Morning.  As much as I was dreading Monday, I actually think this is going to be a pretty great week.  Here’s to hoping my hunch is right!

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Keepin’ it simple this morning because, despite waking up up early, I’m running out of time!

 

Greek yogurt with protein powder mixed in (trying to up my protein intake per the Bradley Method recommendations), granola, and banana.

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A little chalky, but not too bad.  Yogurt and granola is never bad.

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FAQ Mondays

 

I thought a new FAQ blog series would be a fun addition for Mondays.  Here’s are some A’s to Q’s that I’m frequently asked in the comments section or through emails… or just completely random questions that I know I always want to ask other people.  Heh.

 

What time of day do you eat, and what’s with the whole Breakfast #1, Breakfast #2 thing?  My schedule is so variable on a day-to-day basis between my work, working at the clinic, and volunteering that I don’t’ really have ‘set’ eating times as I would if I worked a traditional office job.  Sometimes I’m up at 5:00 AM and other weekdays I sleep until 9 (please don’t hate me).  Basically, I eat when I’m hungry or when I have an opportunity to, like during breaks at the clinic.  I’ve been splitting more of my meals into ‘meals and a half’ due to increased caloric needs during pregnancy; basically, I need about 300 – 400 extra calories a day (I’ve read varying estimates).  My stomach, however, is compressed due to the growing baby, so I get full faster than I normally would and need to break my meals up.  I usually space them out 2 – 3 hours.

 

Who wears the pants in your marriage?  I’m not sure what you THINK the answer will be based on what you read, but I know most of our friends would say that I wear the pants… but this could not be further from the truth!  I’m relatively Type A and opinionated, and the Husband is pretty Type B and appears to be non-confrontational, so it seems that I’m in control.  But I’m actually flexible in my opinions (if you can argue your point, I’m willing to change perspectives), and the Hus is really opinionated, too, but in his own quiet way.  So neither us really wear the pants – we weigh most minor and all major decisions together.  For example – we have a “no significant purchases without consulting the other person” rule that is rarely broken.  We definitely balance each other out a great deal.

 

What’s your worst online habit?  I’m really into forums – first wedding forums and now baby forums.  I waste a lot of time browsing the forums because I love, love, love to read about mother-in-law drama – I don’t know why, but I seriously love hearing other people’s melodramatic family stories.  It’s my guilty pleasure.  (Side note: you would not believe the crap some people’s MILs put them through – like throwing a tantrum because they aren’t invited into the delivery room, calling the baby a ‘better’ name, or insisting the baby call her ‘mama’ instead of ‘grandma’ – yes, really).  Oh, and my other bad habit is reading celebrity gossip.  I should really give up both of these habits because they do absolutely nothing for me, but I can’t help it!  It’s all so bad that it’s good.

 

Your turn – answer one of the questions above (or tell me about your crazy mother-in-law).

{ 73 comments }

 

  • Heather March 12, 2012, 8:24 am

    i would argue that reading the MIL-drama forums help you realize how awesome you have it, and probably make you even more appreciative for your family situation. So it’s not exactly doing NOTHING for you.

    Also. Celebrity gossip helps you answer pop culture trivia questions correctly. And that is a skill I am not willing to give up any time soon 😉

    Just call me “The Justifier” this morning, I guess. [superhero name? or evil villian?]

  • Samantha Angela March 12, 2012, 8:33 am

    Whoa, what forums are you reading with that kind of mother-in-law drama? Sounds like juicy gossip!

    Although that would majorly suck to have disagreements with your mother in law about raising your child, especially since it’s so important to have grandparents part of their lives. I wonder what people do to deal?

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 8:35 am

      thebump.com

      Draw major boundaries… Crazy MILs like that have no sense of boundaries.

  • Amy March 12, 2012, 8:43 am

    My MIL is crazy!!! She is 74 but insists that at every birthday she is getting younger. She dresses like she is 30 (and it isn’t a good look) and is always dating someone new. She is also in denial about the arrival of her first grandchild. The fact that she will be grandma as well as no longer the center of attention is not going well for her (or my husband’s older sister). My husband has taken care of them for a long time and now they won’t be number 1 in his life. It is going to be a HUGE adjustment!

    Granted, she isn’t nearly as bad as any of the people I have read about on the bump!

    Although, she hasn’t even asked about the delivery room plan and I’m due in 9 days!

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 8:44 am

      Oh lordy. So she’s being passive aggressive about the baby by NOT asking about your delivery plans? Awesome.

      CONGRATS ON YOUR BEBE!

      • Amy March 12, 2012, 2:32 pm

        Well, if you don’t ask — it isn’t really going to appear, right?! 😉

  • Hillary March 12, 2012, 8:59 am

    My worst online habit has to be celebrity gossip…or Pinterest! Every time I’m on those sites, I think to myself, “Self, you should be reading the NY Times or something relatively productive and informative.” Guilty pleasures at their best!

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape March 12, 2012, 9:17 am

    My worst online habit is fanfiction. I don’t even want to think about how many hours of my life has been wasted on that, lol.

  • Lindsey March 12, 2012, 9:20 am

    During the week I eat breakfast at 7am. Saturdays are usually around 8am and Sunday I have a small snack before I go to the gym then we make brunch and eat it 10:30-11am.
    Totally jealous of the 9am wake up 😉 hehe

  • Greta @ Staying Lost March 12, 2012, 9:21 am

    Interesting that you’re trying protein powder in your yogurt- I’ve never been able to tolerate the texture of that!

    My worst online habit is definitely Facebook.

  • Vikki March 12, 2012, 9:23 am

    I would argue that some MIL drama is all in the new mother’s head. My sis-in-law would probably say my mother is a drama queen (and she is somewhat), but you know what, I can see it from my mother’s side. If you allow one grandma to be into the delivery room, the other is going to feel slighted. (Fortunately, my sister-in-law set a husband only in the delivery room.) Showing favoritism to the new mother’s side of the family is bound to result in some craziness from the new father’s side as they love the new baby just as much the new mother’s side does.

    However, my mom is a drama queen when it comes to spoiling my nephew. The kid can get away with stuff that would have gotten my brother and I killed. That tends to annoy my sister-in-law and actually, all the rest of us too.

    • Laurie March 12, 2012, 11:45 am

      I see your point, but I can imagine possibly wanting my mom there for support and feeling a little awkward about having my MIL in there. That’s not fair either.

      • Marissa C March 12, 2012, 12:14 pm

        Agreed. One saw you naked a good portion of your life…the other didn’t 🙂

        That being said, only my hubby was there

        • Vikki March 12, 2012, 12:34 pm

          Well, it is unlikely that the doctors and nurses saw you naked most of your life, but they are there. Still, I also see your point and frankly, I think the best solution is to allow no one in but the father. No one feels slighted and you get a private moment when the three of you become a new family.

          As someone that was outside in the hall when my nephew was born, I can tell you it was super cute watching my mom and my sister-in-law’s mom get all excited when they heard that their first grandbaby had been born.

          • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:14 pm

            I can see the point about inviting both mothers into the delivery room, but the bottom line is that most women are not as close to their MILs as their mothers and delivery is made worse/better by who is in the room and how comfortable you feel. Delivery is not a sideshow!

          • Vikki March 12, 2012, 5:26 pm

            PS…I totally agree with you that delivery is not a side show. Still, if you exclude a grandma and include the other, you should be prepared for MIL drama and hurt feelings. It is only natural.

  • Jessica (My Kindness Counts) March 12, 2012, 9:28 am

    Oh my gosh, I have to get on the MIL drama. Sounds so fun to read haha

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat March 12, 2012, 9:30 am

    Hehe I like these questions! I’m not married or having a baby in the very near future so I’ll answer the first one. I usually work out around 5am and after I get home and shower etc, I like to take a good 30 to 45 mins to eat breakfast, read blogs, and kinda just chill in the morning before the day starts. I can’t stand being rushed so this is one of my favourite parts of the day!

  • Marcy March 12, 2012, 9:36 am

    I know it’s just a turn of phrase but I think it’s such a shame that people say things like “wear the pants” when referring to the balance of a relationship. I know it was just a question that was asked to you, and maybe not your own words, but I really wish people could be more forward-thinking in the words they use when they try to talk about these things. It seems archaic to me to say that the person who dominates the relationship is the one wearing pants.

  • Sue @ Sue In Training March 12, 2012, 9:36 am

    Thankfully, I have a really awesome MIL, but before I met her I was so afraid of that tiny, old, Korean lady! (I expected her to be like Mrs. Kim from the Gilmore Girls!) I feared that I wouldn’t be ‘good enough’ for her favorite son, and tried so hard to be the ‘perfect’ daughter-in-law, that I almost freaked out. Turns out, I was totally wrong, and now we have a great relationship.
    We don’t have any children (yet), but I don’t think that they’d have any negative impact on our situation.

  • Katie @ cooklaughmove March 12, 2012, 9:51 am

    Haha!! I love reading the drama too and some MILs are OFF THE CHARTS!

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing March 12, 2012, 9:54 am

    Your husband does seem really sweet and quiet!

  • Kelly March 12, 2012, 9:56 am

    My MIL and I had a rough go when my husband and I first got married. It was hard on everyone for a while. She did things like sit us at opposite ends of the table during Thanksgiving or refusing to let me be in “family” pictures. The thing is she is extremely passive agressive and always comes across as the oh my goodness I didn’t even realize you weren’t in the picture type of act. It’s funny because no one would have guessed me and my MIL would have problems. His family and my family have been friends since I was born and she was actually the main instigator in us dating. So it was odd to have problems with her. But 6 years later I can finally say things are good. (or probably as good as they can get) I still never know the sudden switch in attitude but I am just grateful it has died down because it makes my life and my husband’s life a lot easier!

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:14 pm

      Oh thank goodness!

  • emily March 12, 2012, 10:04 am

    My answer to #3 is the same as yours! I am totally obsessed with the comments on Dear Prudie. Plus, Emily Yoffee is too funny and intelligent. Her puns kill me and I like that she’s a bit more liberal than Dear Abby.

    If you don’t already, you should check out http://skyliving.sky.com/style. Their “Weeks Best/Worst Dressed” is a lot of fun and I love that they never body snark.

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:15 pm

      I love Dear Prudie. My favorite.

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed March 12, 2012, 10:15 am

    I’m straight addicted to the internet… between facebook, blogs, and pinterest, it’s bad! I’ve been avoiding twitter and google+ because I don’t need any more websites to add to the addiction haha.

  • Corrie Anne March 12, 2012, 10:39 am

    Oh man. I fall for celebrity gossip too. You disappointed me. I thought there we going to be MIL drama in this post!! Haha.

  • Jolene (Homespun Heritage) March 12, 2012, 10:45 am

    Forums are my guilty pleasure too! Its my daily drama intake without having extra drama in my life…although, it has been interesting because I have a Step-MIL and a MIL. Yeah, makes for interesting times!

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:17 pm

      two for the price of one!

  • Christie March 12, 2012, 10:51 am

    I’m a sucker for MIL drama too. Since I’m nursing a little one, I have lots of time to kill on my phone. I love reading the stories on the DWIL board on BBC. Hours of entertainment.

    Oh, and I’d definitely say that I “wear the pants” even thought most people would assume it was my husband bc he’s such a control freak. But he totally follows my lead 🙂

  • Rebecca March 12, 2012, 10:59 am

    I’m addicted to wasting time on the internet in general. YouTube, blogs, funny websites, Facebook… I was trying to stop procrastinating for Lent, but it’s not working very well, lol.

    My grandmothers aren’t that bad. Of course, it could’ve been weird when my parents first got married (I don’t know because I wasn’t there and haven’t asked!), but for the most part, my parents get/got along with the in-laws. I think there are/have been *some* issues, but for the most part they’re small enough that they don’t get confrontational or anything. My mom sometimes talks to my dad’s sister more than he does! 🙂

    I get up at 7 every weekday morning. I have class at 7:40 MWF and usually grab breakfast after because nothing is really open before class. T/Th I have class at 8:30, but I still get up at 7 and take the 7:50 shuttle so that I can grab breakfast and print stuff before class. Weekends are my sleep-in days. I’m glad to have next week off from school, but it seems like when I go home I’m almost always up by like 9 as opposed to noon. Hm.
    I’m so excited to not have to get up at 7 the M/W after break. Our prof will be gone, so we’re not having class. Which means I don’t have class ’til 2pm those two days! My roomie will be jealous–she’ll have to be to class at 9.

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) March 12, 2012, 11:01 am

    My husband and I totally share the job of wearing the pants in our family too. We make a pretty incredible team and since we are best friends, it’s easy to just talk through things. It makes life a lot of fun hanging with my best friend all day!

  • Yum Yucky March 12, 2012, 11:04 am

    ha! Totally mis-read the blog title as “Munchie Pants”. Err, big difference. Girl, if I told you about my crazy mother-in-law, we’d be here ALL DAY. ((eye roll))

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats March 12, 2012, 11:06 am

    I LOVE adding protein powder into my greek yogurt! It’s such a good flavor and texture

  • Justine @LifeWithCheeseburgers March 12, 2012, 11:08 am

    I was ADDICTED to forums when I was planning the wedding, and now that I’m married, I have to be honest that I’m not a stranger to some of the pregnancy forums ;)I just have to limit my time so I don’t get too distracted from my work!!

  • Emily March 12, 2012, 11:12 am

    Yeah, my OWN mother-in-law is wonderful but my friend has the worst one. I mean, almost didn’t get married because of how bad it was… And she called me (best friend of daughter in law) a tramp. To my face. And if you know me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. But in the summer, sometimes there is a little skin between the top of your shorts/bottom of your shirt. I guess if that makes me a tramp…?

  • Lisa March 12, 2012, 11:12 am

    I don’t have a MIL yet but I’ve been with my boyfriend for 4 years now. I absolutely love his mom. She’s awesome. She drives my boyfriend nuts but I think she’s great. 🙂

  • Britt March 12, 2012, 11:13 am

    My mother In law kicked me and her son out of her house when I was nine months pregnant then said she thinks the baby isn’t even her sons’ THEN kept calling me a whore and saying to her son oh you don’t have to leave brittny does
    She’s psychotic then a week or so after we left she’s like oh you always have a place to stay. Fuck her I hate her more than anything and I really really hate that I have to let her see my sweet baby boy but my fiancée forces us to go over and see her. I hate my entire life when we go there and I usually make it so it’s around the baby’s cranky time or nap time hahahaha

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 11:16 am

      Let it outttttttttttttt, girl. Vent vent vent.

      Your MIL sounds like a horrible person.

      • Britt March 13, 2012, 10:18 am

        She is!!!!!!! She treated me like that while I was growing a baby but she treats her son like sht too! She has two and my fiancée is the oldest and she treats the two so different like forcing us to pay for food and pay money towards electric but her other son lived there for free with his girlfriend! We weren’t even allowed to use the oven to cook for ourselves or keep a gallon of water in their refrigerator so it would be cold. Who does that!? I could sit here for days ….. I’ve never met anyone that evil before

  • Joanie March 12, 2012, 11:27 am

    Here is some crazy mother-in-law stuff: My MIL insisted on being in the delivery room since I said I wanted my mom in there…”If she’s going to be in there, so am I.” On my son’s baptism my MIL offered to bring something. After we suggested 2 things, which she turned down, I said bring whatever. Then she said she wasn’t coming to the Mass because she couldn’t sit that long…She also slips sometimes and refers to herself as my son’s mommy….OH my gosh…it gets me so angry just thinking about her…CRAZY!!!!

  • Sarah March 12, 2012, 11:39 am

    I did Bradley method and even though almost everything went wrong for me to avoid interventions, I still ended up with a great natural birth and healthy baby. My Dr was so supportive and awesome and exercise really made it possible.

    Feel free to email me if you need any great Bradley stories! The other women in my class had great results too 🙂

    Good luck!

    My MIL is pretty awesome so I’ve got nothing on that!

  • Sara March 12, 2012, 11:40 am

    I think after three years of marriage + 5 years of dating her son, my mother-in-law and I sort of have an understanding. I guess. I decided I can’t figure her out and that’s OK. She got very opinionated in our wedding planning + wanted us to buy the property across from their house so we could build a house and live across the street. (Think “Everybody Loves Raymond.” That’s the best MIL story ever … really.) Anyway … I have blocked out most of the other crazy things and we tend to get along fairly well now.

  • Kim March 12, 2012, 11:52 am

    I don’t have kids yet and the MIL is part of the reason why. She already causes so much tension in my marriage I can’t stand it. She plays the frail old lady victim to my husband and then when he leaves the room she says such charming things to me like for instance the time she said she wished I’d get cancer and die. I know a lot of crazy MILs but mine ranks up there. To the poster above, my MIL also wanted us to buy the house across the street when it went on sale. I insisted on a 30 minute buffer zone.

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:18 pm

      You should tape record her so your man can hear it!!!!

  • Jen March 12, 2012, 12:03 pm

    My worst online habit is writing ridiculous statuses on Facebook just to see how people respond. Stupid mundane statuses, like “One more week until next week!” or “Like this status if you have blinked today.” I pretty much use social media for silliness. Fun but not productive.

  • MigraineMe March 12, 2012, 12:06 pm

    I love your questions and I am not even married and I don’t even have a mother-in-law, but it is still funny! To answer the first question and your third question at the same time, I am a first-year attorney, so my entire life revolves around what partners tell me to do. So, my schedule is different every day and I just eat when I can. Sometimes two breakfasts, no lunch and two dinners and random hours, or the next day completely opposite! And, in my spare time as a little treat to myself, I read blogs and write a blog for me time – so that’s my online bad habit! 🙂

  • Cat @ Breakfast to Bed March 12, 2012, 12:11 pm

    my mother in law is a devil for so many reasons. I like hearing I am not the only one. I troll the forums too.

  • Marissa C March 12, 2012, 12:12 pm

    You’re not alone…I was SO into MIL drama when I was pregnant too…I’d actually google it. Maybe it is because we have awesome mother-in-laws?

  • Denise March 12, 2012, 12:13 pm

    there is not enough room in the world to get into my mil drama! Your description of the two of you and the pants wearing is SPOT ON with Kevin and myself! too funny!

  • Ashley @ This Is The Place March 12, 2012, 12:30 pm

    Oh man, my MIL is great…but my little bro is getting married in 2 months and his future MIL is a piece of work! My family is all super Catholic. His fiance has no religious affiliation but her mother has recently become a Wiccan. This means she wants a witchcraft ceremony also held in the church and their wedding!

    Speaking of the wedding…the MIL also refuses to wear a corsage, saying she also needs a bouquet!! She bought the same dress as the bridesmaids. And she is insisting on wearing a TIARA. She also wanted them to use HAWKS to fly the wedding rings down the aisle (I am not kidding!) and also to release doves at the end of the ceremony. She’s also a little co-dependant on her daughter, i.e. if her daughter doesn’t call her every single day, she becomes hysterical, cries and refuses to leave her bedroom. Hysterical is right…

    • Laura March 12, 2012, 12:55 pm

      Wait, this is awesome. I feel for ya girl..good luck!

      • Laura March 12, 2012, 12:57 pm

        Whoops, I didn’t see that this isn’t YOUR MIL… That’s good! It seriously is a deal breaker for me. I dated a guy once with a crazy mother who had no daughters, and I ran like hell. My current boyfriend has two sisters so it’s awesome…his mom isn’t overly concerned with me cause I’m not filling some void she never had..thank goodness! My mom is enough haha

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:18 pm

      OMG she wanted to wear a TIARA??????????? I die inside.

  • Laura @ She Eats Well March 12, 2012, 12:39 pm

    Yeah, my worst online habit is probably facebook.

    As for eating schedules, on the weekdays I eat around 9 or 10 am, which probably is too late since I work out at 6am on an empty stomach. ON the weekends I like to drink coffee for a few hours and eat breakfast late…love weekend breakfasts at 11 🙂

  • Laura March 12, 2012, 12:54 pm

    Aw man…when I saw this title I was so confused…thought you were about to dish on your OWN MIL drama…and I was thinking, hmmm, I thought they all got along? Ha!! My guilty pleasure I’d say is the amount of time I spend reading blogs.

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey March 12, 2012, 1:00 pm

    Oh I am so lucky to NOT have MIL drama. My MIL is seriously the sweetest and I love her far too much!

  • Kelli March 12, 2012, 1:10 pm

    I have a really great MIL, so I can’t complain there. I can’t believe some of the things that people wrote about here in the comments though.
    We just gutted & are redoing our bathrooms & my MIL has been over every night & on weekends helping us tile & clean the house. She has also offered to do free daycare for us when our baby is born late this summer. I couldn’t ask for any more! My husband & I share the pants in our house. We make decisions together & like you guys don’t make big purchases without talking & planning for it first.

  • Diana @ frontyardfoodie March 12, 2012, 1:14 pm

    I seriously don’t know why people think someone needs to ‘wear the pants’ in a relationship.

    For my husband and I, we discuss everything but I make sure that I allow him to make the final decision on everything (unless he asks me too). That way he can be the man, but I’m not a silent partner.

  • rachael March 12, 2012, 1:30 pm

    Yeah, so I don’t have MIL drama. I have FIL drama. I don’t have a baby, but when we got our puppy, my FIL refused to call it by the name we gave it, and continues to call it by the name he likes. He also feeds it potato chips and junk when we’re not looking. I feel bad for my SIL because she’s having a baby, and I can only imagine what it will be like for her…

  • SkinnyRunner March 12, 2012, 2:25 pm

    i LOVE celebrity gossip and would never want to give it up. totally mindless and a waste of time, but so much fun!

  • Claire Zulkey March 12, 2012, 2:43 pm

    People asked you, really, “Who wears the pants in your marriage?” I’d like to know how someone who lives in 1960 managed to comment on a 2012 blog.

  • Amber K March 12, 2012, 3:02 pm

    I feel really lucky that I don’t really have any MIL drama. I don’t actually see either of my in-laws much, but they are way nicer to me than my own parents are. In fact, my husband’s family in general pretty much rocks.

  • Morgan March 12, 2012, 3:45 pm

    I’m due about 10 days behind you-do you lurk in the June 2012 WTE forums? I LOVE the MIL drama. I cannot believe the crazies out there.

    My own MIL is okay, not crazy, but she likes to try and take control of some things, however my husband brings her back down to earth. However, my mother in law buys the WORST (useless) gifts. Now that I’m expecting, the horribleness has DOUBLED!!

  • Rachel March 12, 2012, 5:12 pm

    I can’t figure out how to subscribe to your blog.

    • Caitlin March 12, 2012, 5:19 pm

      healthytippingpoint.com/feed

  • Carol @CookingForTwo March 12, 2012, 9:34 pm

    My worst online habit would be purchasing and then watching reality TV shows. They do nothing for my brain, just like the celebrity gossip you’re talking about, but it’s just so addicting.

    Every season I tell myself this is it, but I can’t help going for more. So bad, but so good is totally riiight.

    Oh and I rarely admit watching to anyone in real life :)…Freudian message in there somewhere? Probably, but for now I’m keeping the addiction!

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More March 12, 2012, 10:19 pm

    I’m definitely with you on the good week! I’m doing everything I can to keep my head above water and “just keep swimming” and so far, it’s working great! 🙂

  • Lindsay Lewis March 12, 2012, 11:20 pm

    O.M.G. I was a girl that posted that my mom insisted on being called “Mama”… That was the worst……. I posted on a baby forum in desperation as to how to help myself. I ended up offending her big time by politely asking if I could be the mom or mama (gasp!). She was sooo offended. She asked for all his little new baby and birthday cards back and scratched her name out and signed her real name.. Not even grandma. It’s still a sensitive subject.

    • CaitlinHTP March 13, 2012, 11:07 am

      omg. are you serious? you win. worst MIL of the year.

  • Lindsay Lewis March 13, 2012, 11:36 am

    Haha thank you for confirming my suspicions.

  • Charise March 14, 2012, 8:41 am

    My husband doesn’t even TALK to his mother. Which means I get saved from what I hear is pure crazy, manipulative drama (why he doesn’t talk to her in the first place). Thank you baby jesus!

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