LAFMB :: 8 Restaurants For a Family Date Night

Another Wednesday LAFMB post share for you.
Date nights.
There’s always an emphasis as a married, dating, or engaged couple to go on dates. Granted dating pre-kids is way easier. It’s the post-kid dates that are hard to come by.
Dating then becomes more complicated when your built-in babysitters live roughly 3-9 hours away. At this point, free date nights are few and far between.

Friday Five

I literally up with that N'SYNC Friday night song stuck in my head. 

Let's get this party started.

[O N E]

I'm having more and more days where the indigestion doesn't nearly cripple me. HIGH FIVE! The downside is I keep seeing people posting about having their babies today... I want to have my baby and get rid of pregnancy symptoms. I'll love the baby dearly, but I got really excited that the moment Harrison evacuated I immediately felt human again. It was instant reflux relief. Come on November!

[T W O]

I don't know how this information hasn't been delivered to me before now, but A-Bears in New Iberia has the best burger and fries I've had since Fish Fry in Vidalia. I told Jeremy I wanted to get a hamburger again today. He doesn't think I'm serious. I'm serious. Meal plan for next week... all A-Bears burgers.

You Vidalia people know what I'm talking about, Fish Fry had the best burgers... this place actually lives up to Fish Fry. Mom, I'm taking you next time you're here.

[T H R E E]

We have a second house showing today, I'm so so so so so praying these people buy. Mainly because I don't want to be big pregnant when we sell or in the newborn stage either. That would be something less than exciting. They're coming back to discuss the living area. Y'all out living area is strange and I really feel like I need to be there and explain why the house is laid out that way. Would that be weird?

I adore our house, really I do. I'd take it with me elsewhere even. But, the odd thing about the living area is that in the original house design what we are using as an office/toy area was intended to be the kitchen. The space across from that would have been the dining area. Which means our kitchen that was built on is massive... and the pantry is in the hall by the living room. Strange, but an incredible amount of room. I might cry when I leave the kitchen and living room pantry.

[F O U R]

Grande Lash serum... it works. I need to take an after photo but it has done wonders for my lashes. I got mine from Influenster to test and I might be buying more.

[F I V E]

Red Stick Moms Blog Bloom event is tomorrow and I'm getting to hang with my bestie!! Yay for girl time.

What I've Watched Lately

We recently ditched cable, so most of these can be watched without it. In fact only one was on and not even really on cable... we had HBO for about 10 minutes before we divorced Cox. 

Great Canal Journeys

This show follows Timothy West and his wife down several canals in the UK as well as Europe. I put off watching it for weeks and it kept popping up in my recommended shows on YouTube. If you like BBC docs than look up the Allthemed Docs channel on YouTube, they post all the shows we can't get in the US. Well, that we are supposed to have access to in the US. Anyway, this show is so good. The series begins on their 50th wedding anniversary year and they travel several canals in the UK. They brings their kids on board once and basically talk about their life while giving history of where they are. They are incredibly sweet and seeing an 83 year old woman work locks is crazy interesting for some reason.

Call the Midwife

The new season recently came back on PBS. When we cancelled cable I made sure we purchased a subscription to PBS, there are too many shows I really love on there. I've watched this show from the beginning and honestly it's just as good, no matter who has left or been killed off. This season has me crying just as much as the others, and I'm A) not a crier and B) not into those kinds of shows.

Side note: I think the blonde was pregnant during filming + they just sent her away because of an alcohol issue. Also known as "you're showing too much" which makes me think she's pregnant.

Also, I feel like there was along pause before they got this season going, like they skipped a year or something.

The Jinx

This is the HBO documentary (hence watched it pre ditching cable) but if you can get your hands on it definitely watch. I love a good murder and this guy has seemingly gotten out of several by the skin of his teeth. Supposedly killed his wife. Supposedly killed a neighbor. HBO did a great job on this one, it's definitely worth the watch.

The Crown

This is a wildly popular Netflix series, almost a docu series. I've been meaning to look into some of the details they give because the books I've read over the years didn't go into detail about some of the things Phillip did.

Which, if you know anything about Charles you'd know that he was famous for telling Diana that he wouldn't be the first Prince of Wales to not have a mistress. Not that Phillip was a POW, but they aren't known for being that loyal. Except Albert, he might have been the last. But Albert was also a moral nut because his father was so awful... his actual father was supposedly his uncle. But that kind of leads me to the next show and possibly my favorite.


PBS really filled the hole that was left when Downton ended with this series. If you like royalty, anything 1800s, or Masterpiece Classic in general you'll love this. It's so well made and covers topics about Victoria that you don't typically see in the run-of-the-mill BBC documentaries. I could watch and re-watch this because it's just that good. The way I would re-watch Downton before the new season started... this is exactly the same. This portrays Victoria and Albert's relationship so well, I wish it went more in depth with her as a mother because she historically hated babies, but it's still great.

There might be a common thread here. I'm clearly an 80 year old.

The Baby is the Size of a Fig and You Look Like a Potbelly Pig

Also known as 11 weeks.

Expect highly professional photos this pregnancy, I had our family photographer take the following. Don't ask me for her number, she's already booked through the year. Super busy woman.

In other news...

11 Week Pregnancy Update

Size: Baby B is the size of a fig or a gherkin pickle depending on what app you reference. 


Symptoms: Indigestion for DAYS! Oh it's something else, I've hit 3rd trimester misery from Harrison right out the gate this time and let me tell you I can't wait for November. I think it gives me a false sense of nausea, either way it's restricted what I want to eat. Generally if it's cooked at my house I don't want to eat it. I'm also super exhausted, not because I'm chasing Harrison, he isn't that sort of kid. I'm just tired by the end of the day from teaching. I've been pretty useless. Smells are the devil and I'm breaking some sort of rule I'm sure, but I've got my Scentsy in my classroom to cancel out the awful cafeteria smell. That alone makes me want to die. Vick's Vapor Rub is basically my best friend & at night I've got a handful of pill... Prilosec at night and Zantac in the morning. 

Currently Missing: Mid-rare steak, that's a joke. I really think that if I buy quality meat I should be able to cook it how I want. I'm more likely to die of listeria from Blue Bell than a ribeye.

Cravings and Favorite Foods: Hint of Lime Tostitos are life giving. Not to mention when I couldn't sleep last night I grabbed a piece of provolone cheese (dairy is supposed to help with sleep) and it was also amazing.

Sleep: Pretty great. I'm generally getting 8 - 8 1/2 hours a night. Anything less than 8 and I feel awful the next day. I've been taking Melatonin and early in pregnancy to prevent morning sickness I started taking some sleep aid I can't remember the name of... oh well. It helps though. The indigestion keeps me up some, but it's manageable if I get enough sleep.

Food Aversions:
I really prepared myself this pregnancy that it would be worse than last time. My OB warned me that this could be an issue, surprisingly it isn't. I haven't had true aversions like last time. Mainly nothing sounds good, but not my basically chips only diet of Harrison's pregnancy. I've found that if I don't eat early enough in the evening that I can only stomach a baked potato. A few weeks ago it was probably more just crackers and such. But that's to be expected.

Exercise: I did my Faster Way to Fat Loss Fit Pregnancy sprints workout the day before I had the virus and it's been rare since then. At least a month right now of zero workouts. House cleaning has even been hard, thanks exhaustion. I feel worse in the evenings, and now it's more from exhaustion than just sick, but I just don't have it in me to workout right now.

Reading/Baby Related Classes and Prep:
Mama Natural Week by Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth

I'm headed to the Baton Rouge Moms Blog Bloom event this weekend and am actually going to be a part of the Virtual Bloom for the Lafayette Moms Blog next week. I think my topics are nursing and bathing, but I'd have to look again to confirm it. If you're interested I think the virtual one is free.

Weight: Week 8 was the last time I touched the scale. I haven't followed the Fit Pregnancy stuff at all so I don't even want to see what it says.  I'm mainly trying to keep things under control enough this go around to not gain 60 lbs and end up with hypertension again. Speaking of which, the terrible edema and hypertension last time means that I had to start taking baby aspirin this week to try and prevent that from happening again.

Movement: nada

Maternity Clothing: All maternity pants all the time. I haven't broken out the maternity tops so much yet, but the pants. The pants are what keep me going. I wasted zero time getting maternity pants on my butt this time. After going to work one day last pregnancy and suddenly having way too tight pants... wasn't doing that again. I've basically got everything I need for this pregnancy except a pair of white jeans. I think I can get by with just a pair of khaki, regular, black, and white jeans. For work anyway. Then I have two pair of shorts and a variety of tops, kimonos, and dresses to stretch out over this pregnancy. It doesn't help that I am having a summer pregnancy this time and the last one was a winter pregnancy... there aren't many tops I can reuse right now.

By the way if you see a pair of white skinny maternity jeans, send me a link. Dang Old Navy hasn't restocked their maternity line and they don't have my size. 

LAFMB :: Money Saving Meal Planning + a printable

I realize that meal planning is something I enjoy. I might be alone on this meal planning island, but out there I’m sure there is another mom looking for a way to make dinner an easier affair. 
Meal planning wasn’t always my thing; it came about in my college days when I was so broke that I only ate eggs, spinach, and feta cheese all sautéed together every night for dinner. The beginning of marriage wasn’t any easier; we were both in college and working at a restaurant, not the most lucrative job on the market. Fast forward a few more years and my husband and I were living off of our savings while he was in graduate school (for the first time). He’s now back at it again and working on a degree from the seminary in New Orleans. I like to say we are addicted to graduate school. 

Bubbles and Open Houses

I wish there was legit photo evidence that this weekend even happened, but alas, photo evidence isn't my M. O. lately.

Friday night we had dinner with friends and traipsed around town staying out way past Harrison's bedtime. Way past being 9pm. Surprisingly, or not so much, he did really well. I was telling Jeremy this, but being so nuts about routines and bed early on. Our once inflexible newborn who lost it 5 minutes before bedtime is now easy going and relaxed about things. Thank you Jesus for that!

Saturday we cleaned, and cleaned some more. I hadn't really deep cleaned the house in a few weeks, thanks pregnancy, and we had to prep for an open house. It was a blurry day of cleaning mixed with awful weather... I'm not even sure it really happened.

The only significant thing was Harrison taking his beloved super long bath. He's recently discovered bubbles won't kill you and asked for them that night. Before then there was a lot of yelling "Oh yuck!" Which is customary for anything Harrison isn't entirely fond of.

Which brings me to Sunday, church and open house. If we weren't regular church attendees then a Sunday open house would be a breeze. Heck if Jeremy didn't play music then prepping for the open house would be a breeze.

Instead Sunday morning goes like this: get ready, get house ready, put everything we own in the car that isn't nailed down, wake up child, put him in car and don't let him touch the ground, put dog up, leave.

Someone showed interest, but I won't believe a word of it until I see an offer. House selling isn't my cup of tea. When I want to do something I wanted it done yesterday, the wait for someone else to show up and buy something is just dreadful in my eyes.

Then there's the having a baby aspect which means I'd really love to sell and get settled into an apartment before the fall. The last thing I want is to be largely pregnant and moving, I did that once and it was more than enough for a lifetime.

I feel like I'm sounding like a Negative Nelly, but it's reality as far as the house goes. My cleaning schedule is always off because I 1) don't have the energy right now and 2) am cleaning based on when showings happen. Which speed cleaning on a Tuesday evening is not as enjoyable as cleaning on a Saturday morning when no one is awake yet.

Oh gosh, that brings me to this... I tried a Pinterest trick to remove dog urine smell. 12 year old dogs and bad weather aren't friends. It got the smell out, but it made such a mess. Anything that starts with baking soda should just set off the mess alarms in my head... but no, I continue to find the messiest Pinterest cures known to America.

It worked and I'm never doing it again.

Speaking of which, what's a good way to clean up dog pee that doesn't leave the floor slippery. I've been using our counter spray... but it's slippery. If I take the mop out too many times in a week I start rage mopping and that's not good for anyone.

In other new... who would like a nearly 12 year old dachshund with all her shots and a years worth of Heart Guard? She comes with a kennel and is great with families... just too old to tell you she needs in or out of the house most days. Kidding, but not entirely.

LAFMB :: Five Healthy Tips for Holiday Survival

Here's another oldie but goodie, and sorta fitting for Easter.


Meal Planning Tuesday... because life

This week is insanely easy and definitely leftover oriented.

Monday - Wednesday - Euna Mae's Cream Cheese Enchiladas

Thursday - Friday - Sesame Noodles with Mongolian Beef

Saturday - Sunday - Chicken Bacon Ranch Skillet with Roasted Potatoes

Like I said, super easy week. I'm starting to feel like I can tolerate food being cooked in the house and the enchiladas were a hit for me last night.

For breakfast I'm having Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins. Lunch is just a bagged chopped salad and some yogurt. Trying to veer towards healthy again, I can't stand the idea of another 60 lb weight gain pregnancy.

The muffins are super easy:

2.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 bananas
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup honey (I used 1/4 yesterday)
2 eggs
2 tbsp flax meal

Blend the oats in a food processor until a powder. Add in other ingredients until smooth. Toss in whatever additional items you'd like, I used dark chocolate chips. Scoop into a 12 muffin tin and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Also if anyone has suggestions I want to hear them. I've been having trouble drinking enough, really bad indigestion this time. More than a few sips of water makes me feel sick. I'm thinking of making sugar free jello as a way to get more water in.

Also. Also. (otherwise known as P.S.S.) I'm starting baby aspirin soon to try and prevent having hypertension again this pregnancy... has anyone done this and had success? Tips and tricks are more than welcome. This mama has zero desire to swell up like a whale again from water edema.

So, There's This Thing...







Pregnancy just isn't my friend.





Doesn't get much easier than that.





LAFMB :: 5 Family New Year Resolutions You Can Keep

Another Wednesday, another LAFMB post share. 

Here's something I wrote earlier in the year about our family resolutions.