Mark your calendars! August 26th will be here faster than we think. For what? To find out if the baby bean is a boy or a girl. What a great birthday present, since my birthday is the 23rd. I can’t wait. Even though I already know it’s a boy. Okay I don’t really know, but it’s what I think. Mother’s instinct counts for something, right?  Just as the instinct to listen to my body counts for something.

As I mentioned before, I do not feel it is important to know the # on the scale or how much gain I have during pregnancy. I trust that I will gain just what I need to for the baby by listening to my body, eating when hungry, eating what I crave, making healthy food choices most of the time, and being moderately active. I simply want to know if my gain is healthy or if it needs to be adjusted one way or the other.

I told all this to my nurse when she weighed me. She said everything looks perfectly healthy and that I stayed the same. Didn’t I just say don’t tell me anything? I told her I didn’t need to know that and she made a point that the midwife might want to mention it. Okay. Fine. The midwife did mention it. She said everything looks great but there will need to be some gain by the next visit. I had to assure her I’m not afraid to gain weight. Heck no! This whole thing isn’t because I’m afraid of the scale. I just don’t believe in it. I trust my body. My 90/64 blood pressure, strong baby heartbeat, and popping belly tell me all is well. That is what I need to know. Not a number on the scale. Plus, my body went through this same process with baby M. I gained most of my weight then during months 5-7.

She should also know that I do eat. Within 10 minutes of getting home from my appointment I inhaled this large bowl of deliciousness. Quaker Oat Squares + Blueberry Crisp cereal.

I have yet another thing to mark my calendar for. On Monday I am finally getting to the hair salon. My hair seriously demands a trim. I also am wavering with the idea of getting my hair died back to its natural color. I either need to do that or get highlights done again since my roots are B.A.D. I am sick with the upkeep (and cost!) of highlights. How do you think I would look with slightly darker hair? Not dark because my natural color is sort of a dark blonde, very light brown.

Now one last day to open up on your calendars. A day to whip up the Stuffed Bell Peppers I made last night. I will admit something. I learned that I don’t care for cooked peppers. I adore raw peppers, but the cooked wasn’t for me. However, the filling made me quite proud. So, if you like cooked peppers, this is a winner for you! If you don’t like cooked peppers…make a batch of the filling and use it in a wrap or just eat it out of a bowl with some extra veggies. Yum!

1. Take your bell peppers and slice them around the top, pulling out the center, membranes, and seeds.

2. Place them topside down in a microwave safe dish. Cover with plastic and microwave 2 minutes to soften the peppers.

3. Dice up onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Sautee in a pan with a smidge of olive oil until tender.

4. Add tomato sauce and brown rice to the veggies. Stir evenly. PS – love the No Sugar Added Ragu. Much cheaper than other tomato sauces with recognizable ingredients. This girl’s on a budget!

5. Simmer mixture for an extra 5-10 minutes. Spoon evenly into the four bell peppers. Bake for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven.

6. Let cool and eat! The filling had so much flavor. And would be good with so many different veggies.

Ingredients (Refer above for how to use them)
- 4 bell peppers big enough to hold filling
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 large zucchini
- 10-15 baby bella mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 c tomato sauce
- 2 c cooked brown rice

Time for me to wrap up this post. A thought to leave you with…Never forget all the blessings you have in this life. Food to eat, a shelter to live in, a body to move, people to love, and so much more. All we should ask of God is our “daily bread” or our daily needs. Yet he gives us so much more, including his own son. Not because we deserve it or because he has to. Simply because He loves us. Help that thought cheer up your day. And know that I love you and sincerely hope you all have joy in your lives.

• What is a food you thought you would love, but realized you didn’t? I used to adore cooked peppers so I was shocked last night. I still had a great dinner though.
• What things or thoughts help cheer you up and bring you joy?
• Help on the hair decision! Please!

Please CLICK to read my tips on staying cool in the heat. This one goes for anyone! Click click click!

Oh, boy! I am beat today. Last night was a late night. We had a meeting at church to discuss some new leadership roles for small groups in our congregation. It went from 7:00 until 9:30 and then we had to make the 30 minute drive home. Somehow it was after 11 by the time I hit the sack. The meeting discussed a lot of important issues. It was a reality check to how much more our church can do to help foster relationships among the members. I know I could not imagine my life without the friendships that started inside those four walls. I will be happy to serve however I can to extend that same support and community to others. Just as I love to share friendship and support with my fellow bloggers! Hi everybody! Are you making your day the best it can be? Only you have the power to do that ya know!

Today has been a good one around these parts. It did not go 100% as expected though. The reality check that started last night continued on throughout today. Despite my late night I still managed to wake up early enough to accomplish some tasks. I decided tackling my email folder was a good one for the early morning. Reality check = replying to emails is a huge time suck! My morning time flashed in the blink of an eye. Likely because I was replying to reader questions, which is something I truly enjoy doing. Remember? One of the best compliments in my mind is when someone trusts you enough to turn to you for help.

Another reality check came quickly after that. My body aches. The TurboJam Cardio Party DVD I did yesterday kicked my butt in a way that hasn’t happened in awhile. My shoulders, legs, and back are all sore. At first I thought this worked out perfectly because Thursdays are my rest days. Reality check. Today is only Wednesday.

I wonder if anyone ever called her “Hump Day”? Anyhoo. I spent the morning honing my coloring and dancing skills with Makenzie. I also took a quick break to send in a query for a women’s health site freelance writing job.  Yet another reality check. It doesn’t hurt to try. The only certain way to fail is not to try. I decided to give it a shot. I have no expectations (other than God is in control), but I can live freely knowing I took a step forward in something I love to do. A sad reality check came at the end of this 30 minutes. Makenzie’s favorite show ended…and Barney came on. Is that hideous purple dinosaur still on TV? Oh, heck no!!

Eventually, lunch rolled around. A veritable gold mines of reality checks. Including the following:

• As Heather says, sometimes a Lean Cuisine pizza is necessary.
• Eating such doesn’t mean you can’t have room for fresh produce. Cherries, strawberries, and fresh from the sis-in-law’s garden cucumber slices.
• Garden fresh is better!
• Cherries stain your fingertips purple.
• I just may have to disown my daughter. She HATED the mushroom lover’s veggie burger I gave her.

This veggie burger tops my list. It has so much delicious flavor and mushroom chunks. Mushrooms are on the top of my veggie (fungi?) list and it saddens me she does not feel the same. 

Then she went and did this. Took her consignment clothes I bought her out of the box and laid them out neatly.

So, she is my daughter. Whew. That was a close one!

My final reality check came mid-afternoon. My previous computer setup – chilling on the couch with the laptop – was not ideal. So I made the executive decision to turn one tiny corner of our living room into my “office” now that I have to spend time writing.

So amazing what a good chair and desk tv tray can do for the back! Now onto tonight’s reality check. Will stuffed peppers be as easy to tackle for this culinary fool as I think they are? I sure hope so!

• Do you believe you have the power to make your day the best it can possibly be?
• Where do you do your “computering” (as a friend calls it) from?
• Anything else you got for me….