I’ve Got Answers…Part I

Last week, I did a post where I promised to answer any and all questions my readers threw at me, and boy…I was surprised with how many of you said you had things you’d been wanting to ask for a long time and finally got the chance or felt like it was the perfect time to do so. Well, here you go…not going in any particular order, so if you asked a question and you don’t see a response here, stay tuned because it will be coming soon!

Meghan from More from Meg asked 2 questions:

1. What does a typical day of meals and snacks looks like for me? 
Well, this is a bit different when I am pregnant, but I’m assuming she wanted to see what my normal diet looks like…it goes a bit something like this:
Breakfast: high fiber cereal + skim milk OR english muffin with low fat cream cheese OR fruit smoothie…this is usually paired with a medium roast coffee. (about 350 calories)
Snack: some type of fresh fruit (i.e. banana or grapes or strawberries or mango) (about 100 calories)
Lunch: large salad with some type of meat (chicken, steak, chicken salad, etc) OR lean cuisine OR soup and 1/2 sandwich (about 400 calories)
Snack: apple and peanut butter OR fiber one bar OR fat-free popcorn (about 150 calories)
Dinner:  when cooking at home, we do a lot of casseroles, dishes in the crock pot, or grill out…this involves some type of red meat, pork, or chicken, usually a side salad, and another vegetable side dish (about 450 calories)
Dessert: I let myself have dessert 2-3 times per week, usually a lowfat ice cream sandwich, frozen strawberry popsicle (the ones from TJ’s are the best), or some type of cookie (about 150 calories)
**I try to keep my daily caloric intake around 1500 calories, DEPENDING on if I am working out…if so, I increase that by about 200 calories to compensate and give my body the energy it needs 

2. What are some of your favorite places to go  in Nashville? Shopping, eating, drinks, fun weekend things? I did a post about this awhile ago, see here. But I’ll add to that list…
Attractions: other favorites include the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, the Adventure Science Center, and anything in Downtown Franklin!
Eateries: Other favs to add to my list include Mack and Kates, Judge Beans BBQ, Jackson’s, and Puffy Muffin
Shopping: By far, the best places to shop are the Hill Center, Green Hills Mall, and the local shops in downtown Franklin. For kids, it’s The Plaid Rabbit, Helen’s Children’s Shop, Tweed, The Little Cottage, and Phillip’s Toy Mart.
Drinks: You better believe I plan to hit some of these establishments up as soon as Carson is here…I sound like a total lush, but fun cocktails with friends can cure anything! The Patterson House, Citizen, Holland House, JJ’s Wine Bar, Rolf and Daughters, Whiskey Kitchen, and Tavern to name a few!

Pinky from Pink Persistence asked…
1. If you could vacay anywhere in the world [with kids or without] where would you go?

I want to know if you guys have a dog or not! I think I read you reference one in a post, but haven’t seen anything since…its quite a mystery to me!

Natalie and Lee at Our Forever asked…
1. What adjustments did y’all make for you to be able to stay-home? Well, we sat down and looked at finances and had to rethink our spending in a major way. We were so used to being able to go and do and spend as we please that I knew that wasn’t going to cut it when we took out my salary. We  tightened our spending habits, reworked our investment strategy, met with our financial planner to look at our goals long-term (retirement, savings, stocks, vacations, college funds, etc) and now we have a financial meeting with each other once a week to discuss our finances, bills, upcoming expenditures, etc. Life changed, and it took some time to get used to, but it was well worth it.
2. Will you eventually return to work? Yes, see above 🙂 Not sure on the specifics yet, a few ting around out there, but hoping to still do something in the corporate marketing/advertising arena.
3. I am having a hard time thinking about giving up my job as a teacher (it obviously has MANY perks) Do you ever regret your decision to stay home? As hard as it is being home day in and day out, and trust me–there are days when I want to pull my hair out–not a day goes by where I don’t know without a shadow of a doubt that we made the right decision for me to be a SAHM  with Caroline. It has taught me a lot about my strengths, my weaknesses, and just what it means to be a mom. I can’t imagine what our life would be like now if I had gone back to work like I intended to when I left, but it’s given me SO much joy to be at home with CC…these are precious days I will treasure for the rest of my life.
4. When do you guys plan to build your dream home?? Plans are in the works…we will be building our home in a brand new development in Franklin, Tennessee, about 20 minutes south from where we currently live. The neighborhood is in the introductory stages of getting permits passed, zoning worked out, and then the land will be cleared to mark the lots hopefully by early summer. We plan to buy our lot this fall and then will hopefully start building before the end of 2013. We are now looking at and revising floor plans to make this next house our dream home. These are just a few of the houses we have been looking at as inspiration…

Stay tuned for more!!