The News.

I apologize for my unplanned absence yesterday. You see, I decided it was the Annual Reorganize the School Cabinet and Bookshelves Day. Once a year, I like to take everything out, pull the furniture away from the wall, vacuum and dust thoroughly, remove the accumulated pencil and crayon marks, file the past year's school work, and create a refreshingly orderly room in which I can plan the next school year.

So, once I got started yesterday, there was no stopping! Well, I did have to take a few intermissions BUT I was driven. And things are mostly put back together today. I would post a picture of the end results, but I can't figure how my homeschooling organization fits into a health blog... except to explain my temporary disappearance.

Besides organizing... I seem to have caught the bug because I redid the pantry this morning too... I have another newsy tidbit to share with you. I am expecting our fifth child! Yep. I am close to the end of my first trimester.

How have I been feeling? Hmmm. I am thankful to be functional. I know that there are many women who are completely offset by extreme nausea in their first trimesters, and sometimes throughout the whole pregnancy. With my pregnancies, I have varying degrees of "morning sickness" all throughout the day until about week 12. This time around is no different.

There are a few very specific things I have noticed really help ease the queasiness. First, I must faithfully take a B Vitamin soon after I wake up, with a protein-type snack. Doing so solves a lot of problems before they start! I take a sustained release B Complex (part of this product pack) that supplies my body with more B vitamins every hour. This is so much better than just taking a large amount all at once. I can tell a big difference when I haven't taken it! And a big difference from when I used to take a different B Vitamin.

I also have stopped exercising. That sounds so contrary to normal health advice. I will get back to my normal exercise routines in my second trimester! With my first two pregnancies, I had to stop exercising in my first trimester in order not to lose too much weight. With my next three (this one included) I have had to stop so that my blood sugar doesn't drop too low. I have found that if I exercise, I can not regain my blood sugar stability -- even for a few days. It leaves me shaky, dizzy and nauseated. So, it helps me to take it easy in the first 12 weeks... not that I can totally slow down with four other children to run after!

I do sip peppermint and ginger teas. And I do occasionally use a Stomach Soothing Complex for a greater burst of these helpful herbs. Other than that, my best strategy is to eat small snacks throughout the day.

Cravings? This is laughable... with Rainbow, I craved cheese. We were vegans at the time, so the occasional cheese was a major treat! With Spiderman I craved hamburgers. I thought about them way too often. But, after one Wendy's burger, I was done with that! With Witzy, I don't remember a craving. With Tickle and this baby, I crave chicken fingers... hello Chick-fil-a! It's a good thing we don't live very close to a Chick-fil-a so that I have to eat healthy food instead. But, I do have plans to go with a friend next Tuesday. (Can't Wait!)

Because pregnancy is at the front of my mind, I plan on posting some of my thoughts on healthy pregnancies over the next few months. This blog isn't going to turn into a pregnancy blog, but I think expanding that topic would be helpful. I'll still keep up with my regular health posts, tips and recipes, so thanks for coming back to read... where would I be without readers!

And, here's a question for you: The question I hear most from pregnant women is "what do you do for morning sickness?" I would love for you to comment with your thoughts on the topic. What do you do to ease nausea? Do you have healthy ideas or remedies that you can share? Thanks for your comments!