Happy Father’s Day!! I feel blessed to have a husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather in my life.

This is our first week of summer break with no set schedule. We still have plenty going on, like doctors appointments, farmer’s market, milk pick up and even a special trip to the zoo! I must admit that I’m really looking forward to the weekend. I get a pregnancy massage!!

I’m also excited today because I am at 30 weeks (though baby is measuring over 31 already)! I’m down to check ups every two weeks. We almost have everything set for baby. Most likely tonight will be the big bedroom switch for my little guy, too. Lots of change. But it’s very exciting.

Last week I was fortunate enough to get a half dozen duck eggs. I’m trying to savor them and not eat them all in a few days. I’m still focusing on third trimester nutrients and making sure I eat seafood a few times a week in addition to drinking plenty of raw milk.

I made a lot of Father’s Day goodies last week. If you missed them check out the chocolate chunk cookies and strawberry rhubarb cheesecake. I also have a couple more recipes coming. This week I might make some kind of pie. We still have a lot of rhubarb in our garden, so most likely strawberry rhubarb. I also need to make a new batch of graham crackers.

This week I might start stocking up on strawberries. It’s hard to believe preserving season is starting. I don’t think I’ll be up for strawberry picking myself this year, but hopefully my husband and kids can get a lot for us.

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Here is what’s on the menu this week. What are you eating?

**********MENU**********

S (church, Father’s Day, make smoothies)
B – bagels w/ cream cheese or peanut butter, fruit, granola bars
L – cp chicken breasts w/ potatoes, onions and carrots, broccoli, applesauce
D – grilled cheese, tomato soup, salad

M (milk, A/C install, make pie crust)
D – ham and cheese quiche cups, roasted cauliflower, fruit salad

T (library, FM, make pie)
D – spaghetti, broccoli

W (Dr. A., make broth, skim cream, make ice cream)
D – cp roast chicken, rice, veggies

Th (zoo)
D – mac ‘n’ cheese, peas

F ()
D – sausage, waffles, fruit, TBD vegetable

S (pg massage)
D – grill TBD

Good morning! It’s summer break. I officially have a first grader! I’m happy to be done with all of our usual activities and be able to relax. I’m also looking forward to spending lots of extra time with my little girl before she’s in school all day in the fall.

This week we’ll keep busy with some errands and my daughter’s first camp of the summer. I also have another check-up. It’s always fun to see how big the baby is getting.

I have quite a bit planned for my kitchen work this week. Hopefully my legs will hold up. The swelling has been pretty bad again the last couple days. I’ll be making several Father’s Day treats this week. I also want to make ice cream and some snacks for the kids.

I think I can finally say I’m done with my whole house makeover. I have cleaned just about every room in the house very thoroughly. It’s not perfect. There is always more that could be done. But I’m satisfied with what I accomplished. I’ll be sharing some photos soon!

Also on my agenda for the next few weeks is planning meals/snacks for when I’m at the hospital and after I come home. Soon I’ll be working on stocking my freezer with meals. I’m sure we will get some meals after the baby is born. But with all of our food allergies and intolerances usually my husband is the only one that can eat what people bring. So I have to set up my own meals.

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Here is our menu and agenda for the week. What are you eating?

**********MENU**********

S (church, make cheesecake)
L – cp honey mustard chicken over rice
D – grilled steak, beans, mashed potatoes

M (cheer, shopping, make gummies)
D – modified beefy enchilada bake, corn, fruit

T (cheer, farmer’s market, make crackers)
D – gf df pancake and sausage muffins, sauteed zucchini, fruit

W (cheer, Dr. E., skim cream, make ice cream)
D – salmon cakes, broccoli, french fries

Th (cheer, groceries, make muffins)
D – cp split pea soup with ham, muffins

F (cheer, make chocolates, make scones)
D – scrambled eggs, scones, peas, fruit

S (open house, guests)
D – at parties

It’s June! It sure feels strange to say that. Back in January when I could barely do more than lay on the couch I thought June would never come. But it’s here…and so is the third trimester!

My daughter’s dance class just ended last night with a great recital. Now we just have four more days of school before it is officially summer break.

This week I have a final gathering for the steering team of my mom’s group. Our local farmer’s market begins!! My daughter has a check up with the allergist. We have a special parent-child program and picnic for the last day of school. I’m also getting my hair cut this week. I really need to figure out what to do with it!

I was able to make a lot of progress in the last few days on moving the last few odds and ends from my son’s room to my daughter’s room. I also washed and put away all of the baby clothes. The nursery is just about complete, aside from reassembling the crib. The kids even made decorations for it this week past week. Next week we get to do the big transition – my little guy moving into a regular bed in the same room as big sister.

I have a fair amount of extra food preparation this week. I have to bring the snack for my daughter’s class this week. I have to bring a dish to pass to our mom’s group (hummus w/ pita and cucumbers) and the school potluck (fruit salad). In addition I would like to make a batch of granola bars. I might make more ice cream and/or yogurt. We still have a lot of rhubarb in the garden, so I need to make something with it. Maybe pie. I have a few other misc. items on my list if time allows.

 I finally got to talk to the nurse about my thyroid results…I have to go in to see the doctor to discuss them. So I have another 2 1/2 weeks until I know more about that.

In the mean time I think it’s time to try taking my daily cod liver oil again for baby’s brain development. I’m also working on eating more seafood. I’ve had salmon four times in the last week! I will do my best to put my feet up a few times a day to help with swelling as well. My legs are already not doing well, and I have 11 1/2 weeks to go.

It’s been nice lately to be able to get a few posts up every week. I love sharing things with you! Hopefully I can get a couple more up this week too.

Here’s what’s on our menu. We had our first salads with spinach from our garden last night. Yum!! What are you eating? Maybe some rhubarb pecan ice cream? Eet smakelijk!

**********MENU**********

S (church, cut up fruit, make granola bars, make ice cream or  yogurt)
L – cp roasted chicken, potatoes and veggies
D – Italian meatballs over noodles, broccoli

M (cut up fruit, make granola bars, make ice cream, make hummus, MB)
D – sloppy joes, squash, chips (family), at the party (me)

T (library, farmer’s market, make pie?)
D – baked egg puffs, roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower, muffins or toast

W (allergist, make fruit salad)
D – pan-fried cod, baked potatoes, peas

Th (last day of school party – bring dish to pass)
D – cp pork and beans, rice, spinach salad

F (bake cookies?)
D – pancakes, bacon, broccoli, fruit salad

S (hair cut, shopping)
D – grilled hot dogs, grilled asparagus, baked potato wedges

We’ve made it to the last week of May. This is the last week of dance class. Next week is the last week of school! That is just crazy.

This week won’t be too crazy. We might go to a parade tomorrow. My daughter has a dentist appointment. The end of the week is filled with dance class, dance recital rehearsal and dance recital.

I was hoping to finish moving my son’s stuff to my daughter’s room yesterday, but I got sidetracked with other projects. Hopefully I can finish it today or tomorrow. We did get a new mattress and bedding so we can set up the kids’ trundle bed. Once that transition is complete I can actually start working on something baby related! With 12 1/2 weeks go to I should probably start thinking about that 😛

I was very busy in the kitchen last week. If you missed them I posted my recipes for dairy free chocolate pudding, rhubarb quinoa breakfast porridge and rhubarb crisp. I still have a couple new recipes to share this week. I’m sure there will be plenty more good stuff coming too. Are you wondering what to do with your rhubarb? I’ve got two rhubarb recipes on the way. I finally restocked my cupboard with homemade grahams (two batches) so at least we have something to munch on. But I have a few other staples to get to like gummies and chocolate sauce. I also made a second batch of dairy free pudding. My son just can’t get enough of it.

I’m really disappointed that at only 27 weeks my bad leg swelling has begun. It will likely only get worse until the end of this pregnancy. I have had bad swelling with all of my pregnancies. So far I have not found a remedy. I am taking a few days to track my protein intake to make sure that is adequate (many say lack of protein is what causes swelling).

I also just had my thyroid rechecked. My numbers haven’t really changed much. But I still don’t think I’m on the right dose of medication…or possibly the right treatment at all? It’s hard to say. We’ll see what the doctor says and go from there. I think the swelling is somewhat related to my thyroid. Back to researching.

I’m planning easy meals this week so I can keep working on other things around the house. I also need to do my best to not stand in the kitchen for long periods of time. That is TOUGH for me. Now that I’m heading into the third trimester I also need to start focusing on 3T nutrients like fish. What’s on your menu? Eet smakelijk!

**********MENU**********

S (church, make gummies, make chocolate sauce, make mayo, milk pick up)
L – leftover pizza
D – grilled burgers, french fries, carrots

M (parade, clean)
D – grilled chicken, grilled asparagus, baked potatoes

T ()
D – salmon cakes, pesto quinoa salad, peaches

W (dentist)
D – pork chops w/ apples over rice, roasted cauliflower

Th (dance)
D – (early) – TBD soup and bread

F (dance rehearsal)
D – (early) – egg puffs, broccoli, toast

S (dance recital)
D – (prep ahead or out to eat) – TBD