If you don't want to hear about my "lady parts" --- stop reading!

The title says it all. This post is going to be about my lady parts. Consider yourself warned.

I'd like to begin by saying that I've had a little miracle this month. That miracle was in the form of removing my IUD. Now don't get me wrong, my IUD was my bestie for 17 months...but it was the kind of bestie that stabs you in the back.

Lemme "esplain" -- I had an IUD placed 6 weeks after having Cale and it was UH-MAZING. No periods? Yes please! I literally had no spotting, bleeding, nada, for a year and a half. I would have kissed my IUD if I could have. It.was.blissful.

Not so blissful was my 100% disinterest in being intimate with my husband since having Cale. And not even just disinterest. It was almost to the point of disgust. I'm so sad to say that, because I love Nate! He's amazing! But something was happening with me and my body, and I was NOT interested...Nothing was working and it was a big source of contention for us. Even a trip to my Gyno and a prescription medication didn't fix the issue. I was made to believe that hormones caused by breastfeeding were causing my body to be out of whack, causing the issue with being intimate. Since I still breastfeed and nothing else seemed to be a good explaination, I eventually believed it.

I finally accepted that until I was ready to wean Cale that I just would have to make a huge effort to seem interested in sex. Ugh. And it really wasn't working. Poor Nate.

Anyway, fast forward to 2 weeks ago. I finally told Nate that I really believed my IUD was causing this problem. He agreed that I should take the IUD out since we want to concieve soon anyway, so about 2 weeks ago I went to the doctor and had it removed. (Side note -- OUCH! It hurt worse coming out than putting it in, geesh!) Anyway, I felt an IMMEDIATE difference in my body. I don't know how to explain it other than that it felt like a foreign object that my body was rejecting for 18 months was finally gone. I was in a good mood, I felt instantly better about myself, I even felt lighter (literally, like I lost 10 lbs in 5 minutes) It was crazy!

Over the last two weeks things have gotten so good. (I don't need to mention that having an IUD removed causes two weeks of HORRIBLE bleeding/clotting/all that nasty stuff) but it's gone now and I am better than ever! I feel like a new woman and I can confidently say that my intimate relationship is back on the fast track. Nate (and I) couldn't be more thrilled.

As happy as I am that removing my IUD fixed my problem, I am sad that the IUD had such an effect on me. It really was the best birth control I had ever used and I'm sad that I'll probably never be able to use it again.

Use my experience as proof that miracles DO happen, and if they can happen to my lady parts then they can happen to YOU!

Woo hoo!

My laptop has been shipped out for repair for 3 weeks and I'm SO happy to have it back! We do have another computer but it's packed away for now. We've had to rely on using our cell phones for the internet for weeks and it SUCKED. Especially for Nate who is in school and needs the internet constantly. Anyway, the computer is back and I'm excited I can finally post a blog, even though not much is happening with us lately.

Nate and I have been married 2.5 months now and it's pretty much back to business as usual. We do our best to spend as much time together as we can, but working opposite shifts for 18 months is really taking it's toll. When I was working part time it wasn't so bad, but my job has stopped allowing part time shifts so I had to go full time. There's a similar job up the road that does allow part time shifts so Nate and I are talking about me quitting and applying up the street. We'll see how that goes. Unfortunately I make a lot of money where I'm at and I think it would be a pay cut to go anywhere else.

In other news, Cale is turning 18 months on tomorrow! I can't believe it. He is truely a toddler these days, and only rarely do I get a glimpse of my little baby still in him. Staying true to tradition, here are some noteworthy things about Cale right now:

*He is obsessed with the movie "Cars" and loves anything with Lightening McQueen.

*He has started to form small sentences, although only once in a while. The other day he stared up at the sky and said, "Sky Airplane...WOAH!" - That made me chuckle!

*His doctor appointment is tomorrow, but since we were just in the doctors office for his dislocated elbow (that's another story!) I know he's roughly 23 pounds. He's still a tall, skinny kid although he eats like a pig.

*We are still nursing, though I'd say we are about 90% weaned. He only nurses when he's tired or hurt, or when he just wants to cuddle.

*He hates being inside. I think it's time to throw out all his toys and get a new set of toys cause he gets bored so easily. Many times he puts on my flip flops, hands me my keys and says, "side? side?" (meaning 'let's go outside')

*I'm obsessed with Cale's teeth. They are big and beautiful and straight! He has no gaps in his teeth at all, it's like the perfect set of baby teeth. He's still missing a couple teeth toward the back, but for the most part they are all there and they look so great. Even strangers comment on his pearly whites :) He is so lucky! I wasn't as lucky as a child. Braces were my only saving grace.

*He still wears a lot of 12 month clothing, but he also has 18 month clothing. The hard thing right now is getting him to fit in jeans. 12 month jeans fit him around the belly but they are way too short. To get pants that are long enough he needs 18 month but they fall down around his waist. :/ ....and I can't find a baby belt anywhere!

*He makes the cutest kissing noise when he wants something. --- You know how when you see a dog and you want to call it over to you so you make a little kissing noise over and over? That's what he does, but he does it for everything! If he wants his sippy milk, he makes his kissing noise and runs to get it. Ugh, SO cute.

*He calls his cousin "auntie." And I'll tell you why.... my niece (the first grandchild in our family, who is now 5 years old) has always called me Auntie. It's just who I am to her. Cale absolutely ADORES her and has heard her call me Auntie, so he started saying it too. Now he calls HER auntie and we all think it's pretty funny. Whenever I say, "Wanna go see Cheyna?" He says, "Auntie! Auntie!"


Anyway, that's all I can think of right now.

Last story though...Last week Cale was climbing the stairs outside and began to fall backward. Luckily I was holding his arm so I was able to scoop him up to prevent his fall. Unfortunately I dislocated his arm in the process. Poor Cale was screaming and I was a mess. I felt awful. I rushed him to the doctor who promptly popped it back in, and Cale was back to his old self. It was his first real injury but I'm sure there will be many more to come.

I want another one of these.

That is all.

Catching Up

I've posted some random things recently but I realized I never updated about the big wedding!

7/16/11 was wedding day. We were really worried how the weather would hold out but we were so lucky. Not only did the rain hold off until the very end, but there was even a great breeze going through the yard so we weren't sweating to death. The day was beautiful, the flowers were gorgeous, the whole yard was decorated stunningly...I literally couldn't have asked for a better wedding!

It didn't come off without a hitch though...we certainly did have some challenges! First of all, the wind was great for the heat, but not so great for the decorations. 30 minutes before the ceremony, the tablecloths flew off the tables, the curtains on the gazebo fell down, and all the paper lanterns that took hours to hang were flying off left and right! It was kind of awkward, but my helpers were still putting everything back together as the guests were arriving. It wasn't quite the calm, romantic entrance for my guests as I had hoped for, but I was still able to watch from inside the house as my guests arrived and were blown away by the gorgeous ambiance. I remember seeing some of my friends walk in and go crazy at how beautiful it was. They didn't know I was watching from inside, but that was a special moment for me. I worked REALLY hard on this wedding so I was so happy to see people appreciate how well it turned out.

About 1.5 hours after the reception started, the clouds started rolling in and it did sprinkle for a bit. We really thought it was going to pour rain very soon so the wedding ended earlier than we expected. Nate and I didn't get a first dance. :( My dad and I did though, and that was something really special to us.

I, of course, was a teary mess from the second I walked down the aisle, until the ceremony was over. Nate and I wrote our own vows and I was really impressed with the words he wrote. He's such a good man!

Overall, the wedding was amazing and so beautiful, and it was awesome to be surrounded by so many friends and family. We are married!

The last week has been spent waiting for hours in different lines trying to get my name changed. The social security office is downtown, but I was lucky to only have to wait 1 hour once I got there. Cale was a DOLL. I could not believe how good he was while we were there. The DMV line...not so much. 3 1/2 hours total is how long that line took. Ridiculous! Thank goodness Nate was able to stay home with Cale while I braved the DMV cause that would have been a nightmare. But everything has now been changed and I am officially Michelle Carlson.

My 1st attempt at "Extreme Couponing!"

I put "Extreme Couponing" in quotations because we both know I'm no expert when it comes to this stuff...in fact, this was my first attempt, and although I saved a ton of money, I still spent about $20 and I'm sure the pro's could have gotten it all for free! I hope once I get the hang of it all that it will take a lot less of my time and effort. I went to Walgreens first, and just planning that trip alone took like 2 hours. *sigh*

But here's how I did:




These are the products I got today at Walgreens. I started with Walgreens rather than the grocery store because I knew it would be easier.

Basically I matched up items that were already on sale at Walgreens and found coupons that coincide with the sale prices.

For example, Axe Bodywash was $5.49 each, but they were "buy one get one half off," so by purchasing 2 of them, the price was $8.24...BUT I matched that up with a "buy one get one FREE" coupon, which took $5.49 off the price, so I got TWO bottles of Axe for $2.75.
THAT is cool!!!!

I found lots of deals like this today, and eventually only spend $20 at Walgreens....a 73% savings!!!

I continued my shopping to King Soopers for grocery shopping and didn't have AS MUCH success, but I still did well. I saved about $40 on my shopping trip to KS and about $60 at Walgreens, so I saved $100 today!!!

My favorite purchase at King Soopers??

I found a deal where if I bought 4 boxes of cereal I got 2 free gallons of milk...but of course I didn't stop there. I had an online coupon for $.55 off cheerios and $.55 off honey nut cheerios, and also $1 off 2 boxes of cereal (and I used 2 of these coupons since I bought 4 boxes total)....

Final price? $9.00 for 4 boxes of cereal and 2 gallons of milk! AWESOME!!!

I also scored two free packages of dental floss (can't beat free, right?)

Homemade Laundry Detergent!

Recently I've really enjoyed finding ways to save money. My biggest excitement so far (besides starting to coupon) has been finding ways to save money on the expensive household items we regularly buy....like laundry soap!

Here's a little math for you:

Buying a container of Gain liquid detergent at Target costs $14.99 and yields 64 loads. This means for each load of laundry costs about $0.23.

With my homemade recipe, you need the following items:

•Borax: $2.50 for 70 oz. Cost per batch: .28 (8 oz needed for recipe)
•Washing Soda: $2.50 for 55 oz. Cost per batch .18.(4 oz needed for recipe)
•Fels Naptha Soap: $.99 Cost per batch: .33 (1 bar of soap needed for recipe)


Cost to make: .79

Yield: 442 oz.

Cost per oz. = .00178

Cost per ½ cup = .007 or rounded to .01 cent per load


YES! That's 1 PENNY per load! That's over a 99% savings for this laundry detergent. And it works and smells amazing! Read reviews online if you're unsure :)

So I'm ready to share the wealth. Here is how to make homemade laundry detergent!

You'll need:

1 - 5 gallon paint bucket with a lid ($2.99 in the paint section at WalMart)
1 box of borax (laundry aisle, about $2)
1 box of washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda...also in the laundry aisle, about $2)
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap (laundry aisle, $1 per bar)

Put a large pot on the stove with about 6 cups of water in it and turn on low. Then grate your Fels Naptha bar of soap with a cheese grater. (It will actually look like cheese cause the soap is yellow!)
Once grated, pour the soap into the pot. On medium heat, heat soap (stirring constantly) until the soap is fully melted in the pot with the water.

In the meantime, fill your paint bucket with about 4.5 gallons of HOT water. Once the soap is melted, pour it into the bucket with the water and stir well. Then add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda. Stir again!

You've just made 5 gallons of detergent! Lucky you! It only cost less than $10 and less than 15 minutes :)

The liquid will firm up slightly over the next day or two but it can be used immediately. Soon it will be a nice gel. If it's too thick you can add some hot water and if it's too thin, that's ok...next time you make a batch just add some more of the Fels Naptha.

Let me know how this works for you!

You'll need about 1/2 cup for a regular load and up to 1 cup for heavily soiled loads.

Healthy Toddler Meals

I hate that I give Cale junk food sometimes. He always wants a sip of my drink or a bite of my food and it's not always "toddler worthy." I'm not going to be a total psycho when it comes to his eating habbits, but it is a goal of mine to make sure I raise him to make healthy eating choices. I've been experimenting with some awesome new toddler meal ideas and I wanted to share! Feel free to put your own spin on these recipes...make them your own!

"Spinach Nuggets"

1 16-oz package frozen chopped spinach, cooked.
1 cup Seasoned bread crumbs - (or 3/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup wheat germ or flax meal)
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 Large eggs

Combine all ingredients together and roll into "nuggets."
Add seasonings if you wants, like garlic powder, pepper, etc.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil.
Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through baking.

"Pups in a Blanket"

All-Beef or Turkey Dogs (Tofu Dogs work well too)
Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake crescent rolls
Veggies
Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

Wrap the dogs in the dough and add veggies and cheese.
Roll them up like a cigar, until the hot dog is all covered except the ends.
Cut into toddler-friendly sized pieces.
Bake at 375-400F for about 25 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown

"Toddler Quesadillas"

On a flour tortilla or pita bread, put chicken strips or ground turkey, tomato slices, cheese (sliced or shredded) and any other yummy food you want to include.
Top with another tortilla or fold in half. (I like to put corn, beans, and green/red/yellow peppers)
Broil in oven or put in toaster oven until cheese is melted. You can also bake them, but this will cause a crispier tortilla that could be more crumbly. Cut into "pizza" slices and enjoy!

"Chicken Sticks"

*Thinly sliced strips of chicken breast
*Yogurt - plain
*Crushed Cereal - shredded wheat, cheerios, corn flakes, granola, etc...

Roll chicken strips in yogurt then coat with crushed cereal. Bake on lightly greased baking sheet at 400F for 20 minutes or until done. Delicious!
**Tip** You can also put a popsicle stick through the chicken before you bake it so it's easier to eat!

"Cale's Favorite Meatballs"
**These freeze great so I like to make a bunch at a time**

1 pound ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 cup bread crumbs (I use italian or roasted garlic)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 egg
Spices such as garlic, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano etc

Mix the ground turkey with all the ingredients above. Spice to your liking. You may need more or less bread crumbs depending on the amounts of the other ingredients you use. The goals is to make a good meatball consistency: Sticky, not dry, and able to roll into a ball.
Roll into balls, bake at 375F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden. (They burn easily so watch them closely! You can cover the pan with foil to prevent burning if you'd like.)
**TIP** Use a small baking pan so you can shake and roll the meatballs around to help them cook easily.
Serve or freeze for later!


I hope you try some of these recipes! Notice that none of them have sugar, butter, and very little salt. :)
Let me know which ones you try and how you like them!

<3 Michelle & Cale