tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412Mon, 30 Jun 2025 14:16:54 +0000BabiesFoodHusbandWeekendRecipePregnancySewingClothesInterior DesignCraftyFashionLovePuppyNaturalCookingProjectBudgetHealthTimAwkward and AwesomeBachelorFamilyTravelDinnerMarriageMovingNatural ChildbirthWinterDIYDessertExerciseMotherhoodOrganizationOutdoorsValentine's DayBakingBlackBreastfeedingCloth DiapersDecorFloridaGiveawayIndian FoodIndyKitchenSnowSpringThe Friday FiveThriftingTo-Do ListWeatherWeddingWhole FoodsBacheloretteBeachCampingCatsChristmasCleaningDogsFurnitureGardenHiatusHouseIkeaJobsLiving with a DudeMondayNew Years EveNursingOrganicPhotosPumpingReality TVSmoothieSummerThriftyAccessoriesApartmentArtBagsBeautyBeing LateBirdsBirthdayBooksBreakfastCelebritiesChangeClownsCo-sleepingDancingDisasterDreamDrinksEco-friendlyEntertainingFab 5 FridayFabricGiftsGoalsGreenGripeGrowing UpHairHolidayInvestmentJenna MarblesKardashiansLaundryLearningLifeManifestoMomMomlifeMother's DayMoviesMusicNewsNon-toxicOBXOutfitPastaPhilliesPhillyProcrastinationRandomSeinfeldShoesShoppingSunSuperfoodSurveyTVTentThe 90'sToysVacationVaccinesWineWorkYogapost-partumhttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)Blogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-2621309035808113597Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:12:00 +00002012-08-01T10:17:02.919-04:00Jenna MarblesRecipeSmoothieI love recipes that I can add to, subtract from & substitute ingredients. Smoothies are perfect for this kind of lax attitude in the kitchen. A little of this, a little of that... boom, deliciousness. On our vacation, Tim and I started making smoothies for breakfast and we noticed how awesome we felt afterwards. Lots of energy, our digestive systems were regular, we weren't hungry by 10 am. (http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/08/breakfast-smoothie-w-hemp-protein.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-7672645874236979317Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:14:00 +00002012-07-31T09:18:21.736-04:00BabiesBeachDogsOBXVacationSaturday, July 21st - 3:02 AM With our car loaded up, we left Pennsylvania for Corolla (pronounced Cor-ah-la, not Cor-oh-la) in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. An hour into the drive, we stopped for coffee and, like a scene in Marley & Me, Indy tried to jump out of the car, spilling our coffee everywhere. New coffees were purchased and we pushed on. Once we crossed into Virginia, we pulledhttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/vacation-in-obx.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-7260926630456655176Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:30:00 +00002012-07-16T12:43:39.929-04:00BabiesMomlifepost-partumI must have said it a hundred times, "I won't change just because I have a baby." Wrong. So very wrong. It's one of those things that happens whether you like it or not. Here are some things that I don't do anymore that I really didn't see coming. 1) Enjoy drinking. Didn't expect this at all! I loved drinking before I was pregnant. I looked forward to my big glass of red wine every night http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/10-things-i-dont-do-since-i-became-mom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-5557922227564125164Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:57:00 +00002012-07-09T08:57:30.104-04:00BabiesDogsIndySummerWeekendI'm not into prescription drugs, or any drugs for that matter, but we have a hyperactive dog who gets VERY anxious in cars and spins in circles in the trunk. That, plus we have an 8+ hour car trip to the Outer Banks ahead of us. I was shocked at how quickly our vet handed us a bottle of Valium for Indy. The words "long car ride..." had barely come out of my mouth and I had pills in my hand. You'dhttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/we-gave-our-dog-valium-other-weekend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-195134987684822914Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:30:00 +00002012-07-06T12:30:52.118-04:00BabiesFamilyHoliday Our Fourth of July was  tame compared to those of years past. Having a baby doesn't make events less fun, it just makes them different. For example, instead of lounging around with a beer in my hand, I was vigilantly applying sunscreen to Flynn and constantly checking his swim diaper to see if he went poopy.  Even though you give birth to a baby, it still doesn't dawn on you that http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/flynns-1st-fourth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-7652015413230464358Fri, 06 Jul 2012 02:36:00 +00002012-07-05T22:36:25.942-04:00BachelorBacheloretteLoveReality TV As many of you know, I’m a huge Bachelor/Bachelorette fan. I’ve been watching religiously for about 5 years now. This season has southern belle Emily Maynard searching for love after she was chosen by Brad Womack in a previous season and the relationship went nowhere. I like her. I think she’s genuine. Plus, her teeth are like a perfect pack of Chicklets. I can’t take my eyes off them. She'shttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/jefs-poem-to-emily.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-1586402694745087094Wed, 04 Jul 2012 11:41:00 +00002012-07-04T07:44:05.426-04:00BabiesLearningToysWhile browsing some blogs the other day, I saw a really great DIY activity/toy for babies that are Flynn's age (6+ months). That blog lead me to other blogs that raved about the same idea, and it turns out this is a popular concept among Montessori schools. I had vaguely heard of them before, but basically, it's an education approach built on independent learning, discovery rather than direction,http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/flynns-sensory-bin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4330051184751891794Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:12:00 +00002012-07-03T09:12:19.018-04:00BabiesBakingCookingIndyNaturalSuperfoodI'm turning into the father in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," except instead of using Windex as a cure-all, I'm using coconut oil. I swear to you, if the only two beauty products I could use for the rest of my life were Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap & coconut oil, I'd be all set. Oh and maybe mascara, 'cause it makes my eyes pop. [We use this kind for Flynn, found here] I already http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/coconut-oil-is-there-anything-it-cant-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-464896387187600326Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:47:00 +00002012-07-03T09:12:58.444-04:00BabiesBacheloretteFoodHealthNatural In parts 1 & 2, I explained why (I and many others think) raw milk is healthier than regular, pasteurized milk from conventional dairy cows and why lactose intolerance doesn't have to stop people from enjoying dairy. I'm not trying to declare a mommy war on people who use regular formula. Like I've said previously, I do use Earth's Best when traveling or when I forget to pick up more http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-babys-got-secret-part-3-making-baby.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-2465988346168962579Sun, 01 Jul 2012 14:18:00 +00002012-07-01T10:21:16.438-04:00DIYEco-friendlyNaturalNon-toxicThrifty"What are you making now?"  That's what my husband says when something weird arrives in the mail. This time, it was citric acid from Amazon.com for my homemade dishwasher detergent. Don't worry, the rest of the ingredients can be found at the grocery store. I'm on a mission to kick toxic household cleaners to the curb. There are plenty of natural products on the market (like Seventh http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/diy-dishwasher-detergent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-1511819604995039262Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:01:00 +00002012-06-29T09:07:15.388-04:00FoodHealthNaturalOrganicWhole FoodsTim and I are relaxing on the couch with Indy, How It's Made is on Science Channel, and Flynn's diapers are in the wash. Today was an extra stinky diaper day. Once they start solids... things get REAL. That's part of the "fun" of cloth diapers. Even though I work, I still have the pleasure of seeing everything that came out of my sweet baby boy at the end of the day. This is definitely something http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-babys-got-secret-part-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-8197183066114579053Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:39:00 +00002012-06-26T11:43:50.306-04:00BabiesDIYFoodNaturalWhole Foods For the past 3 months, we’ve been supplementing Flynn’s diet with formula. We’ve told friends, family & even our pediatrician that we’re using Earth’s Best commercial powdered formula. It’s not a lie, because we do use it occasionally. However, the majority of the time we give him homemade formula made from raw cow’s milk. Or, as I see it, fresh milk from healthy & happy cows. We've http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-babys-got-secret-part-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4270033549801769111Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:21:00 +00002012-06-25T09:45:40.021-04:00BabiesCookingDIYFoodOrganicWhole Foods I always slightly dread the next stage in Flynn’s development because: 1) I fear change  2) I like routines and  3) I feel like if I have anything else to accomplish in one day, my brain is going to have a nuclear meltdown. But then once that stage arrives, and I accommodate it for a few days, it’s no big deal. Two months ago, I was not looking forward to Flynn eating solidshttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-we-do-it-making-storing-baby-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-9103583469332629030Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:32:00 +00002012-06-22T16:32:33.017-04:00Just a heads up... I'm beginning the process of transforming my blog, so please bear with me! I'm still the same gal, don't worry, I am just attempting to refine the focus of my blog and make it more professional. You can expect the same content, I'm not going all political on you, I promise. I just wanted the title to reflect more of who I am. I guess you could say my blog is finding itself - http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/changes-ahead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-3195981711062698962Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:53:00 +00002012-06-21T14:49:13.057-04:00BabiesNatural ChildbirthNursingPregnancyBefore you have a baby, you hear a lot of: “It’s life changing!” “Enjoy every moment!” No one tells you: “You’ll feel like a mental patient!” “You’ll bleed like a gunshot victim!” So I’m just going to be honest and tell you five things I was not expecting after I gave birth. Even though we took an in-depth childbirth class at The Birth Center, I feel that the information we were provided was http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/post-partum-5-things-no-one-tells-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4792019474215701038Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:34:00 +00002012-06-12T23:37:42.103-04:00BabiesBreastfeedingMotherhoodNatural ChildbirthWho's up for more breastfeeding talk? It's been consuming my life for the past 7+ months so I always am. Nothing delights me more than when a friend or relative has a baby and asks me breastfeeding questions... nothing! Not that I'm an expert (not even close), but this is how women used to learn about breastfeeding before books and the internet existed. Through sharing experiences. We should do http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/comfortable-routine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-2443201598965784660Tue, 12 Jun 2012 13:04:00 +00002012-06-12T09:07:06.351-04:00CookingDinnerRecipeThriftyI found this yummy and simple recipe for Whole Wheat and Honey Pizza Dough on allrecipes.com and tried it out last night. It was my first time making pizza dough, so I was surprised how good it was! After I rolled out the dough (note: use A LOT of extra flour to do this!) I topped it with marinara, baby spinach, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and a little sprinkling of salt & http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/whole-wheat-pizza-dough.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4787956618050180813Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:26:00 +00002012-06-11T09:26:19.786-04:00BabiesCookingFamilyIndyWeekend Some highlights from the weekend, which mainly consisted of doing things around the house, errands & trying to stay cool without A/C.  We have A/C... I'm just very stubborn about using it :-) ["Sleeping" in on Saturday morning] [One hundred apples + one thousand hours in the crock pot = homemade apple butter] [Mastering the art of sitting] [Indy climbing on the couch like http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/over-weekend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-2480014290160568227Wed, 06 Jun 2012 02:29:00 +00002012-06-08T11:22:42.646-04:00BabiesNaturalVaccinesFirst, a Flynn update. A Flupdate. Our little boy is just about 7 months old, thriving and meeting all of the appropriate milestones. He is (usually) a happy-go-lucky little dude who loves funny faces and barking dogs. He only fusses when he's hungry or tired and it seems like he discovers something new every day. He goes to sleep fairly easily, although a sound machine and his "puppy" are a http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/peek-at-our-vaccine-schedule.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4400924301846868869Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:00:00 +00002012-03-27T17:01:23.727-04:00BabiesDinnerFamilyFoodHealthHusbandMotherhoodFlynn is starting to show an interest in solid foods and it's the cutest thing. We have him eat with us at the kitchen table during dinner (he sits in his bumbo seat) and he thinks the sight of us chewing is hilarious. He also loves when we make silly, loud chewing noises. Just recently, we noticed him opening his mouth and leaning forward... almost as if he's trying to take a bite of our food. http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/03/40-days.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4376572379523632641Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:39:00 +00002012-06-07T14:21:48.729-04:00BabiesCloth DiapersGreenNaturalBefore Flynn was born, I was super excited to cloth diaper. Then, immediately after he was born, I was very apprehensive about our decision to cloth diaper. But, like anything, it just took some time to develop a routine.  [Does this make my butt look big?] We exclusively used disposable diapers until all the meconium had passed and his circumcision healed. Flynn was swimming in his http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/03/cloth-diapers-4-months-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-4901652596382639060Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:10:00 +00002012-06-07T14:23:01.343-04:00BabiesBreastfeedingPumpingToday I'm going to enthrall you with all of the awesomes & awkwards of pumping breast milk at work. Let's see if I can organize my thoughts, because there are so many things I want to mention. I've been pumping at work (and at home) for over a month now and I'm finally into a routine. I think. Usually when I say I've got a routine down, something goes horribly wrong. So I probably just jinxedhttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/02/awkward-awesome-thursday-pumping.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-1587411051706496749Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:51:00 +00002012-06-07T14:23:32.878-04:00BabiesCo-sleepingMotherhoodNaturalWhen you have a baby, the first questions people ask you are "How is he sleeping? Is he sleeping through the night?" I find this very strange, especially coming from people who have children. Have they forgotten how little sleep they got in the beginning? I'm sure they mean well and are just trying to make conversation, but the question really irks me. Hormones? Probably. But it's as if they makehttp://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/01/sleeping-arrangements.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-1523954172065962890Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:29:00 +00002012-06-07T14:22:30.255-04:00BabiesBreastfeedingNursingPumpingWhen you're nursing a baby, you feel like your entire life revolves around two things: your boobs. My boobs hurt. My boobs feel full. Are my boobs making enough milk? Can anyone see my boobs when I nurse like this? Are those stretch marks on my boobs?! Why is my right boob bigger than my left? Why does more milk come out of my left boob than my right? Will there ever be a day when I DON'T think http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/01/25-months-still-going-strong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940926948114657412.post-6113089641630349122Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:04:00 +00002012-01-10T14:05:23.492-05:00BabiesNatural Childbirth Flynn is 9 weeks old and I’m finally sitting down to write this. Better late than never! I know you’re all just dying to know every detail… right? Before I was pregnant, or married for that matter, I was fascinated by natural childbirth. I watched the documentary “The Business of Being Born” by Ricki Lake and was very turned off by the hospital birth process. It seemed so cold and strict. http://theannanfamily.blogspot.com/2012/01/flynns-birth-story.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meg @ The Crunchy Conservative)3