Pregnancy Must Haves

Oh insomnia, how I love thee... no, wait, no I don't. I loathe thee. I cannot figure out why I can't sleep lately. I'm woken up by random things like the baby kicking, pelvic pain, the dog dreaming, and even Craig yelling "why are you coming after me?" (but in a Jersey Shore-style) in his sleep. Some nights I don't even sleep at all. I'm often woken up just because I'm sweating. Pregnancy sounds fun, yeah??

Well, on top of everything that's going on in my brain, I came across a blog post on People.com that got me thinking. Marla Sokoloff wrote an interesting piece on her pregnancy must-haves. As I looked through her list, I kept thinking "does she think we're all independently wealthy people?" Nearly everything she had on her list is expensive. So, I decided to create my own "must have" list for my friends that are currently expecting! Since this is me we're talking about, you can expect my choices to be somewhat inexpensive.

Clothing
Any good mama-to-be should know to be versatile but there are a few things you're going to need!

I could not have survived my pregnancy without the three empire-waist dresses I bought. When I bought them, I got them on a whim and told Craig "I'm going to wear these all the time!!" We were short on cash and I wound up spending about $100 on two bags of clothes (not just the dresses). While he rolled his eyes at me, I've worn every piece of clothing I bought that day at least 100 times by now. The dresses are my go-to tunics now and I still get compliments when I wear them. They are fantastic for before/during/after pregnancy! 

Make sure you get maternity jeans with a stretch to it! As you expand, you want jeans to expand with you and you're going to need shirts that cover!! Don't forget about sweaters! You WILL get cold at some point, so invest in a few longer cardigans that can easily be taken off when you get hot, again.

Shoes. All you really need are shoes... that will expand with your feet. I preferred wearing boots all winter but I learned a valuable lesson - don't invest a lot of money in new and expensive shoes. They won't last you long. Your feet may go up a size, so look for bargains on shoes that you won't mind tossing once your feet return to a normal-ish size.

It's always nice to have a fancy dress or two - you never know when someone will be getting married or you have a party to go to. My recommendation: buy 1 floor length dress and 1 shorter dress.

Just like your t-shirts, tunics become great for every day wear, so invest in longer tunics that will eventually get shorter as your belly grows. They go well with just about everything - jeans, leggings, skirts...etc.

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

There are also other things you need...
I'm not kidding when I say stretch marks itch. Get Shea butter!  Palmer's Shea butter works really well at relieving dry stretched skin but use a bit of aloe to cool the skin off a bit!

Another thing you'll need: a durable water bottle. I prefer metal, some people prefer glass or plastic. Just make sure it's BIG! You need to stay hydrated and it's easier to throw a water bottle in your purse than it is to go to Starbucks.

Books will keep you entertained but you don't need to buy every pregnancy book on the market. My favorites: Taboo Secrets of Pregnancy: A Guide to Life with a Belly and Expect This! - they're not scary pregnancy books and they're actually rather funny.

I love makeup... and my skin changed a lot with pregnancy. Invest in a few staples: cheek/lip stain, tinted moisturizer, SPF, lip balm, and a cream eyeshadow. These are as versatile as it gets and you don't want your makeup sliding off during the day. Take it from someone who lives in the Middle East!!


The last thing you can't and shouldn't live without: healthy snacks! Keep fruit, oatmeal bars, string cheese, and nuts handy! Keep them in your purse, bag, desk...etc. You're going to get hungry at random times - may as well stave off the hunger. Plus, eating little by little helps keep "angry lady" at bay as well as nausea. Trust me when I tell you that at the drop of a hat your blood sugar will drop - so keep food on you at all times - make it a habit!

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

 

 

Ok, it's your time to chime in ... what were YOUR pregnancy must haves?

School Books on the Cheap

I know it's been a while and as I explained in one of the groups I participate in - we've been a little busy! Craig is working on one of his Senior Thesis Papers. The topic: The Jews and the Comic Book industry. How COOL is that??? My seminar papers were waaaay more boring than that! For the past two weeks, we scoured the Internet looking for a few "academic resources" only to find the books in partial online versions or on back order.

I learned with my seminar papers that buying the books can be kind of dumb. For me, it was a waste of money but I had to do it because I had no other option. Thankfully, CampusBookRentals.com has a solution for my friends that are still in school. Through their company, you can rent awesome textbooks for a fraction of the cost. The best part: you can highlight in them!! If you decide to keep the book, you can keep it and pay the difference.

Renting the books is as easy as it sounds and when you're done, just return them! It's kind of like a library except you have a longer period for rental. If you return the book within 30 days of renting it, you get a 100% refund but I don't recommend waiting for the pre-paid return envelope. It could take a while to get to you.

One of the other things I love about this company is their participation in Operation Smile. For all textbook rentals, they donate money to this amazing organization. I know a lot of our readers are BIG into buying from socially aware companies - so the fact that they work with Operation Smile gives CampusBookRentals.com my seal of approval. For those of you that don't know what Operation Smile is, they started in 1982 and since then have repaired cleft lip and palates for over 150k young adults and children all over the world. Pretty cool, huh?

Since my nephew is starting college next year and I'll be in Grad School, CampusBookRentals.com will be an amazing alternative for us. Who needs to buy the books when you don't need to? You can also sell them your old books - as long as they weren't the ones you rented from them.

So, all you busy students - with your new semesters starting, why not save a little cash? You can learn more about CampusBookRentals.com from the awesome videos below. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

How does it work?


CampusBookRentals.com FAQ's:

No Spend Month - Day 13 - Food Challenge

So, today is officially Day 13 and here's what I can tell you: we haven't run out of money yet! Whoo hoo! Granted, it's not much but it's something!

This weekend, instead of going to the grocery store for a big shop, I'm opting for a little shop. On my list:

• Milk
• Cheese
• Bread

That's it. I want to spend as little as possible because next week will likely be a BIG shop! My cousin Jillie will be staying with us for a few days and I want to save my money for her visit!

I'll be honest, our cupboards are looking a little bare. What's a girl to do! Turn to Pinterest! For the next few days, I'll be winging it and utilizing some of their awesome recipes! We have pasta, veggies, shredded cheeses, barley, rice, quinoa, cream, and some other "random" things. We also have flour (OK, A LOT of flour), eggs, Nutella, and lots of stuff to bake with. I am going to do my best to use up what we have before I buy more.

Sounds like a plan, right? Good g-d I hope so!

On the docket for the rest of this week:
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Corn and butter
Sweet potato soup with garlic toast
Nutella muffins
Blueberry oatmeal bars
Potato wedges
Baked Barley Risotto
Cheesy Rice
Chicken finger wraps

I know, it leaves a bit to be desired without a lot of protein. But if we can get away with NOT spending this weekend, then the sacrifice is worth it! I'm sick of buying stuff at the grocery store when I don't plan on using it for a few weeks. This will give us a chance to use up what we have before we buy more.

I know I owe you a BIG BIG BIG update and I promise you'll get it. I'm even planning a tutorial on how to make Latkes for Hanukkah... so stay tuned!