna (meat or vegetable; homemade and frozen)
*Spaghetti or cheese/spinach tortellini
*Chicken chili
*Ham and swiss cheese on whole wheat
*Omelets
*Whole wheat waffles (homemade and frozen, toasted to eat)
*Turkey burgers
*Meatloaf (ground turkey)
*Chicken noodle soup (lots of veggies)
There are more choices but I can't think of them. I do prepare and freeze MANY meals that only need thrown in the oven before I eat them. It is very convenient! But I need those staples ready NOW so that I don't have an excuse to eat nothing because I don't have even 5 minutes to let the baby play in her exersaucer while I grab lunch. Oh well -- I'm working on it!
I recommend this system to busy moms. Prepare your meals (and your kids' meals) in advance. For you it may mean cutting up fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks, putting crackers in small baggies, or whatever else you like to have. But have something healthy and easy to grab because you WILL snack on whatever you've prepared. If it's healthy then you're that much further ahead in a day. And now it's late, and the baby's new wake up time is between 5:30 and 6 so I should not be awake right now....
This is Rebekah (6 months; 26.5" and 14 lbs. 10 oz. as of yesterday's check up!) modeling a size small. The rise is just below the belly button and fits well across the hips.
Rebekah's sitting up here to see a different view of it. The cloth tabs stretch with her.
Here's a back view. The diaper is a little off center and isn't quite covering her on one side. And that's because....
She was trying to do THIS the whole time! lol. She did not want to be on her tummy. Of course, as soon as I dressed her and tried to get pictures of her on her back, she tried to roll back onto her tummy. She wants what she wants! (I was getting pictures of her dressed because she is wearing 12-month shirt and 18-month pants today and they are NOT big...well, the pants are too big in the waist but they aren't too long. Sigh.)
