Thursday, April 23, 2015

3 Ingredient Guacamole… YUM.

Okay.. so for all you guacamole lovers out there, this recipe is so extremely simple and easy to put together in a jif! You can get crazy and add all kinds of ingredients, but this is the easiest way to make it and it still taste amazing.

Ingredients:
2 avocados
1 tomato
1/2 onion
Seasonings (salt, Tony's, garlic powder)

Well… I guess it's really 4 ingredients. Hmmm..


Here we go.. read carefully so you don't get lost.  
1) Spoon out the green stuff from your avocado and put in a mixing bowl.
2) Get a fork and mash up the green stuff
3) Add your seasonings and stir it in.
4) Mince your onion and stir it in.
5) Dice your tomato and stir it in.

Now would be a good time to get a chip and taste your guacamole! You may need to add more salt.

Cover your mixing bowl or put it in some tupperware and store it in the fridge so that the gauc can soak in its own deliciousness before dinner.

Wam. Bam. Done.


There are all kinds of low carb recipes this guac can be used for!
Fajitas (duh)
Guac Burgers- (burger patty, fried egg, guac)
Guac Chicken- (grilled chicken, carmalized onions, guac)
Pita Quesadillas (pita stuffed with chicken and cheese, add guac and salsa) yum.

Hope this helps!

Happy Guacamoling :)




Thursday, April 16, 2015

Are you sure your water broke?? My crazy C-section story.

April is Cesarean Awareness Month! So in honor of celebrating the twins being 36 weeks out, I thought I should share my crazy, emotional, and some what humorous C-section story!

Before you continue reading, I am going to be completely honest on what happened, so if you're reading this with your eight year old son, you should probably stop now and then continue reading after bedtime! :)

It was Wednesday, August 6, 2014. I'm pretty sure it was 105 degrees outside and I was so incredibly pregnant. My dog, Louie, who sleeps with us, threw up in our bed at 5:00am that morning, and then threw up around the house almost every hour after that. It was crazy and disgusting. So here I am, on my hands and knees, all day long cleaning dog vomit. I was so aggravated. And in-between his vomit spells, he would lay on my belly. I didn't mind that. That was sweet.

FINALLY Thomas gets off of work. He got off at 5:00pm which was earlier than normal! We sat in our recliners and I was comforting our sick puppy and he was working on his computer. I rolled my huge self off the recliner and made my way to the bathroom for the 67th time that day. (if you don't know already, you pee ALL the time when you're preggers)

Made it to the bathroom, and before I could even pull my sweat pants off, I pee on myself.

"Dang it!… Well this never happened before… crap…  wait… why can't I stop peeing? Oh my God.. Did my water just break? Oh my God… THOMAS!!"

"What, babe? Did you finally poop?"

"THOMAS!!!!!!!!!!"

So I guess he knew I wasn't announcing that I was finally able to poop after 4 days not going (which is another thing that happens when you're preggers)…

He ran over and sees the huge puddle on the bathroom floor and starts freaking out just as much as I was. "Oh my God.. Babe… Okay.. I'm gonna call your mom!"

So I start crying and crying. My mom gets on the phone and is as calm as a cucumber. "Dont worry, you have plenty of time! Your sister took a shower and shaved her legs before she went to the hospital to have Ben! You'll be fine. Calm down, I'm on my way."

Still, that doesn't help. I was having contractions left and right. I was leaking all over the place. My bag wasn't completely packed. I was NOT ready to have these babies!!! This was not my plan!! I wanted to fix my hair! Do my makeup! Shave my legs! Nope.. no time for all that. We had to go.

So about 5:30, my mom made it to my house, gave me a huge hug and packed up our stuff in the car. I was still crying. Shaking. FREAKING OUT.  All I could do is pray. I prayed the whole way to the hospital praying to God that my babies would be okay being so early.

We finally made it to the hospital through rush hour traffic.. (btw- why in the HECK is the hospital where you deliver babies on the busiest highway in Louisiana?!!)

So we make it to the Assessment Center around 6:00pm. I told them, my water broke and I'm 36 weeks pregnant with twins. "Aww twins! My Aunt Ree had twins. Okay ma'am please fill out his form and we'll be with you in a moment. Are you sure your water broke?" "Yes.. I'm positive."

I quickly fill out the slip and give it back. "Okay ma'am just have a seat in our waiting area and we'll call you back in a minute to assess you."

ARE YOU SERIOUS? MY WATER BROKE AND I HAVE TO WAIT TO BE SEEN? IS THIS A JOKE?

I didn't say that…

So the three of us sat and waited. I start feeling like I'm sitting on something. So much pressure.. I was so completely aggravated. This is not at all what I had envisioned. I wanted to video everything! I wanted a photographer! I wanted to be calm and collected. I wanted to be ready.

So what seems like an eternity later, they called me back. I go with the nurse and Mom and Tom stay back. The nurse is taking her good ol time getting me back in the assessment room. She stops for a second to talk to another nurse, she grabs a chart from another. She's in absolutely no hurry at all to get me in my room.

"So did your water break!?" …..Yes.  "What are you having?"  ….Two boys.  "Omg, twins! How sweet. My brother's sister in law had twins!" …..Awesome.

So she gets me a hospital gown, and continues asking me a million questions about twins and then ANOTHER nurse walks in. Great…

"Hi! My name is Sue, I will be assessing you today! So are you sure you're water broke?"

At this point I wanted to slap somebody.

"Yes I'm very sure!!"  I smiled and giggled when I said that, but on the inside I wanted to scream and punch her in the face. (I told you I was going to be honest)

So she takes her time and puts on her gloves as she tells me a story about twins she grew up with. She lifts my gown and looks. She says, "Oh my God.. there are two feet coming out of your vagina! Theres feet coming out of your vagina! We got to get you to the O.R. now!"

So immediately I calm down knowing everything will be great!…. NOT! Now I'm REALLY freaking out! I am so scared!  All I could do is pray. "Lord God hold my hand. Protect my babies"I just kept whispering that to myself.

So Sue opens the door and yells out in the hallway to the resident doctor and nurses, "THERE'S FEET COMING OUT OF HER VAGINA! THERE'S FEET COMING OUT OF HER VAGINA!!! GET HER HUSBAND OUT HERE WE ARE GOING TO THE O.R.!"

Thank God modesty goes out the window when you're in labor.

So like in any good movie, they run me through the hallways on the stretcher. Thomas and my mom are running behind us. "Lord God please be with me. Calm my spirit. Protect my babies." So as we are running, the resident asked, "So did your water break?" (that's the honest truth)

……

So they wheel me in the OR and about 30 different nurses start running around. It looked like a New York City side walk. Everyone was headed in different directions doing different things. I had no idea what was going on. One nurse said that I needed to be put to sleep. I literally start crying at that point. I wasn't going to be able to experience seeing my babies come out of me. I felt like I was being robbed.

Then I saw the most beautiful sight! MY Obstetrician walked in the doors! He was on call that night and had just finished delivering just in time to be with me! I think I heard the Hallelujah Chorus.  "Lord God THANK YOU!" What a blessing!

He immediately looks at me, and says, "No, she needs to experience this. We have time. Give her the epidural."

So in the midst of the chaos, an angel nurse came and held my hands and told me to relax and breathe. The needle went in my back a few times, but I just closed my eyes, held her hands and prayed. "Lord still my heart. Give me peace. Protect my babies."  (If you are reading this, and you are the nurse that held my hands during that process, please let me know who you are. I am forever grateful)

Shortly after that process, they let Tom and Mom back in the room. It was go time. As soon as I saw my husband's face and held his hand, I felt an overwhelming peace go through my spirit. I felt like God was telling me then, that everything was going according to His plan. I knew then that I was soon to see my sweet Noah and Brody. This was it. This was the moment.

Baby A was coming out first. This was the baby that had kicked his way through me! At 6:45 they pulled him out, and I saw my Noah. My son. I heard his first breath and a loud cry! That is a moment a mother will never ever forget. A minute later, Brody came. My precious son.

God protected His babies. He gave me peace in the midst of chaos. He brought us through. He saved our lives.

I honestly don't remember exactly what happened between then and when I saw my family and friends.  But I am so grateful that God allowed me to remember those first moments with my sons.




http://youtu.be/fZoOXUeqMFI



Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Perfect Schedule for Twins


Okay- so let me first say, that whoever thought I had the perfect schedule for twins is straight up cray-cray. I don't.. but hopefully this post will help a little and maybe you can relate... :)

3 days before delivery
When I was pregnant with twins, I read as much as I could and did as much research as possible to prepare for this world that I was about to enter into. Almost every article, blog, and Pinterest post I found said that in order to survive twins, they have to be on a strict schedule! So the moment we came home from the hospital, I was on a mission and I THOUGHT I was prepared.

I remember every morning for like two weeks straight when the babies woke up, Thomas and I would sing a "good morning song". We chose Philip Philips' "Home". I made sure that I did the same thing every single day because I knew I HAD to get them on a schedule and the SAME schedule! (oh how ridiculous we were) Well, after the many growth spurts and tears of stress trying to be the perfect mother, I waved my white flag and asked God to take over. I was so hung up on the "schedule" that I wasn't enjoying these precious gifts He gave me. I wasn't enjoying being who God called me to be: a mother. I can honestly say it was the worst few weeks of my entire life. Satan was attacking my mental and emotional state and sabotaging this special time in my life. I then felt God whisper to my spirit, "Calm down, I am here with you, you are not alone, My children need your love, I will do the rest."

4 days old
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 
Psalm 32:8


Moms, this is my tiny piece of advice. Forget about any type of schedule until at least 3 months. Yes, that's right. Your babies will run your house until 3 months. Forget the schedule.

Newborns do NOT need a schedule. They need YOU. You will need to sacrifice your sanity for a few months because what's even more worse than losing your sanity is losing the bond between you and your babies because of some stupid schedule. Pray a lot and ask for guidance, wisdom, and patience. He will give it to you.

I will lead the blind in the ways they have not known; along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. 
Isaiah 42:16

3-6 Months Night Time Routine:
The first resemblance of a schedule was around three months. We started with a night time routine. This is what worked for us. We have no other children, so putting the babies to bed early was perfect for us and saved the tiny bit of our sanity that was left. Ofcourse if you have older children with ball games, lessons, etc..then this may not work.
4:00- Bath
4:30- Bottle/Rock to sleep
5:00- Put to bed

Yes- you saw that right. We put our babies to sleep at 5:00. Just ask our friends and family. It helped us keep our sanity, save our marriage, and go to bed early. The babies had no problem going to bed early because they didn't nap long through out the day, so they were cranky and exhausted. Once you start a schedule that works, keep doing it! They will know that its time to go to sleep after they take a bath. Kids, even babies, NEED structure and routine.

4 Month Morning Routine:
Around 4 months we then started forming our morning routine because we began introducing solids and they began waking up around the same time so I thought it was perfect time to start.
6:00- Wake up/Bottle
6:30- Tummy Time/Play (Mommy drinks her coffee..mmm..Hallelujah, Praise Jesus!)
7:00- Breakfast- Oatmeal
7:30- Swing/Jumpy (Mommy eats breakfast)
8:00- Small bottle/Nap

6 Month-8 month Daily Routine:
This has been our routine for the past couple months. The boys are about to be 8 months old. When they turned 6 months old, I knew they were old enough to be on an all day schedule.
6:00- wake up/bottle (Coffee/Breakfast)
6:30- JumpyJump
7:30am- Mickie Mouse Club House
7:00- Play time (Mommy works out)
7:30- Breakfast/Mickie Mouse Club House
8:00- Nap (clean house, laundry, prepare dinner, answer emails)
9:30- Bottle
10:00- Walk around the block
10:30- Play
11:00- Lunch
11:30- Play time
12:00- Nap
2:00- Bottle/Mickie Mouse Club House
2:30- Walk around the block
3:30- Play
4:00- Dinner
4:30- Outside Swings with Dad
5:00- Playtime with Dad (Mommy gets dinner together)
5:30- High chair time at the table (Mommy and Daddy eat dinner)
5:45- Bath time
6:15- Bottle
We love our walks! 
6:30- Bedtime
7:00- MOMMY AND DADDY TIME:)

We don't live and die by this schedule, but this is what I do when we stay home all day, which is most days. lol

This schedule works for our family! Try different things, and you will figure out what works for your family! Trial and Error.

Remember!!- God equips us for the blessings He has for us.

Stay strong my mommy friends!

Peace and Blessings:)

Consider it pure JOY whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your FAITH produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 
James 1:2-4


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

HONEST Interview With A Twin Dad…(Viewer Discretion Advised)

Moms of multiples are looked up to, felt sorry for, or stared at in amazement or wonder on how in the world does she get through the day. When I personally see moms of triplets or quadruplets I just stare at them and think to myself, "How? How? HOW?!!?" I mean, come on.. I have two babies, yes, but I also have two hands, two arms, two eyes, and a husband. These women are one limb and one hubby short! 
Anways..back on topic. Moms of multiples are looked up to, but I think we sometimes forget the ones behind the scenes: Dads of multiples! 

Okay- so I've asked him to be honest--and he laughed, almost like he is going to enjoy scaring all the other soon to be twin daddies out there--so I apologize ahead of time if he says anything embarrassing, frightening, or inappropriate…

1. What was your first thought when the doctor said you were having twins?
Shock, is that a reaction? I couldn't believe this was for real. 
2. What was the most challenging part in supporting your wife during her pregnancy?
Toward the end, you were so big and uncomfortable so I had to do all the laundry, cooking, cleaning, outside yard work, washing vehicles. I had to do everything. Yea, I think that was kinda tough. 
3. What was the best part about your wife being pregnant with twins?
The thought that I was going to instantly have two kids. That was awesome. And then when I found out it was two boys, that was awesome. 
4. With that said, what genders were you hoping for? What did you want to name them?
A boy and girl. Noah and Ali.
5. If you could give a twin dad any advice to get him through her pregnancy, what would you tell them?
If you want your wife to meet your "physical needs", you need to meet hers- which means lots of back massages, foot rubs, and brownies. And anything else she wants. 
6. What were your thoughts about seeing your wife being cut open during the emergency c-section?
I was so in the moment. I was in panic. I had to sprint to the operating room. I was in so much shock. I guess I didn't enjoy the birthing process the way I thought I would have because it was so rushed and so fast. I didn't get to experience the emotional side because it was an emergency C-section. I was so worried about you and them knowing that Noah's foot broke through. They told me they might have to put you to sleep. I was just in so much shock I couldn't enjoy the moment. When they were operating on you I was watching the monitor a lot watching your blood pressure because I know a lot of people bottom out. I was just so scared of losing you. 
7. What was the first night like for you in the hospital? 
I got 1 1/2 hour of sleep. We didn't want the babies to be in the nursery. I was still in so much shock I couldn't sleep. And your stupid leg pump machine kept me awake. I finally fell asleep around 4:30. 
8. What advice would you give a twin dad for the hospital stay?
Use the nursery as much as possible to sleep. The adjustment to having children and the days in the hospital are crazy. Nurses in and out, babies feeding every few hours, visitors stay forever. You need sleep. The biggest advice I could give is hit up the coffee bar downstairs. Its awesome. So are the omelets. 
9. What was the first day home like and what advice would you give another twin dad?
Thankfully, Jamie and Jared cooked for us and had people cook. Definitely have food cooked for at least 2 weeks. That was awesome. Dont have visitors for at least a month because it stressed you out. Take off work as long as possible.
10. What was breastfeeding like?
It's non stop all day and all night. When she's not breastfeeding, she's pumping, when she's not pumping she's breastfeeding. Did it weird you out? No. 
11. How did you handle night time feedings?
We fed them every three hours. I fed one a bottle and you breastfed. Dont expect to ever sleep thru the night, until they start sleeping through the night. Sometimes I got less sleep than you because the baby I was feeding took longer to eat with the bottle. 
12. At what age did the night feedings stop?
I think around 6 months. Our pediatrician told us we could stop. So prepare for 6 months of no sleep. 
13. When you get home from work, what do you do?
Immediately start entertaining them or feeding them until its bedtime routine. So put aside anything you think you want to do because you are on baby duty until they're asleep. 
14. What does bedtime routine look like?
From 3-6 months, you bathed Noah, I bathed Brody. You rocked Noah to sleep and I rocked Bro to sleep because Noah wouldn't come to me. We then put them in the crib. Sometimes you had to put Bro to sleep. Sometimes neither baby wanted me. So I had to entertain one while you put one completely to sleep and then you started on the next one. Biggest advice would be put them to bed as early as possible. We put them to bed at 5pm and now we put them to bed at 6pm. You need down time and thats impossible with twins. Put them to bed early. They need a lot of sleep that age anyway. 
15. How do you manage the stresses of work plus being a full time father when you get home?
Practically, when you walk thru the door you have to leave the work day behind. If you take stress into a stressful environment, your wife is going to go break. Your wife needs you to be strong for her no matter how weak you may feel. After being alone with 2 babies for 9 hours, the last thing she needs is another baby to take care of. For the first few months, don't assume you're coming home to a happy environment. I guarantee you, you will come home to a harder work environment than you just came from. Put your big pants on because your life is gonna suck for a while. 
16. When does it get better?
Around 6 months. Mainly because at 6 months you train them to sleep thru the night. Definitely make sure by 6 months they're crib trained and 'sleep thru the night' trained. 
17. Now that it's a little better, do you look forward to coming home now?
Yes definitely, up until 5 or 6 months I didn't look forward to coming home because I knew I was coming home to a more stressful environment. I was more tired and stressed on my weekends off work than I was Monday through Friday. Now, they are so much more fun. They are still cranky. But they laugh at you and you can tell they love you! They light up when they see you. When I make silly noises they both look at me and laugh. Its like now, they know I'm their dad. And thats cool. I feel like at the beginning they already know who Mom is. I feel like now at this stage they know who Dad is. And I like that. 
18. What is the worst thing about having twins?
I guess, seeing dads having one child. They have so much freedom. The guy across the street gets to cut his grass and wash his car. As a twin dad I don't have that. I have to strategically plan when I do those things because I'm helping you. I have to wake up at 5am to work out for crying out loud! You have no extra time. Thats the worst. 
19. Whats the best thing about having twins?
You honestly get double the love. I have two boys who will want to play with me. I'll have two buddies for the rest of my life. We'll experience everything at the same time together. Sports, school, girls.. Umm no. Hahaha- They will never have that age difference. They will experience life together and hopefully be interested in the same things. 
20. What advice would you give to help keep a marriage (added with kids) strong and healthy?
Time. Spend time with her apart from the babies. Take her out. Make her feel pretty. As a mom being full of spit up and poop all day long, she still wants to feel pretty and attractive. Compliment her. Take her to dinner. Cook for her. Keep the romance alive. Physical touch is important. Not sexual, but just simple touch. Make her feel like a woman, instead of a mom. 

Thank you twin daddy for you honesty:) I hope we didn't scare too many twin daddies in the process. 









Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Stay At Home Mom or Working Mom? Which is Best?


Be a stay at home mom, or a working mom? This seems to be a question we have asked ourselves at least once in our lives. There are studies where women are working more now than ever before! There are other studies that say that moms who are home-schooling their children are growing at a rapid rate! So which is better for our family? Should we stay at home? Or… Should we go to work?

For some women, it's a no brainer.

The SAHM:
She will do whatever it takes to be home with her children.
She coupons, she meal plans, she saves every penny possible, she trades in her nice car for a used one, she home schools, she won't shop for herself unless it's on sale at Goodwill, she pours her entire self into her children. She does the laundry, organizes the pantry, and mops the floor. She cooks a healthy meal every night, reads a them a book, sings them a lullaby, puts them to bed, she cleans the little messes, picks up the toys, and spends the little time thats left of her day with her husband that appreciates her so much for taking care of the family and the house. She thanks God that He allowed her to be able to stay home. She truly puts her family first.

The Worker:
She will do whatever it takes to feed her children and put a roof over their heads.
She wakes up long before the sun is up, she makes lunches, she cleans the house, she pulls her kids out of bed, she struggles to dress them, she attempts to make a quick breakfast all while her kids refuse to wake up, she watches the clock. With the last 20 minutes before its time to go, she rushes to get ready and look professional, all while making sure her kids are ready to go. She drops her kids off, misses them all day long, hoping they are well taken care of and happy, rushes to pick them up, orders dinner out and feels guilty for not cooking. Exhausted from her work day, she stares at the load of laundry sitting on the couch, she helps with the piles of homework, spends a few hours of family time before bed. She thanks God that He put this job position in her life so that she can afford to give her children a great life. She truly puts her family first.


The Reality:
This is the world we live in. Moms striving to give their kids the absolute best and new moms trying to decide whether or not to stay at home, or go to work.

Thankfully, we also live in a world where we are able to do both! I am a stay at home mom, that also gets to bring home monthly and weekly checks!

When I had my twin boys, I had zero intention on ever going back to work. I was going to be a full fledge stay at home mom. Then… reality happened. Thomas got in a car accident, so we had to purchase a new car. Our health insurance went up tremendously (thanks Obama). We began spending $400+ a month on formula for our twins. The babies' medicines they were taking added up to about $100 a month. Plus bills, bills, bills, that never go away.  Our money going out was almost just as much as our money coming in with Thomas' salary alone. That's a scary place to be in.

So here were our options.. Thomas get another job, where he would never see me or the babies, OR I go back to work.

So, in order for me to go back to work I would have to obviously put the babies in daycare….putting TWO babies in daycare???? $$$$.. Yea. Not happening.

So.. what CAN I do to stay at home with my babies? I can share my story. I can share my testimony. I can help other people reach their goals and share their stories all while singing ABCs and changing diapers. With the Lord's peace and guidance, I dove head first into Plexus 3 years ago to take care of my health issues. Now I am diving head first into Plexus to take care of my finances with the Lord's blessing. And let me tell you… He has already used Plexus to bless us greatly!:)

So with that said…If you are at a crossroads, like I was, trying to decide if you should stay at home with your babies, or be a working mom, just think about doing both. There are many Network Marketing companies that are great! These are just 10 network marketing companies that you can work from home!
1. Plexus Slim
2. Advocare
3. Melaleuca
4. Avon
5. Mary Kay
6. Pampered Chef
7. Scentsy
8. Tupperware
9. Juice Plus
10. Team National

I chose Plexus Slim because I am a product of it. I chose Plexus Slim because I have seen what it has done for my entire family. I chose Plexus Slim because I want to help others achieve their goals.

Whether you are a SAHM or a worker, you are blessed. God has given us beautiful children to love and care for. He will direct, lead, and provide for us even when we are overwhelmed and exhausted.



Look to Him alone for guidance, wisdom, and for peace in whatever your decision may be!

Stay strong my mommy friends! Peace and blessings:)

Contact me if you want to chat about your crossroads decisions, babies, life, whatever!
brittanycbruce@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/brittanycrosbybruce

If you are interested in the Plexus Products:
www.plexusslim.com/bbruce


45 pounds gone
IBS gone
Brain fog gone 
All day energy
Great Sleep
Thick hair
More money:)