Week 1 + “No Sugar” Challenge

March 24, 2019Leave a comment

Well, the first week of the “no sugar” challenge is officially underway, and let me tell you, I FEEL SO GOOD. View the YouTube video here: Week 1 + No Sugar Challenge

I do not want to sugar coat anything (see what I did there?) and tell you everything is all fine and dandy. It’s not. The truth is, this is SO HARD. Dropping sugar from your diet means that everything you eat is either (1) produce or (2) protein. Yes, you can opt-in with “sugar-free” items, but I do not go for those. Why? Because they usually contain aspartame. You can read more about the dangers of aspartame here.

So, yes, for one week, I survived a fruit, vegetable, protein (eggs, beef, fish), and nuts diet. It was hard, but the way I felt every single day was worth ditching the “white stuff.” The hardest part was on Day 3, which is when the body truly feels that it is lacking all of those processed sugars. My body felt like it was addicted to something on this day, it wanted everything that came in a package, especially Skittles.

However, after I got through Day 3, I loved it so much, that I knew this would be a permanent lifestyle change.

Here are the best things I’ve experienced on this “no sugar” challenge:

Less Brain Fog
If you know me, or if you don’t know me, you know that I have two small toddlers, who also keep us up all night, every night. Also, being a full time working mom, with a husband who travels a lot, doesn’t leave me a lot of room for self-care. This usually results in excessive brain fog. After I started incorporating healthier foods, I could focus more easily, and also think straight! It was a miracle!
Less Joint Pain
Oh, the joys of joint pain. My knees, my shoulders, my back, everything started to hurt more after I started having babies. But, after I cut out sugar, all of my joints felt less inflamed and more juiced up. It’s almost like having WD-40 sprayed all over those bones and tendons. I can play with my kids without things hurting, and I can kick butt in my workouts without feeling it too much the next day.
More Energy
Imagine your body feeling 20 pounds lighter instantly because all of those little cells have the nutrients they need to function at their best. Imagine your digestive track not having to work as hard digesting those pre-packaged foods. You feel on top of the world!
Meal Prepping Doesn’t Suck
Yes. Don’t believe all of those drama queens that say “meal prepping is so hard, it’s so messy.” No, it’s not. It actually makes life easier, and your wallet loves you for it. If I am a full-time working mom, with two toddlers and a hubby who travels, take my word for it that it REALLY MAKES LIFE EASY. Say it with me… “1. Make your meal plan, 2. Grocery shop, 3. Prep said groceries, 4. Enjoy NOT having to wonder what you’re going to cook every day!”

If anything, I hope this little snippet gives you some hope that you CAN eat healthy, that you CAN feel better, and that you CAN start feeding your body LIVING foods, not that crap that comes out of a factory (… organic or not, a machine still created it. GROSS).

Stay tuned for Week 2!

Life with 2 under 2: the final days

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018Leave a comment

I am in denial right now. It seems like yesterday that we just had Mava. It seems like yesterday that we had a 19 month old and a newborn. And suddenly, in a blink of an eye, the “2 under 2” phase is coming to an end.

You know, I was all fine and such until I got Mava’s baby book in the mail and started writing in it tonight. I was going through the “1 month” page where I write about what she’s like, and it dawned on me that I could hardly remember. It was a very, very sad moment.

And then I realized that in 3 days, my first born will be TWO. I will have a two year old. It seems like such light years away, yet, but it’s just a few days away. And then I will no longer have two kids under two, probably ever again.

To me, that’sad. People might think I am a nut job for being sad about not having two kids under two anymore. But I honestly enjoyed the chaos that was tandem crying in the morning and at night when both wanted to be fed at the same time. Trying to bathe both kids in the same night while my husband was away on travel. Two teething babies at the same time (oh lord, why didn’t ANYONE warn me about that?). And of course, when the flu hits the household AT CHRISTMAS. Wow. Nothing like having a newborn and a puking 1 year old at Christmas.

But, you know what? That is a Christmas I will NEVER forget. Because we did not have to stress out about where we needed to go, what dishes we needed to bring, trying to pack the whole house to drive places to go to parties, attempting to shower 4 days in a row for parties while your toddler is trying to pass you the iPad IN THE SHOWER because he cannot get Elmo on it. No, our Christmas was totally chill. We were sick, so we couldn’t go to any parties, and it was amazing.

Christmas Eve we got to hang out at home. It was day 3 of the flu, and luckily Asher was feeling better and Chad was getting his appetite back. So, what does any good mom do for her family? Cook a huge feast… yeah right, me? I went to Panera Bread, ordered broccoli cheddar soup and sandwiches, and brought that glorified yumminess home. We listened to jolly music while eating food, trying to take makeup-less/still sick selfies on our iPhone camera timer (hey they didn’t turn out too bad), and I even let Asher open up one of his presents. Ultimately, we ended the night watching Elf for the 20th time that week before he went to bed, and then we turned on Clark Griswold’s Christmas Vacation.

(Gosh, this reminds me, I didn’t even blog about Christmas. I really need to be writing a lot more!)

So… back to talking about being in denial about no longer having two kids under two. Right. Y’all will have to forgive my mom-brain. It occasionally gets off track.

For the record, I LOVED having two kids under two. Was it hard as heck? Oh my word. There were days where I absolutely lost it, and I still feel guilty for those days. But the age between 19 months-24 months is THE sweetest age ever. Asher went from not really understanding right vs wrong and not being able to communicate at all with us, which was by far the hardest phase, since you couldn’t reason with him, to him suddenly growing this insane vocabulary, and understanding directions and loving to help out with simple tasks such as throwing away something, or picking up toys. We are still working on that picking up toys thing, but those 5 months were like HUGE. He grew so much, and I will never forget those months. He truly went from a little baby mind-set to an up and coming toddler mindset and it was honestly the neatest thing to watch him grow into that while I was on maternity leave.

And to see your two tiny little mini-me’s play with each other and communicate is such a blessing! You REALLY get to see them grow when you see them change into being best friends. It is absolutely a gift from above.

If any of you are contemplating having kids back to back, just do it. It’ll be hard, yes. Very hard. But it is so crazy that you just will not care about anything, because that is your only option. And once you embrace the crazy of two under two, your life is a full bucket of fun. I promise, you won’t regret it.

Now about that little baby girl, she is teething so momma needs to go comfort her. It’s 11pm and I’d rather be sleeping, but I can sleep when I die, and I’d rather be cozying up to my little girl.

Love you all… until next time.

I Cried (Tears of Joy) Last Night

October 30, 2017Leave a comment

I cried tears of joy

I cried tears of joy last night. They were the best tears of joy anyone could have while having a six-week-old and 20-month-old with daily toddler tantrums.

You see, life is SO beautiful — even with two little ones. My house is a mess, I haven’t worn makeup in weeks, and I am lucky if I can get my teeth brushed before noon. But, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

So many people get wrapped up in being perfect. Having a perfect house, having the perfect clothes, and looking like their life is so easy and perfect when they are falling apart on the inside. I don’t know what it is about this day and age, but everyone feels that they must have a Pinterest life.

I am here to tell you that your life doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to look perfect to anyone else. Whether you have two under two, or your kids are older, life is crazy no matter what stage you’re in.

So, if you are like me, and you have a newborn and a 1-year-old, don’t worry about your house, your hair, or your clothes. Nobody will remember that, neither will you. Soak up your time with your kids, spend all day with them in your pajamas, and stop cleaning your house. Your kids won’t remember what your hair looked like, but they will cherish the moments they got to spend with you in your pajamas.

What matters most are these early days. Count your blessings. Take too many pictures. Remember your baby’s milestones. Cry happy tears. These moments won’t last forever and will be gone before you know it.

i cried tears of joy

Week Four with Two under Two

October 12, 2017Leave a comment

So, I have to admit. I got a little teary eyed this morning when I woke up and realized my little girl turned four weeks today. This also puts us at four weeks of surviving two under two. It seems like an eternity yet it went by in a blink of an eye.

First of all, I have to gush a little on my little girl. When they say that girls are sweet, girls really are SO sweet. I was worried about having a girl, especially since we had a boy first. I didn’t know if she would be too dramatic, and cry all of the time, or if she would be like her mama and drama free. It turns out, she is a little bit of both. I can see her pain tolerance isn’t near as solid as Asher’s, but she is as laid back as can be, and always hungry. Yep, just like her mom.

My husband and I have been doing so well at splitting up duties. He can see when my hands are full, and when I just need that extra bit to get me caught back up. He’s so good at picking up the slack, that I couldn’t be more grateful. When I was a little girl, my dad worked long hours in his business, so we never saw him. I still don’t know how my mom took care of so many kids single-handedly and survived? Some days I seriously feel like i am going to die.

One thing that has been helping us tremendously is getting outside. I had our first baby in the dead of winter (February), and I kid you not, I did not leave the house for 8 weeks. I spent all day indoors with a baby with dairy intolerance/acid reflux/colic. It’s Fall here in Ohio, so the weather is perfect for stroller rides. I finally bit the bullet and spent my hard earned cash on the BOB Duallie PRO so that I could go on hikes or long walks down the sidewalks with both kids and not have to worry about bumps. This stroller is a beast. And I got it on sale for $250 off the regular price of $750. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have invested in this. My husband travels a lot, so this will come in to great use on days where I need to distress and get outside, not to mention get in a great workout.

Workouts this maternity leave have so far been limited to the stroller rides daily, however I am slowly getting closer to running. Since I had a c-section, my stomach still hurts and I am cautious to overdue anything. Eventually I want to start running, but only when everything is healed!

Alright, this mama is tired. So far, week for with two under two is going great. I might be one sad girl because my babies are growing up way too fast, but it is the best blessing I could’ve asked for.

We Have a Brand New Baby!

September 24, 2017September 24, 2017Leave a comment

First of all, my apologies for being a bit vacant from posting lately! However, I have to let you know, we had a baby!

Introducing to you our brand new little GIRL! Mava Lis was born on September 14th, at 2:38AM via c-section, weighing a whopping (*wait for it*) 9 pounds 11 ounces and was 21 inches long.

This pregnancy has been an interesting one, indeed. We did not want to know the gender, but at 20 weeks, doctors told us that our baby had fluid in it’s kidneys. Out of all babies that get this, 80% of them are boys.

Next up, at 32 weeks I am in my hometown visiting my grandma who just celebrated her 100th birthday. She hadn’t been doing too well that week, and we were told she had a few days. While my sister and I are there, she passes away on us, unexpectedly. We are in a complete state of shock at this point. I drive back home that night with pure exhaustion.

Fast forward a few hours, it’s 6:00PM and I am completely wiped out with “the flu.” I mention to my husband that he has to take care of our son, Asher, because I simply cannot move. 10:00PM comes, and I suddenly start having contractions. 1:00AM hits, and they’re getting stronger. A call to the doctor and ibuprofen later, I calm down and finally fall asleep.

9:00AM the next morning they’re back. How can I be having contractions?Thankfully I have a doctors appointment that morning because I am thinking I might die at this point.

My OB sends me to Labor and Delivery ward at our local hospital, and while there, blood tests indicate that my white blood cell count is extremely high. The numbers given were related to the body fighting itself, not something simple like the flu. At this point, doctors are thinking I have appendicitis or chorioamniontitis, and decide to care flight me to another hospital an hour away to do emergency surgery.

While in the care flight, I am conscious and can feel every contraction 4 minutes apart, however I can also hear the blood pressure monitor on repeat. Apparently they cannot get my blood pressure because there is not enough there to read.

Arriving at hospital #2, I am rushed into the surgery room, and after some testing, decide not to move forward with an appendectomy or c-section as originally planned. An MRI, and multiple ultrasounds later bring up absolutely no issues, however I am still having contractions 4 minutes apart.

The next day, we decide to move forward with an amniocentesis to test the amniotic fluid for bacteria that may be causing the contractions. Once again, that test also comes back negative.

Doctors are stumped. They don’t know what is wrong, and we don’t know what is wrong. As every blood test result showed a lower white blood cell count, my contractions started to slow. This was enough evidence for doctors to figure that I caught some nasty virus possibly. Two days later and 10 additional blood tests, my levels were back to normal, my contractions subsided and we were on our way home with NO diagnosis.

I truly believe that certain things happen to certain people because they can handle it. I am not sure why God had put me through three days of rough contractions without an epidural at 32 weeks, but it is all in his plan.

Fast forward 8 more weeks, and multiple ultrasounds indicate baby is floating in a lot of fluid, which is very dangerous for baby if my water breaks. They mentioned that I would never go into labor on my own due to the baby not progressing in the birth canal.

However at 39 weeks and 4 days, I laid down at 9:00PM and felt my first contraction. Wow, were we shocked! Stay tuned for my next update and the entire story of the birth of our daughter, Mava Lis!

In the meantime, enjoy these first precious pictures I took of Mava in the first 24 hours.