Hellobee

In this edition of the Swarm, the Bees share their weekly meal plans!

N O E L L E  -  2 Y E A R S , 4 M O N T H S
J A R E N —  3  M O N T H S

I mainly plan our dinners because our breakfasts and lunches are more or less the same and very simple. I pack DH’s lunch at the same time I pack DD’s lunch each morning.

Breakfasts – I usually make a spinach/kale quiche twice a week, which makes for very quick, reheatable breakfasts.

Lunches – I’ll make tuna, chicken, or egg salads on Sunday nights so I can use them for packed work lunches (as sandwiches or scooped on top of salads) throughout the week. Toss in a couple pieces of fruit and we’re golden.

This is our dinner meal plan for this week (I start from Sunday to Saturday since Saturdays are our grocery shopping days) -

Sunday – Dakgalbi (marinated Korean chicken dish)
Monday – Date night (eat out)
Tuesday – Roasted chicken
Wednesday – Chicken soft tacos
Thursday – Asian-style sloppy joes
Friday – Chicken curry
Saturday – Leftovers

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Living in Southern California, the beach is a favorite summer hangout, especially for those of us who live more inland where it gets really hot. We have already taken Liam to the beach several times, and I know we will go at least once a week this summer because he loves it so much. Here are the things we can’t live without for beach trips:

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Here I am with my next monthly update and I just can’t believe it. For a change, there is quite a bit to report on both kids! We have been going through a lot of changes lately and thankfully, most of them are good changes.

Lil Miss Wagon

The biggest change of all this month is that LMW started getting into a sitting position… by herself!! She has also started pulling up to stand on her own, and she’s crawling on hands and knees with her belly off the floor, but both are not very consistent. But all the new gross motor skills are very exciting for all. It is so cute to watch her on the video monitor in her crib and see just the top of her head as she’s just sitting up in her crib, looking around. She also gets up on her knees into a kneeling position and grabs the crib bars like a little prisoner trying to get free.

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This is a guest post by Hellobee community member, redsmarties. You can follow her on her blog Baking and Babies.

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The majority of infertility success stories that are shared in the media today are those that involve ART, or assisted reproductive technologies. These interventions are wonderful; I love that we have the ability to bring babies into the world for those who may not otherwise have that chance. But for my husband and myself, we knew that ART would not be an option, for a variety of reasons. And unfortunately, for a nurse-practitioner in a rural town, a couple refusing to pursue IUI or IVF was an anomaly. I was told, point-blank, that if I didn’t go to the fertility clinic, I didn’t have any other options. We were slapped with the label of “primary infertility,” and got the feeling that she truly didn’t know what to do with us.

The basal body temperature charts, the ovulation predictor kits, and the symptoms I had so painstakingly tracked were thrown out the window, dismissed by a nurse practitioner who (despite best intentions) had no use for such things. And I followed her advice; we did go to a fertility clinic and have testing done. But I was largely disillusioned with the push towards IUI and injectibles, and I began searching for another method to expand our family. After too many Google searches, we stumbled across naturopathy.

To those who don’t know, naturopathy is a system of alternative medicine that avoids conventional medications and interventions, and instead focuses on the organic causes for an illness. This sounds a little “out there” for most; I understand this. I have been called every name under the sun (and lovingly referred to as a hippy) for pursuing naturopathic medicine, but since it worked for me, I am an advocate.

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Quiches are probably one of the easiest, most versatile dishes out there.  There is so much room to be creative with a quiche.  I’ve made everything from caprese inspired quiches using tomato, basil, and mozzarella to Korean-inspired quiches using kimchi and spam.  Sundried tomatoes with spinach and feta is another favorite combination of mine.

One ingredient I’m particularly obsessed about is Greek yogurt.  I’ve substituted Greek yogurt in many different recipes with great success, and quiche is no different!  Every time a recipe calls for some sort of cream base, I will try substituting with Greek yogurt instead.  I love the tangy bite that Greek yogurt imparts to a dish, not to mention how much healthier it is for you.

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From Angry Birds Space to Transformers (retro cartoon version and the newer Rescue Bots), my boys are currently obsessed with all things space! Their room is a very slow work-in-progress with pieces I’m adding in here and there. This quick and easy moon clock is the newest addition.

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It’s been a crazy series of weeks for The Popcorns. In addition to working full time, I organized an exhibition while Mr. Popcorn has been working around the clock. He recently received a promotion so at least his work is paying off, but our schedules have left us feeling pretty pooped.

Balancing all of these moving parts has been especially trying for me as Baby Popcorn is an EBF baby. In the middle of organizing the exhibition, I noticed that my supply had really taken a hit. This was due to a couple of reasons:

• I wasn’t pumping nearly as much as I had in the past. Part of this was because I wasn’t getting up to pump as much as I should while at work, and the other part was due to the fact that I was running around the city from meeting to meeting with my big ole pump and nowhere to pump in dignity.
• I was feeling very anxious about not being able to provide enough milk. At her last check up Baby Popcorn fell in the 19% weight class for her age, which prompted more panic.

Here is some advice that I received from a colleague who had been a nursing mom to two kids while running an organization:

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