When it's time to change...

Because who doesn't like imagining Peter Brady's voice cracking? I love The Brady Bunch.

Anyways, how quickly I digress. Of course so many changes are going on in my life right now, most of them expected (quickly hunting for ways I can save more money; growing out of my jeans; thinking about life insurance) — but some of them are unexpected (my new obsession with Podcasts; my complete rejection of reading magazines; my sudden disdain for makeup) and rather unpleasant, too. I'll leave out the annoying hormonal imbalance garbage for you here and, as you'd expect, move right along to sustenance.

I was at my local grocery store the other day, making a quick stop on the way home from looking at cribs. My fist packed with coupons and not much on my mind other than a) trying to get my husband out of there fast to avoid the rolling of the eyes and the sighs and b) dinner, I sped through the aisles gathering whatever caught my eye and whatever I had a coupon for. This had become a sort of routine for me — trying to make the trip as short and sweet as possible, saving money along the way and enjoying my pregnancy a bit by splurging on occasional foods here and there that I never would have bought pre-baby bump.

Sounds all fun and good, if you can stomach grocery shopping in the first place. But then we got to the checkout.

I watched as my husband piled my boxes of frozen lunch meals on the conveyor belt. One after the other after the other. I had recently been complaining that I never had anything to eat for lunch, and they were on sale. But then I also had a coupon for Lean Pockets. And I needed bread, and crackers, too. A couple frozen pizzas for dinner and a Sprite for the road, and I had it all laid out before me: I had become that busy mom (to be) loading up on processed foods and anything that came in a box or can, just for the sake of convenience and cost effectiveness. Even my fruit was packaged "in light syrup." There wasn't a single real food in my cart! Not even one miserable apple or bunch of broccoli.

I was embarrassed. How did I get here? How did I become this person? When did I stop cooking? (When was the last time I cooked?) Sure, I'm busy cleaning, shopping and working, but I used to be just as busy working out, planning meals and relaxing on the couch in front of my favorite soap opera. I knew better than this. Eating well isn't more expensive; in the long run, in fact, it's better for your mind and body, it saves you a boatload on healthcare and, frankly, it feels good to unload bags of beets and potatoes rather than chips and cookies.

The next morning in my preservative-laden stupor, it was all I could do to not insist that my husband take me immediately to Whole Foods after work. Seriously. Suddenly all I could think about were organic fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and chicken.

So last night I cooked. Chicken legs with oranges, honey mustard, carrots and Herbes de Provence. And tonight I cooked, too — Bitty's delicious griddle cakes, this time with chick peas. Tomorrow, after my next doctor's appointment, I know we may resort to that last frozen pizza. But after that, I'm looking forward to homemade soup and meat loaf.

I don't know if I just became overwhelmed with all the things I feel like I "have" to do — even if I want to do them — but it feels strange for something that was such a big part of my life before (cooking) to have become nearly obliterated by to-do lists, holiday planning and registering for onesies. So now, hopefully, after my self-imposed intervention, I've learned that it's not necessary to completely abandon one part of my life just because I'm carving out the space for a new one — albeit most likely the biggest and best new part of life as I know it.

Next it's your turn. For all the moms out there: How do you do it? How do you juggle family obligations, relaxation time, diet and exercise? Do you plan your meals? Shop alone? Do you even use coupons, considering they don't exactly advertise for apples and oranges? Let me know! I'm just setting foot in this unknown territory and clearly I could already use some help. I'd love to hear all of your tips and tricks.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a piece of the pumpkin pie I baked on Sunday. (I know it's pie, but I made it!)