Guest Blog: Shanna

Welcome Shanna, From Team Autry! Shanna is a newly wed and mom to the very handsome Dillion. Shanna is exploring her love for the culinary arts while raising a 1 year old. All while living on a budget!

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Hello Ladies! My name is Shanna and I can be found over at Team Autry. I was really excited when Mrs. B asked me to me a guest blogger on Life with Sweet Cheeks. I met her quite some time ago on The Bump.

I’m a 20-something mama to a ONE year old and a self-proclaimed, full time working, domestic goddess to boot. Or so I would like to say. Oh, and I am about to begin Culinary school. That’s a lot going on.


So, today I will bring you on a cooking journey with me. I want to show you how simple it can be to prepare a delicious meal from start to finish without pulling out your hair.


Here are some key points that I am going to cover today.


 Look at the sales flier. My local grocery store (Winn-Dixie) puts out their weekly fliers on Wednesdays. I take 5 minutes to look it over, see what is on sale and plan accordingly.


Plan a menu. You can do this by the week or by every 2 weeks. I plan our menu for 2 weeks at a time. Give yourself a day or two for eating out. Be realistic.


Dust off your Crock pot.

Sales Fliers/Store Ads – I signed up for a rewards card through Winn-Dixie. Kroger and other grocery store chains offer rewards cards as well. With that rewards card I score TONS of deals such as BOGO, 10 for $10, and Locked-in Low Prices. I plan my menu according to what is on sale. Each shopping trip I usually save over $35!!

Plan a Menu – This may sound like a daunting task but, it has made our life so much easier. I write out 14 meals (2 weeks worth of dinners) and I set aside a few days for eating out. I have found that planning a menu and grocery shopping with a menu and list helps me focus on what we NEED and not want. This also saves the panicky feeling that comes with having NO clue what is for dinner at the end of the day.

Dust off your Crock pot – I am amazed at what my Crock pot could do! For the longest time I thought crock pots were only used for soups and potlucks. Not so much. I have used my beloved for ribs, chicken, pot roast, pork tenderloin..you name it. Use that Crock pot, ladies!! It’s my Ninja weapon.

I have found that these simple three steps have saved my sanity..and our wallet.

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Guest Blog: Holls

Welcome Holls from Happily Ever After... My Way! Holls is a trendy newly wed with a beautiful baby girl named Lily. Holls is a stay at home mom to her daughter and step-son. Holls is going to talk about how being  a mom isn't always rainbows and sunshine. (Isn't that the truth!) Enjoy! :)

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The road to loving motherhood

Nobody told me that after giving birth my heart wouldn't melt, and my belly would look like a deflated beach ball. From everyone woman I knew that had given birth I heard " I feel so in love" " I couldn't feel happier, this is the most amazing day of my life" and " I feel so complete"
I felt like poo. I spiked a fever while I was pushing and after words shook so much I could have started my own earthquake. I was also sweating. Like golf ball sized beads of sweat coming off of my like a freakin' waterfall- I was soaked. I was also disappointed... but thought to myself. It's just the fever. You'll feel it soon.

Well "soon" is subjective. In my case "soon" was three months later. Not that I didn't love my baby, of course I did. However, I was confused, my boobs constantly dripping, I needed to pump every three hours and time it just perfectly with her sleep schedule. I needed to make sure my boobs were covered at all times or else I would need to clean up the mess of milk that would be everywhere. I needed to make sure my humongous pads were with in arms reach of my shower so I wouldn't get blood all over, thus making a mess I had to clean up. I needed a drink. I needed to make sure the swaddle was on, but it wouldn't stay on, and I hadn't figured out that a swaddle blanket just plain sucks and the Velcro ones work much better, I needed to do and finish and think so many things I didn't have time to love being a mom. The first three months were a blur of so many things, I felt like a robot trying so desperately to keep the smile on so no one thought I was a freak for not loving my new found destiny.

Then the new year came. Coincidentally this was when my baby girl turned three months. THIS was when I got into a routine. I could see her start to grow and learn, this is when I loved being a mom. Time slowed down that month, I got to breath. My girl is almost 7 months old now and when I look back on the first 3 months of her life I feel like I was a different person. I WAS a different person I was scared and confused and had no clue what I was doing. Now I feel like a mom, I am no longer a scared girl who just gave birth. I am a mom and I love it :)

Giveaway!!!!!!!

We believe in changing the world with your dollar, so spend wisely!

We believe in organic products made not in a factory, but by a real person. We believe every baby should have natural, handmade, and organic blankets, burp cloths, loveys, and more!

We are currently using only 100% organic fabrics. Fabrics are dyed using organic dye or left natural in color.

All of our fabrics are pre-shrunk/pre-washed in Charlie's Soap laundry detergent, an eco friendly and baby friendly detergent.

The Green Bird is an Etsy shop owned by Jenny at The Crunchy Baby. Her fabrics are GORGEOUS and incredibly soft. She's offering one of my readers a chance to win a custom lovey. If you are unfamiliar, a lovey is a small blanket for the baby to cuddle and "love" on.

The best part? The winner picks their favorite fabric!

To enter: (please make separate comment for each entry!)

1. Visit The Green Bird and tell me what your favorite item is.

2. Follow The Green Bird blog.

3. Become a fan of  The Green Bird Facebook page.

4. Follow me on Twitter.

5. Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and link back here.

Good Luck!

Giveaway will end on June 9.

Winner announced June 10!

I'm leaving on a jet plane!

This week we are headed to the beach! We are going to visit Mr B's family and to spend some time in the sun. Since I will be away from the Internet for awhile, I have lined up some FABULOUS guest bloggers. I am lucky enough to call these amazing women my friends. So, leave them some love. Visit their home blogs. & Try not to have too much fun without me. :)

xoxo.

McFatty Monday. Stupid plateau.

Well, folks, I've hit a plateau.

I weigh the same this morning as I did LAST Monday morning. I've been working out, and eating healthy. I worked out more than normal, actually. (If you haven't tried The Biggest Loser: Boot camp you should! It's amazing.)

This is the part of weight loss where it gets frustrating. It's easy to stay motivated when the numbers on the scale are going down. But, when they stay the same it's hard to keep going with the same momentum.

I'm going to keep going. I'm going to push through this week and cross my fingers for some results next Monday. Hopefully.

This is us.... Then. (part 1)

Sweet Cheeks,

There are little things about our life now that I would like you to know about when you are older. This is one of those letters that I am writing now in hopes that when you are 18 or 20 you will sit down with a hot cup of coffee and read.  This is a little note explaining to you what our life is like now. In 2010. In 17 years this will seem like the stone age to you.

Right now we have 3 cats and 2 dogs.

Jasmine - Our mini kitty. She's 4lbs and full grown. She's solid white with ice blue eyes. She's your favorite one to chase around. (Probably because she doesn't run and hide or hiss when she sees you coming) She lets you pull her tail and bite her stomach.

Lilly - Our Russian blue kitty. She actually looked blue when she was a kitten but now she's more of a soft gray. She was rescued one fall day out of a tree. Her owner had tried to drown her in a pond but she got away. Her will to live was stronger than his will to drown her. She's a survivor. She hates new people and is VERY protective of those she loves. (Which is pretty much just the 3 of us) Lils stays far away from you when you are moving around.

Sasha - Our solid black kitty with white paws. Sasha is a lover. He loves to wrestle with you and he loves to sit next to you as you play. Sasha is friendly with you so you are not as interested in chasing or abusing him. He's your buddy.

Lina & Sophie - Our puggle dogs. (Half beagle, Half pug) They were both rescue dogs. I don't know their history. I do know that they love to lick you to pieces. They love to come right up to you and smother you in slobber. You adore them. You giggle as they lick you and you try your best to get to them as often as possible.

I stay at home with you during the day. You spend the day with me or Granny and Papa Joe. They both adore you and LOVE having you come and visit.

Daddy works as a nurse 3 days a week. He's going back to school this September to advance in his career.

We have just started trying to Eat Clean. By the time you read this Clean Eating with either be something very normal that a lot of people do, or it will be a dumb fad diet from the past. I hope it's the former.

We are about to go on our first beach vacation with you! In 3 weeks we leave for Myrtle Beach in S Carolina. I know that you are going to love it. You are, in every sense of the words, my water baby.

Your favorite time of the day is bath time. You love to splash, drink the water, crawl, dunk your head, and try to stand.

This is your room:

I know you have some pink things in there, and I know it's not decorated yet... I'm working on it.. (I thought you were a GIRL!)

This is your favorite blanket:

This is the living room, where we spend most of our time...

... to be continued...

Happy Maaaamamamaaaaaama day!

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln

Today is my first Mothers day. I feel as though I should be the one honoring Sweet Cheeks instead of the other way around. I know he isn't aware that today is Mother's day but I did get some special slobbery kisses (with some biting) Soon enough he will know. To him, I am "Maaaammamammaaaaaamama". I am looking forward to many macaroni necklaces and finger painted pictures in the years to come!

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Sweet Cheeks,

THANK YOU for being such a fantastic, sweet boy. Given the choice, knowing then what I know now, I would have chosen you to be my baby with no regrets. It is the blessing and honor of my life. There are no limits to my love for you. I enjoy being your Mamaaaamama so much more than I ever could have anticipated. I am so lucky to get to spend my first Mothers Day with my first baby.

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A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan


The worst feature of a new baby is its mother's singing. - Kin Hubbard
 

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren
 
One of the very few reasons I had any respect for my mother when I was thirteen was because she would reach into the sink with her bare hands - bare hands - and pick up that lethal gunk and drop it into the garbage. To top that, I saw her reach into the wet garbage bag and fish around in there looking for a lost teaspoon. Bare hands - a kind of mad courage. ~Robert Fulghum


Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey

How I met your father (part 3)

That was the phone call that changed everything. I knew this was it. I fell into every cliche. He "completed" me. He was my other half. He was the cheese to my macaroni. Love at first sight? Not exactly, more like second glance.

That's pretty intense stuff, right? So I did what everyone in my situation would do (no, probably not) and I went on a date with his arch nemesis. (But not because Mr B didn't like him. I just wanted to get dating out of my system.) Mr B terrified me. I was afraid of him because I knew that once I committed to him and that relationship it was the one. I was 19. And a hostess at Fridays! I was not ready for Mr B. He came out of no where, swept me off of my feet (once he kicked that girlfriend to the  curb), and completely rocked my world. Lord have mercy, Mr B was (& still is!) incredible.

I just wasn't ready for him.

Yes, I know. This is the part of the story where it becomes a walking contradiction. In the beginning, I called him. I pursued him. Then when the tables were turned and he pursued me, I ran. I played games. I have no excuses for the way I acted.

I went on one date with his nemesis, S. I missed Mr B like crazy the whole time. I wanted to be out with him. I wanted to be laughing at Mr B's lame jokes instead of talking to S. I missed Mr B more than I thought I should of at that point. We weren't even officially "together" and I missed him? I was texting Mr B while I was out with S.

On my way home I stopped by Mr B's house. That's the night we became a couple. That's the night I knew I was about to step on the roller coaster ride of a lifetime. It's also the night I knew I was in love with him. But more on that later, k?

How I met your father (part 2)

"You're nothing short of my everything." -Ralph Block

In walked Mr B. All 6 foot 4 inches of him. He's the kind of guy that you notice when he enters a room. Probably because he's so tall he almost brushes the top of the doorway. But, maybe, just maybe, it's also because he has this aura about him that draws others in. He's comfortable in his own skin, he's confident with his own ideas, and he isn't afraid to just be who he is.

When Mr B walked in, I noticed. I introduced myself. I batted my eyelashes. I tried to make small talk. He was just.not.interested. to put it lightly. At the time I thought it was because he was an arrogant jerk. (mature, right?) I found out many months later that it was because he had a girlfriend. (now I think it is kind of awesome that he ignored me)

That night I went home and called everyone who was at A's house with me in an effort to track down Mr B's phone number. I think I called 4 or 5 people before someone gave in and told me his phone number. I had never been the kind of girl to call the boy first. Like, ever. But what they don't tell you is that when you find your soul mate it is nearly impossible to let them just walk out your life. So, I took charge. I called him.

It went something like this...

Ring, Ring.

Uh, hello?

Hi. I don't know if you remember me or not but we met the other night at A's house?....

(long pause........)

We did? (pause) Oh, wait. OK, I think I remember you. The girl in the pink sweatshirt.

Yeah (nervous giggle) That was me.

How I met your father (part 1)

I was 19. I was working as a hostess at TGI Friday's a few nights a week. I spent the rest of my time window shopping (I was a hostess, remember? $3.50/hr), hanging out at friends houses, or talking on the phone. I was also going to school, but it was a career path I hated from day 1 and I never pursued it. So, we will leave that part out of the story. Nothing significant happened in regards to school. I was your average not-a-care-the-world 19 year old.

Oh, and I had a boyfriend. He was all wrong for me, and we both knew it. But, we drug the relationship out regardless until one day things came to an end.

I had realized that things were not going to work with Boyfriend. No more chances. Sometimes thing are just not meant to be.I was talking to a friend on the phone about it (crying) and she suggested that we all meet up at our friend A's house. It was either that, or mope around the house eating ice cream while wearing a sweat shirt that was 2 sizes too big. So, I went to A's house.

This is where I should probably mention that I was wearing a sweatshirt (one that fit at least), a pony tail, and no make up. I had no intentions of meeting my soul mate there. If I had known, I probably would have at least showered. 

When I arrived at A's house (fashionably late, of course) it was the normal group of friends. A handful of close girlfriends and a few guy friends mixed in. There was A LOT of laughing, teasing, and re-telling long forgotten stories among friends. I hope that everyone gets to experience nights like that. They are the ones that turn friends into family. Those are the nights that are never forgotten.

A couple of hours later, Mr B walks in. Tall. Dark hair. White shirt. Infectious laugh. & a girlfriend.

The one about the elephant.

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

How do you get down to your goal weight?

One bite at a time.

I have made a point to try new things when it comes to exercising. One day we went to the nature trails and walked 3 miles. Yesterday I jogged a mile and lifted weights. I still do pilates 1-2 days a week. Oh, and I bought a jump rope. Have you tried jump roping as an adult? MUCH, much harder than it used to be. After 5 mins I was ready to yell "Mercy!"

I'm not sure how much weight I lost last week. My guess is 3-4 lbs. I worked out hard, y'all! My scale broke and I didn't get around to buying a new one until Saturday. The new scale weighs me less than the old scale, so Im not sure if it's the scale or if I really lost a gazillion lbs.

My goals are to continue working out hard 4-5 days a week. To push myself out of my comfort zone. I'm not just getting back in my pre-preg skinny jeans, Im getting into a smaller pair. I've got the fire in my belly and it's going to happen. Stay tuned!

P.s. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter! I'd love to be your Tweetie friend. <3 Link on the left.

May I have your attention please?

Look to your left.

I have a new Twitter page.

Awesome, right?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sunday Funday

Telephone Remake @ Yahoo! Video

Have a great Sunday... Here's a laugh for you. :)